“Local food” is big business on the North Shore. A 2014 report by Salem State University found that, between 2009 and 2014, the local food sector was the fastest growing business cluster on the North Shore. The region is filled with an exceptional number of wonderful restaurants, active Farmer Markets in and over 1000 businesses that work in or support this growing sector.
The Enterprise Center has been committed to working with the local food sector since 2012, and offers a series of workshops on Local Food every year, as well as networking events and meetings.
One example of the growing importance of the local food sector can be found in the businesses that have won the NORTH OF BOSTON BUSINESS PAN COMPETITION, sponsored by the Enterprise Center. The most recent examples include:
- 2011 Competition Winner: Notch Session Ale, renamed NOTCH BREWING, American Session Beer, Salem MA. (www.notchbrewing.com). Notch Brewing capitalizes on the popularity of craft beers by introducing a lower-alcohol beer that British pubs call ‘session ale’ because people can enjoy a longer socializing “session” without becoming inebriated.
- 2015 Competition Winner: Far from the Tree Cider located in Salem, MA (farfromthetreecider.com). Far From The Tree’s cider bears no resemblance to large mass produced hard ciders. It is not super sweet, but rather dry and refreshing with light carbonation, and tastes deliciously of apples. That’s because the first ingredient in each of the company’s three current varieties is, in fact, pressed apples. Far From The Tree originally started with three varieties of its dry ciders: Roots, Rind and Sprig but now offers dozens of new ciders.
- 2016 Competition Winner: The Dinner Daily located in Westford, MA (thedinnerdaily.com). The Dinner Daily solves a stressful problem most families face every day: how to put a healthy dinner on the table, every night, quickly and affordably. The company provides weekly easy-to make meal plans, customized to a subscriber’s food preferences as well as what is on sale at the grocery store, thereby helping families eat healthy and save up to 20% of their food budgets
Food owners speak at our workshops, participate in our CEO groups (click here to learn more) and enter our Business Plan Competition. If you want to be added to our mailing list please click HERE
Click on Any of This Seasons Programs to Learn More and Register:
View Article in the Salem News Here
Our 2011 Business Plan Competition winner Notch Brewing Company was featured in Boston Magazine! Read More Here