Home » Programs » Food Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (FEED) Project » 2023 FEED Summit in Green Bay
2023 FEED Summit in Green Bay
Join us for the only statewide conference to support early-stage Food and Farming Businesses in Wisconsin!
November 13 – 14th, 2023 FEED Summit
IN-PERSON CONFERENCE
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Venue and Logistics
2023 Theme: “ADDING VALUE to your food or farming business!”
Previously called the “Edible Startup Summit” (ESS)
About Us
The Community Food Systems Program’s Food Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (FEED) Initiative is a statewide program that promotes food entrepreneurship training and network development for value-added producers and individuals facing structural barriers to food entrepreneurship.
See all Extension Educators and Specialists who work in the Community Food Systems Program area on our People page.
Do you have questions about the FEED Summit before you register? Watch our brief info session from August 14 where we heard about about the FEED Summit from Jessica Jane Spayde, the Food Entrepreneurship Specialist for the UW-Madison Division of Extension Community Food Systems Program.
Who Should Attend?
ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS in the IDEATION Phase
Entrepreneurs in the ideation phase generally have a great idea, have a skill, or have a key resource or property, but haven’t started selling their goods or services yet.
EARLY ENTREPRENEURS in the STARTUP Phase
Entrepreneurs in the startup phase are generally producing goods or services and selling them to customers. They might not be profitable yet, and might be trying to grow their business. This includes many food and farming businesses in their first 5 to 10 years in business.
Why Should You Attend?
Learn Business FUNDAMENTALS
Entrepreneurs will learn how to start or grow their business through sessions focusing on different parts of business model development. Each session will have speakers who are business experts in the food and farming industry and/or Wisconsin food and farming entrepreneurs who will share their business stories.
Build Business CONNECTIONS
Entrepreneurs will connect with business consultants, service organizations, and other entrepreneurs through interactive sessions, networking activities, and through 1-1 conversations throughout the 2-day conference.
MARKET Your Business
Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to promote their business during the Entrepreneur Showcase session, and be able to speak 1-1 with hundreds of other entrepreneurs and business industry experts.
What is the Schedule?
Monday, November 13th, 2023
| TIMES OF SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES | SESSION AND ACTIVITIES TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS |
| 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM | NETWORKING Breakfast (Atrium CC208) |
| 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Welcome and Keynote (Auditorium) Welcome: Jessica Jane Spayde, Amanda Chu, Ron Franklin, and Selena Darrow Keynote: How Passion Helps You Take the Leap of Entrepreneurship! with Christy McKenzie Do you need inspiration to follow your passion of having a food or farming business? Hear from Christy McKenzie about how she followed her passion to start her company, Pasture & Plenty, in Madison, Wisconsin. |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | NETWORKING Break (Atrium CC208) |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | BREAKOUT Session 1 ✹ Grants Workshop: Creating a Winning Proposal with Margaret Krome (Room CC218) Facilitated by Diane Mayerfeld. Learn how to scope your business idea into a winning proposal. ✹ Legal Issues for Your Business: Contracts, Legal Structure, and Raising Money with Jeffrey Glazer (Room CC212) Facilitated by Sophie Eyer. This session describes how to go about important legal decisions you will need to make for your business. What is your legal entity type (LLC, C-Corp, sole proprietor, cooperative)? How are you raising the money you need to launch or grow your business (co-ownership, partnership, investors)? What contracts do you need with partners (co-packing, co-manufacturing, shared-use equipment)? ✹ Sourcing Local Ingredients for Your Food Business with Dale Johnson (Room CC213) Facilitated by Valerie Dantoin. Learn from local food experts about how to source from local farms. Hear the story of a local food processor who sources his ingredients from local farms. |
| 12:00 PM – 1:45 PM | NETWORKING Lunch with EXHIBITORS (Atrium CC208) |
| 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM | BREAKOUT Session 2 ✹ Grants Workshop: Grant Opportunities for Value-Added Farming in Wisconsin with Andrew Bernhardt (Room CC218) Facilitated by Diane Mayerfeld. What grant opportunities exist in Wisconsin for food and farming businesses? ✹ Food Safety Requirements in Wisconsin: An Overview (Room CC212) Facilitated by Michelle Grimm. Speak with the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) licensing specialists about how to navigate the food safety requirements for your food or farming business. ✹ Emerging Markets with Steffen Mirsky (Room CC213) Facilitated by Jess Guffey Calkins. What resources and tools exist for businesses where a clear market doesn’t exist yet? Learn about the Emerging Crops Program at UW-Madison Extension. ✹ Legal Office Hours with Jeffrey Glazer (Room CC206) Sign up for Legal Office Hours as you check-in at the FEED Summit! Space is limited, this is first-come, first-serve. |
| 2:45 PM – 3:15 PM | NETWORKING Break ✹ Legal Office Hours with Jeffrey Glazer (Room CC206) Sign up for Legal Office Hours as you check-in at the FEED Summit! Space is limited, this is first-come, first-serve. |
