NW Michigan Food and Farming Network Report to the Community 2015 Report to the Community | Page 15

2015 Report to the community

Grand Traverse
Food Innovation Hub
Hub offers 12K sq. ft.
for agribusinesses
By Rob Sirrine
MSU Extension and
GT Foodshed Alliance
The nonprofit Grand Traverse
Foodshed Alliance (GTFA) has partnered with regional food distributor,
Cherry Capital Foods, to realize a
“Food Innovation Hub” (FIH) in
Traverse City. Development of the
FIH will help GTFA and partners
make progress toward their overarching goal­­ goal shared by the Mich—a
igan Good Food Charter and NorthBusinesses at the hub will benefit from co-location that offers increased
west Michigan Food and Farming
Network: By 2020, 20% of the food cooperation, efficiencies, and innovation. (Photo: Cherry Capital Foods)
consumed in northwest Michigan
a focus on flavorful food made from
to meet increasing demand. In the
will be grown in the region.
scratch. They developed a food prod- event these businesses expand to the
The FIH consists of 12,000 square
uct line in 2003, starting with their
point where the FIH can no longer
feet of space for lease to eight to 10
popular “Redheads Hummus,” which meet their needs, others are lined up
separate value-added food businesses.
grew to include dressings and sauces, to move in. This is one major goal of
These businesses will benefit from
mixes, vegetarian burgers, coffee, and the GTFA—to encourage economic
proven synergies that co-location
development in the agri-food system
offers in other sectors like increased gift boxes, all with organic products
and a focus on sustainability. With
by providing the space and infracooperation, efficiencies, and innostructure requirements that small
vation. For example, if a value-added increasing wholesale opportunities
value-added food businesses need to
food producer is looking to wholesale with Whole Foods and Kroger, the
prosper. The FIH should be fully ocits products or expand its sales, it has Landry Sisters are finding it difficult
to meet demand because of space and cupied by spring 2015.
the option to distribute with Cherry
NOTE: The GTFA received fundCapital Foods right through the back time constraints in their restaurant
kitchen where the majority of their
ing from the Michigan Economic
door. Developing the infrastructure
products are crafted. Moving their
Development Corporation and the
for these businesses to expand will
wholesale production to the FIH will Michigan Department of Agriculture
provide multiple benefits to our reincrease their distribution potential
and Rural Development for this project.
gion. Take the case of one applicant:
and operational efficiency.
The GTFA board is comprised of
The Redheads Inc.
Like the Redheads, seven or eight
several community food system leaders
Sarah and Christen Landry opened
other businesses will be located in
throughout the Grand Traverse Region. 
Kejara’s Bridge natural foods restaurant in Lake Leelanau in 1997 with
the FIH ready to expand production
www.foodandfarmingnetwork.org
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