March 2024
The sold-out Michigan Craft Beverage Summit took place March 3-5 in Kalamazoo. The event, hosted by the Michigan Craft Beverage Council and Pure Michigan Business Connect, included collaboration-centered educational programming, networking events, and buyer-supplier matchmaking. The conference also included a Tuesday morning address by Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist II and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Tim Boring.
The Summit was attended by craft beverage producers from each segment (wine, beer, cider, spirits), farmers, suppliers, and service providers. It featured Michigan-based exhibitors and resource tables for non-profit, educational, and government organizations serving the craft beverage industry.
Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, and supported this inaugural event. The comradery and energy at the Summit are a direct result of the people that were there.
Attendees are encouraged to respond to the post-event survey emailed from Katy Till on 03/07/2024. The survey closes on Friday, March 22.
Wine Folly debuted its new Michigan Wine Country Guide to an international audience of wine enthusiasts and travelers on March 13, 2024. The website highlights Michigan’s distinct winegrowing attributes by saying, “Step into the cool, unique world of Michigan wine. This under-the-radar, mitten-shaped state, formed by glaciers and moderated by the Great Lakes, specializes in cool-climate varieties that are fresh, vibrant, and lower in alcohol – a testament to the state's unique terroir.”
The effort to include Michigan on Wine Folly’s platform was led by the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association, and was supported by a Specialty Crop Block Grant through MDARD.
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The Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP) announced the opening of registration for its 18th annual event, set to take place from May 15 to May 17, 2024, in Grand Rapids, MI. Hosted by the Michigan Cider Association (MCA), GLINTCAP stands as the world’s largest cider competition, dedicated to elevating the standard of cider through rigorous judging and invaluable feedback.
This year, there are exciting improvements to the event, including a new digitized scoring system, so cidermakers can expect to receive feedback from the judges faster than ever, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the evaluation process. Entrants can anticipate feedback tailored to elevate their craft, alongside the chance to vie for prestigious medals and trophies.
Each year, GLINTCAP draws in over 1,400 entries from commercial and noncommercial producers worldwide, reflecting the global reach and significance of the competition.
Applications are now being accepted for volunteers with seasoned industry experience to judge entries and from cider enthusiasts to assist with stewarding the competition.
GLINTCAP coincides with the MCA’s much-anticipated Cider Week GR (May 10 - 18, 2024), presented in partnership with Experience Grand Rapids.
Registration for GLINTCAP is open to all cider and perry producers eager to showcase their creations and receive compelling feedback. To register and learn more about GLINTCAP, visit michiganciders.com/glintcap.
View the full press release.
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“Michigan grape growers should prepare for potential late winter freeze and early spring frost risks” is an article written by Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, detailing some of the challenges and solutions to late winter freezes and early spring frosts.
Esmaeil held a webinar on this topic on March 14, 2024 and a recording can be viewed here.
Please reach out to Esmaeil, nasroll2@msu.edu, with any questions about the webinar or the article.
EGLE has released the Recycling Infrastructure Grant Request for Proposals. Proposals are due May 17, 2024. The objectives of this grant are:
- Increase access to recycling infrastructure while building diversity, equity, and inclusion across Michigan.
- Increase collection and processing capacity of recyclable materials.
- Increase participation rate in existing recycling programs.
A total of $6 million in funding is expected to be available through the Renew Michigan Fund with the maximum amount requested for an EGLE Recycling Infrastructure Grant is $1 million. The minimum grant funds an applicant may request is $5,000. Applicants are required to pledge matching funds at least equal to 20 percent of the total grant budget but are encouraged to consider higher match percentages.
Learn more about this grant opportunity.
Michigan State University Extension is beginning a nation-wide project that is working to understand and address the needs of the U.S. grape and wine industry.
The project, "Enhancing Regional Grape and Wine Production and Quality," is all about enhancing the quality of grape and wine production within specific regions, including right here in Michigan. This initiative adopts a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, recognizing the various challenges faced by industry stakeholders and seeking innovative solutions to overcome them.
Producer expertise and insights are invaluable to us, so we're inviting you to participate in a quick and confidential questionnaire designed to gather feedback on viticulture, enology and winery business management. Your input will play a crucial role in shaping the future direction of the industry and ensuring its continued growth and prosperity.
Participation is entirely voluntary and no personal information will be collected. Your anonymity is guaranteed. The questionnaire will take just 5-30 minutes of your time and can be accessed through this survey link. The survey will close on March 29, 2024, at 4 p.m. ET.
Amid the warmest winter on record, businesses in federally designated areas can apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans
As Michigan continues to face record high winter temperatures, Governor Gretchen Whitmer urged Michigan small businesses impacted by lack of snow to apply for federal funding from the Small Business Administration (SBA). Amid the warmest winter on record, with days in February and March topping 60 degrees, federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available because of ongoing federal drought declarations affecting 42 Michigan counties.
Submit applications and find additional disaster assistance information at https://lending.sba.gov. Call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech-related disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services. Applicants may also contact the Michigan Small Business Development Center at 1-833-522-0025 or email sbdcmichigan@gvsu.edu.
Read the full press release.
Proposals Due March 31, 2024
NextCycle Michigan, an initiative of EGLE, is a business-/project-accelerator focused on building the circular economy in Michigan. The program is powered by RRS with support from Centrepolis Accelerator and the Michigan Recycling Coalition. Applications are being accepted until March 31st for the next cohort of teams.
The Recycling Supply Chain (RSC) Accelerator Track is one of two tracks that is currently seeking applications, and relevant to the Michigan Craft Beverage Council members:
The Recycling Supply Chain (RSC) Accelerator Track is seeking applications for businesses and projects that have a direct impact on Michigan’s recycling supply chains including any aspect of collection, aggregation, logistics, pre-processing or processing of recovered materials to enable it to be reused or repurposed into a new product. In addition, the track is seeking applications from end markets that utilize recovered materials as inputs into marketable products. A team can consist of an individual, a single company, organization, or governmental entity, or may include any number of cross-sector entities.
Download a PDF of the application and find more information at www.NextCycleMichigan.com/apply.
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