| 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM | BREAKOUT Session 3 ✹ Grants Workshop: Extra Time with Andrew Bernhardt (Room CC218) Facilitated by Diane Mayerfeld. What grant opportunities exist in Wisconsin for food and farming businesses? ✹ Business Accounting (Room CC212) Facilitated by Amanda Chu. What accounting system do you use? Learn from experts a variety of tools and resources to help your business track and achieve financial success. ✹ Food Safety for Mobile Food Businesses (Room CC213) Facilitated by Jess Guffey Calkins. Speak with the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) licensing specialists about how to navigate the food safety requirements for your mobile food business. ✹ Legal Office Hours with Jeffrey Glazer (Room CC206) Sign up for Legal Office Hours as you check-in at the FEED Summit! Space is limited, this is first-come, first-serve. |
| 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM | Travel time – Continue networking and learning at the Local Food Tour & Networking Dinner! |
| 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM | Networking Tour at the New Cannery Market in Downtown Green Bay Be one of the first tours of the new local public market, opening in Fall 2023! Meet local Green Bay food entrepreneurs enrolled in the PROOF Incubator and Startup Hub. Learn about downtowns and farmers markets and what they have to offer on this walking tour of On Broadway! |
| 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM | Dinner on Your Own Have dinner at Hagemeister Park (just across the Fox River from the Cannery) in your own time while you connect with fellow entrepreneurs. |
Tuesday, November 14th, 2023
| TIMES OF SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES | SESSION AND ACTIVITIES TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS |
| 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM | NETWORKING Breakfast (Atrium CC208) |
| 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Welcome and Keynote (Auditorium) Welcome: Jessica Jane Spayde and Amanda Chu Keynote: Claire Thompson from Clario Farmstead Pasta |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | NETWORKING Break (Atrium CC208) |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | BREAKOUT Session 4 ✹ Cooperatives 101 with Kelly Maynard (Room CC218) What is a cooperative? How do you start a coop? What resources are there to help me start a cooperative, or figure out if starting a cooperative is right for me? ✹ The Recipe for Marketing Success: Channel Selection and Partnerships with Mallaidh Mleziva, Selena Darrow and Corey Van Dyke (Room CC212) Facilitated by Hannah Altimus. How do you market your food or farming product? Hear Mallaidah Mlezva, marketing expert, about which marketing channels are available to entrepreneurs and the importance of integrating your brand in your marketing approaches. Hear from Selena Darrow, culinary marketing expert, about how to add value by providing creative recipe content for your customers. Hear Corey Van Dyke/Mister Burns, local food entrepreneur, about how working with marketing experts has helped his business grow and succeed. ✹ Strategic Thinking: Adding Value to Your Food or Farming Business with Steph Plaster (Room CC213) Strategic thinking is the intuitive, visual, and creative process you use to make decisions about your farm business. Business owners make dozens of decisions every day that impact the bottom line and future success. This session offers a handful of management tools you can use to make stronger decisions when determining how to add value to the current food or farm business model and how to set your farm up for the future. |
| 12:00 PM – 1:45 PM | NETWORKING Lunch with EXHIBITORS (Atrium CC208) |
| 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM | BREAKOUT Session 5 ✹ Local Food and Economic Development with Brian Johnson (Room CC218) Facilitated by Amanda Chu. Learn how to communicate the value of your foods-based business in the context of broader economical development and resiliency in your community from Brian Johnson, the Executive Director of On Broadway, Inc. Hear about the impact of this messaging on his organization’s Public Market development in downtown Green Bay. ✹ Market Research Needs with Patrick Nehring (Room CC212) Facilitated by Steph Plaster. This is a discussion where entrepreneurs can share what their market research needs are, how they’ve gone about conducting market research up to this point, and how they’d like the Small Business Development Center and Extension direct them to resources in this area. Join us for a lively conversation! ✹ Cost Projections with Peter Robertson (Room CC213) Facilitated by Hannah Altimus. Do you know know the difference between cost and price? How about cost of goods sold (COGS)? Learn more with FFI Expert Peter Robertson. |
| 2:45 PM – 3:15 PM | NETWORKING Break (Atrium CC208) |
| 3:15 PM – 4:45 PM | BREAKOUT Session 6 ✹ Entrepreneur Showcase (NEW LOCATION – Room CC218) The Food Finance Institute (FFI) is based in the University of Wisconsin System’s Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship and works nationwide. This is the final session of the conference, led by Peter Robertson, FFI Expert. Peter will provide conference participants with the opportunity to learn how to talk about their product or business idea, and it will give entrepreneurs practice showcasing their ideas. |
| 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM | OPTIONAL Conference Evaluation Discussion and Feedback Opportunity (Atrium CC208) – Tell us what you think and how we can improve! |
NETWORKING ACTIVITIES
- Networking Breakfast
- Networking Lunch
- Networking Break
- Networking Tour & Dinner
Logistics
OFFICE HOURS with the Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic!
