LAST UPDATES for Cultivate Michigan Marketplace Events

 

 

 

Cultivate Michigan Marketplace Event Updates!

 

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

EVENT CANCELED

Alpena ISD Central Office

2373 Gordon Road, Alpena MI, 49707

Co-Host: NEMI Healthy Food Project

 

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

Register by Friday, 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 Friday, March 17, 2023 (Deadline extended!)

Flint Fresh Food Hub

3325 E Court St, Flint, MI 48506

Co-Hosts: Flint Fresh Food Hub and MSU Extension

 

Register to participate in one or more of these regional events at bit.ly/Marketplaces2023 and learn more at canr.msu.edu/events/cultivate-michigan-marketplaces-2023. Marketplace events are free for institutional food buyers, farmers, and food suppliers to attend. Advance registration is requested, but walk-ins are welcome.

 

 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.

 

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.  

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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.