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Release Date: November 29,
2016
Media Contacts:
Rick Hummell, 608-224-5041, richard.hummell@wi.gov
MADISON – Thanks to a familiar red trademark, more
than 20 Wisconsin companies will be prominently on display in the Something
Special from Wisconsin ™ area at this year’s Feast! Local Foods Marketplace at
the Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN. This featured space is one of the many
benefits of being a Something Special from Wisconsin ™ member.
“Consumers continue to demand locally grown and processed foods. Food industry
professionals are looking for those products at this trade show, and 20-plus
companies are using their Something Special from Wisconsin ™ membership to
stand out from the crowd,” said Lois Federman, who manages the program for the Wisconsin
Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).
The Feast! Local Foods Marketplace takes place Dec. 2 for an industry-only
tradeshow and Dec. 3 for a public festival. The two-day event includes a large
exhibit hall, educational seminars, demonstrations, kids activities, and a film
fest. Attendees include buyers for grocery stores, distributors, restaurants,
schools, hospitals, corporate cafeterias and the general public.
The award-winning event is organized by the FEAST
Local Food Network, a partnership of organizations that is headed up by
Renewing the Countryside (RTC) and the Southern Minnesota Initiative
Foundation.
“I'm thrilled to see the growth in the number of
exhibitors coming in from Wisconsin, and I'm excited about the many new vendors
-- over half are coming for the first time,” said Eli Goodwell, Associate
Director for RTC. Learn more at local-feast.org.
Federman adds, “As the Director of the Something
Special from Wisconsin ™ program, Feast! Is the exact opportunity I've been
searching for to help my members enter into a new market outside of Wisconsin.
The event provides us the ideal combination of educational workshops and
opportunities to network with the foodservice industry and consumers.”
Something Special from Wisconsin ™ is a trademarked logo that guarantees that
at least half of a product’s ingredients, production or processing happens in
Wisconsin, which fits with Feast’s criteria for selecting exhibitors for the
event. Businesses must apply and be accepted to attend based on their market-readiness
and use of local/regional food ingredients.
Exhibitors will offer samples and sell product at
Feast! This year you’ll find the following member companies in the Something
Special from Wisconsin ™ pavilion: B&E’s Trees, CTL Foods; Mandy’s Mood
Foods; Sconnie Foods; Wisconsin Grass-fed Beef Coop; Dashelito’s; Ney’s Big
Sky; CJ’s Premium Spices; Becky’s Blissful Bakery, High Home Foods – Smokin’
Ts; Mad Dog and Merrill; Hixton Blue-Collar Café; Century Sun Oil; Chip Magnet
Salsa; Silver Creek Specialty Meats; Fizzeology Foods; Croix Valley Foods; and
Pleasant’s Best Sauces. Additional members exhibiting outside the program area
are Fifth Season Cooperative, FillMyRecipe and Honestly Cranberry.
To learn more about the Something Special from
Wisconsin ™ program or to become a member, visitsomethingspecialwi.com ;
contact Federman at datcpssfw@wi.gov or call 608-224-5124. Connect with the program
on Facebook or Twitter.