The Sitka Local Foods Network wants to jump-start innovative food businesses in the community — and is willing to contribute cash to see it happen. The Network is offering $3,000 in prize money in a contest for food entrepreneurs.
KCAW’s Katherine Rose reports.
For a town of 9,000, Sitka has a surprisingly high number of self-starters with blossoming small businesses. And the Sitka Local Foods Network wants to encourage them to think bigger with a contest for new and existing food businesses. Board president Charles Bingham says there’s a reason homemade goods are plentiful in Sitka.
“That road system mindset, where, okay, I can’t find it here but if I drive 15 miles there’s another town, I can look at it there,” says Bingham. “If you don’t have it here, do you really want to deal with bringing it in on the barge or can you make it yourself, you know? There’s a little bit of that island mindset.”
Bingham and the Sitka Local Foods Network wanted to find a way to harness that energy and encourage Sitkans to try to expand their home operations.
“We were trying to think, what is the next step toward getting local food and improving food security here in Sitka, so we had the idea of starting the Sitka Food Business innovation contest, seeing if we couldn’t spark some entrepreneurs,” says Bingham.
The Network will award two $1500 prizes, one to help launch a start-up food business, and one to help expand an existing food business. Bingham says he knows it’s not enough to make or break a new business, but it could help.
“$1500 is not going to make or break a lot of businesses, but it could be enough to maybe help you get a piece of equipment,” Bingham says. “Or maybe you’ve had a greenhouse and now you want to grow more food and make it more of a production operation instead of just feeding your family. Maybe this will help spark you to do that.”
Bingham said anyone can apply, as long as they have a plan and a tasty product.
More information about the contest can be found here. Contestants must submit entries by Friday, April 6 to be considered, with a $25 application fee.
