Kimberly Wipfler Photo
Foodies got a taste for what a new generation of local food entrepreneurs can offer on Wednesday evening at Elm City Market.
Shoppers who spent over $40 received a complementary rotisserie chicken, a ciabatta loaf from Chabaso Bakery, and a choice of a sampler product from one of eight emerging CT food brands that are part of the CT Food Launchpad network.
CT Food Launchpad, managed by teams at Chabaso Bakery and Atticus New Haven, is a support program for emerging wholesale-ready food entrepreneurs in Connecticut. The group works to help connect new local food brands with grocers and restaurants around the state.
Reed Immer, director of sales and marketing for Chabaso, was there to facilitate the event.
Jay McKinney, pictured above, was there to offer samples of his Durty Jerk sauce, which is currently offered in over 20 Connecticut grocery stores.
“My sauce is a lot different from everybody else’s because not only is it a barbecue sauce, it’s also a marinade, dipping sauce, and finishing sauce. You know, any which way you want to go with it,” McKinney said.
Paul Ganassini and Robert Guiry of David Lerner Associates chatted with McKinney about his recipe and while they enjoyed samples served on a tortilla chip. “We work with a lot of small business owners, so it’s always good to connect and meet folks in the community,” said Guiry.
McKinney founded his Norwalk-based company in 2011, after learning “a couple of secrets” from a friend, “a yardie that was educated in the traditional way of preparing Jamaican Jerk Sauce,” according to his website.
“He showed me one time, I watched a couple of YouTube videos, and then I was able to come up with my own recipe,” McKinney said.
After trying a sample, Brad Collins (pictured), who came to Elm City Market for the event, picked up a bottle of Durty Jerk sauce along with his usual groceries.
Meanwhile, shoppers at the front of the store could select a free sample from a variety of state-based wholesale brands that donated products for the event.
Fire Ox Foods, a New Haven-based organization founded by graduates from Yale School of Management, offered a choice of two plant-based frozen bowls: Ethiopian Greens and Coconut Curry. The brand focuses on creating ready-to-eat products that make vegetables “approachable and satisfying,” while “sourcing simple, whole foods that support the well-being of people and planet.”
Sanctuary Kitchen, a program of CitySeed that “partners with immigrant and refugee chefs to build economic opportunity and authentic connections through food,” offered a red pepper dip. Shoppers were excited to pair the dip with their loaf of Chabasa’s ciabatta.
And Newtown-based Graze & Co. provided personal size, ready-made charcuterie boards. “They’ve done a lot of event planning for parties and weddings in the past, and they’re just starting to get into retail,” Immer said. One shopper recognized Graze & Co.‘s logo from Instagram and said they were excited to try the products.
Reed Immer offers shoppers samples.
Other brands featured in the event included:
- Oh Shito!, “a ready-made sauce condiment from Ghana that features the perfect blend of scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, ginger, and an eclectic mix of spices and meat flavors.”
- KD Crop Farms, which produces “tasty, expertly produced food accents boasting a variety of familiar and exotic flavors of relishes, pickles, jams and salsas that are farmed raised, hand made, and naturally grown in the Last Green Valley in CT.”
- Queen Bee, an “immune support line infused with honey bee by-products,” which plants a pollinator tree for every bottle sold.
- Rachel’s Cookies & Treats, a bakery that emphasizes “quality above profits,” where you can “can pronounce every ingredient,” and offers “the best damn cookies that money can buy.”
“There’s a lot of excitement around local food. There’s already a great entrepreneurship pipeline that’s getting set up,” Immer said in reference to business accelerator programs through City Seed and Collab that help young companies with processes such as establishing a brand name and logo.
CT Food Launchpad aims to “serve as a stepping stone” to help companies who have graduated “from some of these initial programs” with the task of getting products into grocery stores and restaurants, Immer said.
Elm City Market serves a platform for that collaboration. “We try to support our local brands as much as we can. We’re right in the middle of our community, and it makes sense for us to do so. Hopefully, we can do this yearly with CT Food Launchpad,” said the grocery store’s Marketing Coordinator Courtney Barr.
CT Food Launchpad will host another showcase at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas on June 16. You can learn more about their organization at at ctfoodlaunchpad.com, and more info about the upcoming CT Food Product Showcase is available at the following links — Facebook, Eventbrite, LinkedIn.
CT Food Launchpad offers variety of samples for Elm City Market shoppers.
It’s always nice to support local products. I’m glad Elm City Market and CT Food Launchpad, Chabaso Bakery and Atticus New Haven are supporting and introducing new locally made food companies goods to the public.