Included in your registration fee: up to 30 minutes with legal experts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.
Sign up forms will be posted here by October
Participant Registration Prices
Summit Participant Registration
| Registration Dates | Registration Fee |
|---|---|
| EARLY BIRD PRICING Registering before | A |
| REGULAR REGISTRATION Registering after October 15th | A |
SCHOLARSHIPS: The following partnering organizations offer scholarships for this conference. To learn more about scholarships, please inquire at:
- Compeer
- Wisconsin Farmers Union
Exhibitors: Read more about our 2023 Exhibitors here!
Exhibitor and Sponsorship Packages:
REGISTER as an EXHIBITOR HERE !
Small Exhibitor Package $750
✹ Small table in Exhibitor Hall, with several hours of dedicated exhibit time to talk 1-1 with hundreds of food and farming entrepreneurs
✹ Company name listed in the program and on the conference website
✹ Contact information listed in the program and on the conference website
✹ Opportunity to add your Company swag in the conference bag
✹ Your Company will be tagged on social media posts and promotions for the FEED Summit
✹ Up to 2 complimentary conference registrations for representatives of your Company
Medium Exhibitor Package $1500
✹ Medium table in Exhibitor Hall, with several hours of dedicated exhibit time to talk 1-1 with hundreds of food and farming entrepreneurs
✹ Contact information listed in the program and on the conference website
✹ Opportunity to add your Company swag in the conference bag
✹ Your Company will be tagged on social media posts and promotions for the FEED Summit
✹ Logo in the program and on the UW-Madison Extension website
✹ 1/4 page promo in the printed program, which will also be posted on the UW-Madison Extension website – viewed by thousands of food entrepreneurs throughout the year!
✹ Up to 4 complimentary conference registrations for representatives of your Company
Large Exhibitor Package $3000
✹ Large table in Exhibitor Hall, with several hours of dedicated exhibit time to talk 1-1 with hundreds of food and farming entrepreneurs
✹ Logo in the program and on the conference website
✹ Contact information listed in the program and on the conference website
✹ Opportunity to add your Company swag in the conference bag
✹ Your Company will be tagged on social media posts and promotions for the FEED Summit
✹ At least 1 Social Media post dedicated to personally thank Your Company
✹ 1/2 page promo in the printed program, which will also be posted on the UW-Madison Extension website – viewed by thousands of food entrepreneurs throughout the year!
✹ Company name recognition and verbal “Thank you” at Keynote
✹ Up to 6 complimentary conference registrations for representatives of your Company
Sponsorship Package $5000
✹ Large table in Exhibitor Hall, with several hours of dedicated exhibit time to talk 1-1 with hundreds of food and farming entrepreneurs
✹ Logo in the program and on the conference website
✹ Contact information listed in the program and on the conference website
✹ Opportunity to add your Company swag in the conference bag
✹ Your Company will be tagged on social media posts and promotions for the FEED Summit
✹ At least 1 Social Media post dedicated to personally thank Your Company
✹ Full page promo in the printed program, which will also be posted on the UW-Madison Extension website – viewed by thousands of food entrepreneurs throughout the year!
