Business & Tech

Entrepreneurs Connecting Foodies to Artisan Products Also Feed the Hungry

Mitten Crate, which distributes locally produced foods from around Michigan, is partnering with Gleaners Community Food Bank.

From a news release:

Mitten Crate, a subscription service that distributes locally produced artisan foods from around Michigan, is teaming with Gleaners Community Food Bank to provide meals to people in need.

For every crate shipped, Mitten Crate will provide three meals for the hungry through Gleaners Community Food Bank

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Last year, Gleaners Community Food Bank distributed 46 million pounds of emergency food to more than 550 partner soup kitchens, shelters and pantries in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, Livingston and Monroe Counties.

Mitten Crate was founded this year by Andrew Chmielewksi, 25, and Cory Wright, 29, a pair of Detroit entrepreneurs with a passion for the growing artisan food market.

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Chmielewksi has been directly involved in the local food scene for four years as owner of Dave’s Sweet Tooth, a confectionery manufacturer selling a variety of almond toffees in specialty stores across the state.

Wright recently returned to Michigan from New York, where he managed a farm-to-table restaurant and artisan market. There, he was able to hone his penchant for small producers that invoke creativity in their products.

With Wright’s return and Chmielweski’s involvement in the artisan food community, the two teamed to help Michigan foodies connect with local food producers who might not have had to chance to meet organically. Typically, small producers are only able to distribute in their immediate area, which can create a bottleneck for growth, according to a news release.

On the other side of the spectrum, they said, it has been hard for Michiganders to uncover new food favorites outside of what’s carried in big box stores or farmers markets with limited producers.

For example, Grand Rapids foodies have difficulty discovering small batch foods from the Detroit, Ann Arbor, Traverse City areas and vice versa. Mitten Crate’s goal is to connect people from all across Michigan with unique food crafters from every area of the large and diverse state.



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