…ziggy zaggy ziggy zaggy hoy hoy hoy!
After a football-induced hiatus, #MWBeer30 is back! On Friday, 2/26 at 3:30(ish) our inaugural gathering of 2016 brings together two of things that make the creative economy hum: Good craft beer, and locally sourced cuisine. Our very special guests are uber-famous Jacksonians Terry Sullivan, Jeff Good, David Watkins, Jr., and Nick Wallace. They will be discussing the concept and mission behind Up In Farms food hub. What’s that, you might ask? How about a little back story:
In 2014 a small group of entrepreneurs, restauranteurs, and chefs came together to create Soul City Hospitality. Soul City’s mission is to develop and support businesses that lead to Mississippi having a resilient and sustainable local food system‚Äîone that contributes to the health and wealth of all Mississippians.
The first business to emerge from the Soul City partnership is the Up in Farms Food Hub.  The hub is located in an historic produce distribution building at the site of the former Farmers Market on Woodrow Wilson Blvd in Jackson. Up in Farms will coordinate production schedules with farmers based upon the demand by regional buyers, such as grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and commercial distributors.
The hub will provide its producers with the support and training necessary to deliver a high-quality product on time and at a sustainable price. Additionally, the hub will physically aggregate produce directly from farmers across Mississippi to its warehouse in Jackson. The warehouse is designed to wash, grade, pack, cool, and store fresh produce‚Äîactivities that are prohibitively expensive for many individual farms.¬† Up in Farms will help Mississippi’s small- and medium-sized farms meet the standards of commercial buyers, plan and operate profitable businesses, and satisfy emerging federal and state standards for food safety and security.‚Äã
And there’s free craft beer…
So please make plans to join us as Terry, et. al, as we hear about this great addition the to creative economy of Jackson and Mississippi.
We will also have a few exciting announcements related to the Kids Code Mississippi project, and make the official award for the MWB Cosmos “Name Planet 9” contest that we sponsored last month (NOTE: winner must be present to claim prize… you know who you are…).
And there’s free craft beer…
Friday, February 26, 3:30ish at the Maris, West & Baker global headquarters. It’s good to be back. #MWBeer30.