✹ Company name recognition and verbal “Thank you” at Keynote
✹ Up to 8 complimentary conference registrations for representatives of your Company
Title Sponsor $15,000 (exclusive)
✹ Large table in Exhibitor Hall, with several hours of dedicated exhibit time to talk 1-1 with hundreds of food and farming entrepreneurs
✹ Logo in the program and on the conference website
✹ Contact information listed in the program and on the conference website
✹ Opportunity to add your Company swag in the conference bag
✹ Full page promo in the printed program, which will also be posted on the UW-Madison Extension website – viewed by thousands of food entrepreneurs throughout the year!
✹ Company name recognition and verbal “Thank you” at Keynote
✹ 5 minutes to promote your business during Keynote
✹ Company logo on the website, next to the FEED Summit title logo (exclusive to Your Company as a title sponsor)
✹ Company logo on the conference bag, next to the FEED Summit title logo (exclusive to Your Company as a title sponsor)
✹ Up to 10 complimentary conference registrations for representatives of your Company
Would you like to be an Exhibitor at Extension’s upcoming FEED Summit (previously known as the Edible Startup Summit) in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Nov 13-14th, 2023?
The FEED Summit is a two-day IN-PERSON summit dedicated to increasing Wisconsin food & farming entrepreneurship. During the summit, entrepreneurs will increase their knowledge of business fundamentals, build their support network of businesses and service agencies, and promote their business services and products.
Engaging with food & farming entrepreneurs has never been easier for you! Because the 2023 FEED Summit is IN-PERSON and has several scheduled NETWORKING activities, you will have the opportunity to engage with every participating entrepreneur!
REGISTER as an EXHIBITOR HERE !
ADDITIONALLY, please consider sponsoring participants so that we can offer scholarships to make this conference accessible to all Wisconsin’s food and farming entrepreneurs. Email Jessica Jane Spayde for questions.
More FEED SUMMIT Details
FEED stands for Food Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Development, and is the major initiative that in Extension’s Community Food System Program. The Feed Initiative has two major education outreach components: the annual Fall Summit (FEED Summit) and an annual Spring webinar series (FEED Webinars).
Press Kit
See the Press Kit page for the:
- Press Release
- Social Media images
- Graphics and Headings
- QR Codes
- Posters for printing – Save the Date poster
All are Welcome!
An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension
provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including
Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act requirements.
Please make requests for reasonable accommodations to ensure equal
access to educational programs as early as possible preceding the scheduled
program, service, or activity. For communicative accommodations in
languages other than English, please contact oaic@extension.wisc.edu.
For communicative accommodations based on a disability, please contact
Heather Lipinski Stelljes at: heather.stelljes@wisc.edu for the public.
Tus Tswv Hauj Lwm Ntawm (EEO/AA), ntawm lub Tsev Kawm Ntawv Qib Siab
(University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension) pab rau kev ncaj
ncees txog kev hauj lwm thiab kev pab cuam, xws li nyob rau hauv Title VI,
Title IX, thiab ntawm tsab cai Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) yuav tsum
kom muaj thiab Feem 504 ntawm the Txoj Cai Kev Pab Rov Tsim Kho Uas Tau
Teev Tseg.
Xav thov kom ua txoj kev thov laj thawj thiaj li tau cov kev pab cuam ntxov li
ntxov tau ua ntej rau li lub caij nyoog ntawm cov kev pab cuam, kev pab los
yog dej num no. Rau kev sib tham pab cuam rau qhov lwm yam lus ntawm
lus As Kiv (English), thov sau ntawv rau: oaic@extension.wisc.edu. Rau kev
sib tham pab cuam rau kev puas cev xws li tes taw, thov sau ntawv rau:
heather.stelljes@wisc.edu.
Como empleador que brinda igualdad de oportunidades en el empleo y
acción afirmativa (EEO/AA, por sus siglas en inglés), la University of
Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, proporciona igualdad de
oportunidades en el empleo y en sus programas, incluyendo los requisitos
del Título VI, Título IX, la ley federal para personas con discapacidades en los
Estados Unidos (ADA, por sus siglas en inglés) y los requisitos de la Section
504 del Rehabilitation Act.
Para asegurar un acceso igualitario a los programas educativos, haga el favor
de solicitar adecuaciones razonables lo más pronto posible antes de la fecha
del programa, servicio o actividad. Para pedir adecuaciones para la
comunicación en un idioma distinto al inglés, favor de comunicarse con:
oaic@extension.wisc.edu. Para personas del público que quiera pedir
adecuaciones para la comunicación debido a una discapacidad, favor de
comunicarse con: heather.stelljes@wisc.edu.
Slides Folder, Scripts, Submit pictures here
