Displaying items tagged: foodagri

KALAMAZOO —  A pair of Western Michigan University students will have a chance to get hands-on business experience by running professional beverage brand Bronconess Wine.

Foodservice distribution giant Gordon Food Service Inc. has expanded to the Lone Star State with the addition of six new retail locations.

KALAMAZOO — Flavor manufacturer FlavorSum LLC plans to begin construction on an expansion project that will double the size of its West Michigan location. 

GRAND RAPIDS — When the Great Recession roiled Michigan in 2008, Takidia Jenkins-Smith started a garden at her home in southeast Grand Rapids to stretch her grocery budget. She was 24 years old at the time with three young sons to feed, so she kept at it, eventually growing food for friends and extended family.

Michigan advocates for migrant workers welcome a new federal task force to address child labor violations, but say more policy change is needed to address systemic problems with the migrant labor system across industries, including food and agriculture.

Michigan farmers and agriculture experts say the state is poised to play a key role in the upcoming national Farm Bill, influencing both the political process as well as provisions involving climate change and insurance programs.

GRAND RAPIDS — Franchise restaurant operator Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. leveraged new store openings and price increases to deliver record sales for 2022. 

Astatewide training program has launched its second cohort to build on efforts of bolstering Michigan’s pipeline of agribusiness leaders.

GRAND RAPIDS — Ferris Coffee & Nut Co., a family-owned and Grand Rapids-based coffee and nut roasting business, has completed a succession plan that passes leadership to the next generation.

A new venture from West Michigan serial entrepreneur Garrick Pohl has been selected to join a Chicago-based accelerator program launched by Wyoming-based Gordon Food Service and its innovation and investment arm Relish Works. 

A Battle Creek food and beverage consulting firm has acquired a research and development team in Brooklyn that it hopes will expand its East Coast foothold and bring new ideas to Michigan.

GRAND RAPIDS — Michigan Turkey Producers Co-Op Inc. has received $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to bolster its meat processing capacity.

BYRON CENTER — Food distribution and retail company SpartanNash Co. is expanding its distribution capacity with the acquisition of an independent grocery wholesaler in the Upper Peninsula. 

HOLLAND —  Veteran food exec Tina Floyd will join family-owned Hudsonville Creamery and Ice Cream Company LLC on Feb. 13 as its next CEO, taking over for co-owner Denny Ellens.

Executives from 120 companies in Allegan and Ottawa counties overwhelmingly reported positive growth in 2022, despite continuing challenges they face when it comes to attracting talent and supply chain disruptions. 

PLAINFIELD TWP. — Eastern Kille Distillery will kick off the new year with a groundbreaking ceremony for its new headquarters, distillery operations, bar and restaurant in Plainfield Charter Township.

Consumers and producers alike have felt the strain as inflation has driven the cost of food higher, and they’re bracing for more of the same in the year ahead. 

Michigan’s minimum and tipped minimum wages are both set to increase in 2023, while pending litigation could cause even more significant changes for the hospitality industry that proponents say are overdue and some operators fear.

GRAND RAPIDS — Franchise restaurant operator Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. is expanding its portfolio of Wendy’s restaurants with a deal to acquire a group of restaurants in the Midwest. 

GRAND RAPIDS — The mixologists behind a non-alcoholic beverage shop in Grand Rapids’ Downtown Market recently opened a retail storefront with a wide selection of zero-proof cocktail mixers, spirits, beer and wines.

As food prices surge to record highs, a pair of West Michigan food banks — Comstock Park-based Feeding America West Michigan and Ottawa Food in Holland Charter Township — have secured public funding to expand their services and meet growing demands. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Alpine Township-based Perrin Brewing Co. plans to open a new beer garden at Van Andel Arena under the terms of a sponsorship deal with the Grand Rapids Gold G-League basketball team. 

BYRON CENTER — A new partnership with Uber Technologies Inc. will allow customers of SpartanNash Co. stores to have their groceries delivered on demand.

SHELBY — Perdue Farms, a Salisbury, Md.-based food and agricultural firm, will invest more than $27 million to renovate a former food processing facility in Oceana County. 

As Michigan Agritourism Month draws to a close, a group of Northern Michigan wineries are left to wonder why the statewide recognition of the industry’s economic and social benefits continues to escape local policymakers. 

BATTLE CREEK — The federal Economic Development Administration has awarded economic development organization Battle Creek Unlimited more than $522,000 in grants to bolster a pair of food startup programs.

A wastewater pipeline expansion project that local leaders and company executives say is crucial for agribusiness expansion in Ottawa and Muskegon counties has received $60 million in state funding.

The Michigan Strategic Fund has taken an initial step in approving a $225 million bond for a company pursuing a large-scale potash mining operation in Osceola County.

The Michigan Craft Beverage Council has opened applications for a new qualified distillers program, as well as for its annual research grant funding. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Sip Shine LLC, a marketer of moonshine and canned cocktails, plans to open its first tasting room and restaurant in the Harmony Hall building on Grand Rapids’ west side.