Four regional Cultivate Michigan Marketplaces events will be held in March 2023!

 

Four Cultivate Michigan Marketplace events will be held around the state in March 2023. These networking events are an opportunity for local and regional food suppliers and institutional food service buyers to connect around local food!

 

Who should participate?

• Institutional food buyers and program managers interested in purchasing local food products from farmer and food suppliers in their region.
• 10 Cents a Meal grantees from previous years, and schools and ECE (early care and education) sites intending to participate in the 2022-2023 year of 10 Cents.
• Farmers and local food suppliers interested in selling local foods to institutional food buyers in the region. Farmers, food hubs, processors, and distributors of any scale are welcome. Note that not all institutions use products developed by makers (ex. pre-made desserts, canned salsa), so it is important to consider if your products are right for a Marketplace event.  

 

How do these events work?

They're a mix between a trade show and a matchmaking event! Buyers will be stationed at tables around the room, and suppliers will rotate to meet with buyers of their choice. Light refreshments will be provided along with plenty of time to mix and mingle.

 

Coordinated by the Michigan Farm to Institution Network (MFIN), the Michigan Department of Education, and local co-hosts, Cultivate Michigan Marketplace events are unique in that they focus on meeting the needs of institutional food buyers. Each event is regional in scope and intended for institutional food buyers, farmers, and food suppliers of all scales.

 

When and where are the next marketplace events?

Four regional Cultivate Michigan Marketplace events will be held around the state in March 2023!

 

Marketplace events are free for both institutional food buyers and food suppliers to attend, but space is limited and registration is required by the dates listed below. Register to participate in one or more of these regional events at https://bit.ly/Marketplaces2023.

 

• DETROIT - Monday, March 6, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Register by February 22, 2023

Eastern Market Shed 5

2934 Russell St, Detroit, 48207

Co-Host: Eastern Market

 

• ALPENA - Thursday, March 16, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Register by March 2, 2023

Alpena ISD Central Office

2373 Gordon Road, Alpena MI, 49707

Co-Host: Northeast Food Initiative

 

• ANN ARBOR - Monday, March 20, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Register by March 10, 2023

St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor

Exhibition Room and Auditorium

5305 Elliott Dr, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Co-Hosts: The Farm at Trinity Health and MSU Extension

 

• FLINT - Thursday, March 23, 4:00 – 6:00 pm

Register by March 10, 2023

Flint Fresh Food Hub

3325 E Court St, Flint, MI 48506

Co-Hosts: Flint Fresh Food Hub and MSU Extension

 

Register at https://bit.ly/Marketplaces2023. If you have any questions about the registration form, contact Megan McManus (mcmanu60@msu.edu). Please contact Mariel Borgman (mborgm@msu.edu) or Garrett Ziegler (zieglerg@msu.edu) if you have questions about an event, including if it is the right fit for you or if do not wish to have your registration information shared at an event.  

 

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This series of Cultivate Michigan Marketplace events is brought to you by the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Farm to Institution Network (MFIN) with support from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. MFIN is coordinated by the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems with support from MSU Extension.

 

 

Colleen Matts

(she/her)

Director, Farm to Institution Programs

Coordinator, Michigan Farm to Institution Network

Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems

matts@msu.edu | 517.432.0310

foodsystems.msu.edu | cultivatemichigan.org | mifarmtoschool.msu.edu