Tribal Food Producer Information Session

September 10, 2025, 11:30 AM CST | 12:30 PM EST

Join the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition and Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center for a virtual meeting on September 10, 2025 to come together to learn about labeling, packaging, and marketing your food products.

Tribal food producers in the Midwest can connect and learn about resources available to help build their businesses.

Meeting host, Jen Falck (Oneida Nation) of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, and guest speakers will share their insights on resources available to Tribal producers.

Speakers Jamie Rahrig and Jazmin Bolan-Williamson of the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems and Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center will present on what is needed for labeling, packaging, and marketing a food product.

If you are a packaged foods maker looking to understand the requirements of labeling, packaging, and marketing a food product, join this session to learn more.

Our Featured Speakers

Jen Falck (Oneida Nation) works for the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture and Food Systems. She has professional experience in environmental health, food safety, tribal administration, and tribal legislation. Her current projects include the Wisconsin Tribal Elder Food Box Program, developing a Menominee Food Code, and helping to rebuild Menominee foodways. Jen is married and has a twenty-one year old daughter in college, a few dogs, and a menagerie of farm animals. Jen and her husband manage Kahulahele Farmstead, an eight acre farmstead which focuses on food sovereignty, restorative agriculture, conscious animal husbandry, building community, and resilience through bartering.
Jamie Rahrig works for the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and Product Center where she coordinates assistance across the Great Lakes Midwest region, co-leads the Michigan Food Hub Network, and evaluates Center programs. Jamie is the lead author of Funding Sources for Food Related Businesses, an online directory of funding resources including crowdfunding, accelerators, and lending programs. Outside of work, Jamie enjoys bike rides, reading, and spending time with her family.
Jazmin Bolan-Williamson works for the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems where she provides business assistance to food and farm businesses in Michigan. Jazmin supports businesses preparing for financing and developing their business model through one-on-one engagement and resource development. In her personal time Jazmin enjoys traveling, working in her friend’s garden and spending time with her cat.

Join us Wednesday, September 10, 11:30 AM CST | 12:30 PM EST on Zoom to learn more about resources to support Tribal food producers.This session will be recorded and shared at glm-rfbc.msu.edu and on Youtube.

Link to register:https://bit.ly/TribalFoodProducerInfo

For more information, email glm-rfbc@msu.edu or visit glm-rfbc.msu.edu.

About the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition

The Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition works to heal communities by strengthening Indigenous food networks. Their Tribal Elder Food Box Program provides nutrition, culturally meaningful foods for Tribal members over 55 years old. In 2022, the program reached all 11 tribes in Wisconsin, delivering over 24,400 boxes.

About the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center

The Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center is dedicated to offering coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building opportunities for farmers, producers, and other food business owners, in support of a more resilient and competitive food system. Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (MI) coordinates the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center that is comprised of network coordinators – Chicago Food Policy Action Council (IL), Northwest Indiana Food Council (IN), Food Finance Institute of the University of Wisconsin System (WI), and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Food Systems – who seek to take a transformational, rather than transactional, approach. Learn more at glm-rfbc.msu.edu

Per the USDA announcement on July 15, 2025, the Regional Food Business Center program has been terminated. The Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center will continue operations through mid-September. More information is available here.

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