Food/Agribusiness
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Gordon Food Service moves into Texas market with 6 new stores
By Abby Poirier, Grand Rapids Business JournalFoodservice distribution giant Gordon Food Service Inc. has expanded to the Lone Star State with the addition of six new retail locations.
FlavorSum plans $10M expansion to double Kalamazoo operations
By Abigail Poirier, Grand Rapids Business JournalKALAMAZOO — Flavor manufacturer FlavorSum LLC plans to begin construction on an expansion project that will double the size of its West Michigan location.
Young urban farmers fight for limited land as Grand Rapids grows around them
By Rachel Watson, Crain’s Detroit BusinessGRAND 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.
‘Spare me the outrage and show me reform’: Migrant worker advocates call for system changes in wake of child labor report
Written by Margot AmouyalMichigan 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.
Meritage expects ‘transformational growth’ for 2023 amid continued M&A, new restaurant openings
Written by Joe BoomgaardGRAND RAPIDS — Franchise restaurant operator Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. leveraged new store openings and price increases to deliver record sales for 2022.
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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.
West Michigan startup selected for Gordon Food Service-backed accelerator program
Written by Joe BoomgaardA 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.
Battle Creek food and drink consultant expands to the East Coast
By Rachel Watson, Crain’s Detroit BusinessA 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.
Michigan Turkey Producers awarded $1.5M federal grant to bolster processing capacity
Written by Kate CarlsonGRAND 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.
Eastern Kille to break ground on new Plainfield Twp. distillery, bar, restaurant
Written by MiBiz StaffPLAINFIELD 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.
Food producers, farmers expect continued buffeting from inflationary pressures
Written by Elyse WildConsumers 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.
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.
Perrin Brewing Co. partners with Grand Rapids Gold, plans beer garden at Van Andel Arena
Written by Joe BoomgaardGRAND 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.
D&W, Family Fare groceries available for delivery under new SpartanNash, Uber deal
Written by MiBiz StaffBYRON CENTER — A new partnership with Uber Technologies Inc. will allow customers of SpartanNash Co. stores to have their groceries delivered on demand.
New Shelby pet food plant, Holland cold storage facility expansion receive state grant backing
Written by MiBiz StaffSHELBY — 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.
Old Mission Peninsula wineries contend zoning rewrite would edge out family farms, create ‘millionaires club’
Written by Joe BoomgaardAs 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.
Experts see local economic, food security benefits with planned potash mining facility
Written by Andy BalaskovitzAstate board late last month advanced a key step in financing a proposed Osceola County potash mining facility that could lower fertilizer costs for farmers while delivering significant local economic benefits, according to agriculture experts.
West Mich. wastewater pipeline lands $60M in state funding to support agribiz expansion
Written by Andy BalaskovitzA 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.
State board takes first step to approve $225M bond for potash mining facility
Written by Andy BalaskovitzThe 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.
Michigan Craft Beverage Council seeks applications from distillers to qualify for reduced state markup on products
Written by Elyse WildThe Michigan Craft Beverage Council has opened applications for a new qualified distillers program, as well as for its annual research grant funding.
Moonshine and spirits company Sip Shine to purchase Harmony Hall space for new GR lounge
Written by Kate CarlsonGRAND 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.
The substantial craft brewing industry in Grand Rapids seemingly has something to offer for every beer drinker. Yet despite ranking 13th in the nation for breweries per capita, the local industry has one glaring omission: gender representation.
GRAND RAPIDS — Harmony Hall will be closing its doors on Grand Rapids’ west side as the owners of Harmony Brewing Co. LLC plan to move brewing production to another location to “maximize” distribution.
Greece-based snack food manufacturer to establish U.S. headquarters in Kentwood
Written by MiBiz StaffKENTWOOD — A European manufacturer of natural snack food products will invest nearly $42 million to establish a U.S. headquarters in Kentwood and create up to 185 jobs in the process, state officials announced today.
West Michigan investors, former Founders chairman acquire Irish whiskey distillery
Written by Joe BoomgaardA group of mostly West Michigan investors, led by former Founders Brewing Co. Chairman John Green, has acquired Natterjack Irish Whiskey maker Gortinore Distillers & Co. after partnering with the company’s founder to avoid liquidation, MiBiz has learned.
KALAMAZOO — Private equity-backed FlavorSum LLC, formerly known as National Flavors, has bolstered its platform with the addition of a fifth flavor manufacturer.
KALAMAZOO — Bell’s Brewery Inc. has launched a new charitable initiative that expects to distribute $480,000 in donations in its first year and support social and environmental causes in communities where its products are distributed.
MiBiz on WOOD-TV8: Zeeland facility to prepare major shipment of specialized infant formula
Written by MiBiz StaffA Mead Johnson & Co. LLC production facility in Zeeland is set to receive more than 300,000 pounds of infant base formula to blend, package and redistribute in the coming weeks as federal officials seek to ease an ongoing supply shortage.
As a sober resident in a city widely recognized for its craft beer scene, Paul Clark struggled to find non-alcoholic options outside of soda, coffee or sparkling water.
Zeeland-based Mead Johnson facility to process millions of specialty infant formula servings
Written by Andy BalaskovitzZEELAND — A West Michigan formula producer will import roughly 331,000 pounds of infant formula base powder this month from a facility in Mexico to be blended, packaged and redistributed.
CADILLAC — Long Road Distillers LLC is shutting down its Cadillac tasting room after a year in business because of staffing challenges.
‘LONG OVERDUE:’ Restaurant workers welcome higher wages, benefits as owners warn of closures
Written by Kate CarlsonWhile restaurant owners have warned of impending industry collapse — or at least uncertain operating conditions — of swiftly strengthening the state’s minimum wage and paid sick leave requirements, their workers have welcomed recent developments that they say ensure economic stability.
Michigan employers will have at least six months to prepare for an increase to the state’s minimum wage and stronger paid sick leave requirements following a Friday court ruling that brought swift applause from restaurant owners.
Family owned food manufacturing giant Roskam Baking Co. sells to Chicago PE firm
Written by Joe BoomgaardGRAND RAPIDS — Roskam Baking Co., the quietly massive operation that helped put West Michigan on the map as a center for food manufacturing, has sold to new private equity owners after nearly a century as a family owned business.
86 Repairs Inc., a restaurant equipment repair and maintenance company founded in Grand Rapids, has raised $15.2 million from investors to support the company’s ongoing growth.
State officials are preparing to distribute federal block grant funding for Michigan seafood processors that significantly shifted from a wholesale to a retail focus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WYOMING — Food service distributor Gordon Food Service Inc. is among the returning investors in a Chicago-based venture capital fund that invests in the food and retail industries.
GRAND RAPIDS — Restaurant operator Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. is expanding its holdings in Florida with a deal to acquire six Wendy’s locations in Jacksonville.
Already pinched by an ongoing dearth of available workers, restaurants are also facing significant increases in their expenses tied to equipment maintenance and repairs.
New law slashes state markup for Michigan distillers that source grain from within state
By Elyse WildSmall distilleries and grain farmers in Michigan are poised to benefit from a new state law that incentivizes the use of Michigan-grown grains when producing liquor.
Kellogg to split into 3 separate companies under ‘next step’ of transformation
Written by Mark SanchezBATTLE CREEK — Kellogg Co. has unveiled plans to split into three independent companies and base the corporate headquarters for the largest of the three in Chicago.
GFS partnership addresses industry labor shortage with robotic food prepping
Written by Jayson BussaWYOMING — As a food distributor serving a large swath of the country, Gordon Food Service Inc. is closely involved with the pain points facing restaurants and food service operations.
