Mar 27, 2019

Michigan ag commission elects leader, awards grants to fruit businesses

During its regularly scheduled meeting March 27, the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development elected new officers and voted to approve Food and Agriculture Investment Fund grants for 11 food and agriculture projects in Michigan.

Trever Meachum of Hartford was elected chair of the commission, according to a news release from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Meachum is the production manager for High Acres Fruit Farm, a 3,000-acre fruit, vegetable and cash crop farm in Van Buren County. He farms with his parents and two brothers, serves as the secretary of the Hartford Township Planning Commission, and is a member of the Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Association Apple Committee.

The commission also voted to approve 11 food and agriculture projects that will accelerate the growth of food and agriculture companies focused on processed fruit, meat, baked goods, and craft beverages, as well as support the expansion of a food accelerator that will benefit the growth of multiple companies in a shared location.

“Michigan’s food and agriculture industry isn’t booming because of a couple mega-companies,” said Gary McDowell, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “It’s booming because of the thousands of small- and mid-sized operations that bring new, innovative ideas, products and technologies to the table. The hurdle that some of these businesses have, however, is securing enough capital to grow and stay ahead of the curve. These grants are designed to do exactly that. These relatively small, targeted investments help protect and create local jobs in both large and small communities across the entire state.”

Cherry Republic of Glen Arbor, Michigan, will receive a $135,000 performance-based grant toward the expansion and addition of machinery and equipment at their distribution and fulfillment center in Empire, Michigan. Capital investment for this project is estimated at $1.7 million and will lead to the creation of 17 new jobs. The project will lead to more efficient operations and will allow the company to triple their storage capacity. Cherry Republic was founded in 1989 and today the company has 200+ cherry-based products including chocolate-covered cherries, salsas, BBQ sauces, jams, jellies, nut mixes, baked goods, soda pop, cherry wine and cherry beer.

Moersch Hospitality Group of Baroda, Michigan, will receive a $75,000 performance-based grant for the purchase and installation of a new canning line and other necessary machinery and equipment to support the growth of their sangria products. The company will invest approximately $314,160 in the project, which will lead to the creation of two new positions. The company is fully committed to utilizing Michigan grown fruits for their products, including the sangria product, which is made with 80 percent Michigan grapes. In order to continue to meet their demand, the company will also be adding 10 additional acres of wine grapes. Moersch Hospitality Group is a family-owned business that has been crafting wine, beer and spirits in Southwest Michigan for 30 years. They currently own and operate Round Barn Winery, Free Run Cellars, Round Barn Brewery & Public House, and Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant.

Riveridge Produce Marketing of Sparta, Michigan, will receive a $100,000 performance-based grant for the construction of a new 36,000-square-foot apple cider production facility. The multi-million-dollar investment will include production, lab, office and meeting space at an existing site in Grant, near the hearth of the apple-growing region in West Michigan. The new building will replace a facility that was lost to a fire last July and will allow the company to press and bottle cider in a variety of sizes and packages. The project is expected to create 12 new jobs, with up to 20 new jobs created over the next few years. Investment in new machinery and equipment will allow the company to operate more efficiently and have a greater impact on Michigan agriculture, which will supply most of the apples for the facility. Riverigde was founded in 1990 as an apple marketer and has grown into a grower, shipper, packer and processor of Michigan apples.

KDS doing business as Schramm’s Mead of Ferndale, Michigan, will receive a $100,000 performance-based grant for the development of an orchard-to-bottle production model in southeast Michigan. Schramm’s Mead manufactures connoisseur mead (honey wine) and operates a tasting room in Ferndale. This project will allow the company to expand its operations and will require an investment of $790,000 for improvement to their production space, including new IQF or blast freezer equipment, fruit washers, pitters and presses, a bottle rinser and storage freezer. The project will lead to greater vertical integration of products and will allow the company to better control the availability and quality of the fruit varieties used in the production of their meads. The project will lead to the creation of 10 new jobs. The company was founded in 2013 and has seen significant growth due to the passion and expertise and innovation of the owner who wanted to produce the highest quality commercial mead on the market. The company was ranked #33 in the 2018 ranking of “Top 100 Brewers” by RateBeer, the highest rated meadery in the world.

“We are very excited to be working with a diverse group of growing food and agriculture business here in Michigan,” said Peter Anastor, Director of MDARD’s Agriculture Development Division. “They are all great examples of the results that can happen when we take the great products we grow and produce in Michigan and turn them into value-added food products that lead to investment and job creation right here in Michigan. It is really great to see projects like the Allen Place Accelerator Kitchen become reality, as it provides opportunities for small food companies to take the next step in their growth.”

The Food and Agriculture Investment Program provides financial support for food and agriculture projects that help expand food and agriculture processing to enable growth in the industry and Michigan’s economy. Projects are selected based on their impact to the overall agriculture industry and their impact to food and agriculture growth and investment in Michigan.