At Market of Choice, we value our relationships with Oregon food and beverage makers. As part of this commitment to supporting local makers, we amplify their brands and products at the store level and online by telling their stories. We also provide direct funding to organizations that help local makers discover pathways that support their business growth.
In this Everyday Northwest TV interview, Portland’s The CW Reporter Nicole DeCosta delves into just how much Market of Choice endeavors to help local makers through the funding support of nonprofits and our Amplify Program.
Xcelerate Women
“Market of Choice is a really great partner,” says Amy Jermain, Executive Director of Xcelerate Women, a nonprofit program that provides business support, education and pathways to funding for Oregon women entrepreneurs.
“Market of Choice supports us with dollars, community connections and their resources. We work together to make sure the owner is ready to be successful on the shelves of the grocery store,” Amy says.
Holly Ong, co-founder of the women-owned Singaporean food startup Sibeiho, had great success selling her delicious sambals at local farmers’ markets, but really wanted her products to be available at her local grocery store.
“We helped her with access to coaches, financial advisors and strategists that understand packaging,” Amy explains.
Now, Sibeiho’s sambals can be found in our grocery aisles, one of hundreds of products that are easy to identify, thanks to our Amplify Program’s colorful icons and labels that spotlight self-identified BIPOC, LGBTQI+ and Women makers so that consumers can make a conscious effort to support these businesses.
Community Co-Pack
As businesses grow, makers often reach the point where they need production help, whether to meet growing demand, to figure out a wider distribution, to build sales or to expand a product line.
This is where Community Co-Pack comes in. Co-founded by Hannah Kull and Chris Bailey, Community Co-Pack, or CoCo, incubates and scales BIPOC- and women-led businesses, in partnership with Xcelerate Women and its Market of Choice funding support. Inside a spacious production kitchen, Community Co-Pack aids in product production from start to finish so that business owners may focus on the other facets of their business, Hannah explains.
Chris Bailey struggled with scaling production himself as owner of Bloom Caramel, handcrafted coconut milk caramel sauces.
“Scaling production. It’s been a major gap for brands like mine and getting momentum,” Chris says, but Community Co-Pack made all the difference. “It’s a beautiful kitchen,” he adds. “There are so many incredible products coming through.”
Look for the colorful labels on the shelves at your Market of Choice to find these wonderful products and join us in amplifying our local makers with your purchases.
