Four Michigan-based food brands will be finding their way to the shelves of Fresh Thyme Market in Farmington following the inaugural Pitch Thyme Competition at the store.
Seven state businesses participated in the competition, created to support and discover local emerging brands while giving customers a chance to cast their vote for the product they would like to see in their local store.
The Illinois-based grocery chain partnered with the Michigan State University Product Center for the Farmington event, which brought together customers and a panel of industry judges to evaluate participating brands based on product uniqueness, taste, quality, packaging, and price.
Michigan-based Bingo Roasters earned the Customer Choice distinction, receiving the strongest support from Fresh Thyme shoppers. The company creates specialty coffee spreads and chocolate bars using artisanal beans and quality ingredients.
Bingo Roasters reportedly spent more than four years perfecting the art of making coffee edible, with products handcrafted in small batches by its team of baristas.
“Fresh Thyme has invested heavily in local brands and bringing our customers the best products we can find since we opened our doors,” says Brad Etlin, senior manager of community affairs at Fresh Thyme. “We’re excited to help these local Michigan brands take that next step and grow with Fresh Thyme.”
Judges and Farmington store team members selected three additional local businesses to join Bingo Roasters on store shelves: Mimidae Beverage Co. in Detroit, Red Truck Orchards in Northport (on the Leelanau Peninsula), and Gnarly Sauce Co. in Horton (southwest of Jackson).
“It was incredibly rewarding to see these local entrepreneurs connect with customers and experience such an overwhelmingly positive response to their products,” says Kendra Wills, innovation counselor at the Michigan State University Product Center. “We’re proud to have partnered with Fresh Thyme on a program that is helping take all these local businesses to the next level.”
Bingo Roasters and the other selected brands are expected to arrive on shelves at Fresh Thyme Market’s Farmington store in late September. There will be an in-store sampling event paired with the launch of the products.
For more information, visit freshthyme.com.
