Crafting a Vision for the Next Ten Years of Food and Beverage
September 20, 2023 | Milwaukee, WI
2023 marks 10 years of FFI’s support for food and farm businesses in Wisconsin and beyond. At the Food Finance Forum, we will showcase the past decade of FFI’s investment in food while simultaneously looking forward, exploring next steps for building a stronger, more resilient, and diversified food and farm sector.
Please join us to connect, converse, celebrate, and learn—working together to cultivate an empowering future for food businesses and the communities they serve.
Agenda
September 20, 2023
Food Finance Forum | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Central | River Valley Historic Venue
FFI is excited to host a full day of networking, business presentations, expert panel discussions, and roundtable discussions centered around food and beverage. The day’s events include:
- Opening remarks from Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)
- “Financing Food Brands that Work,” a panel discussion with the founders / chief officers of:
- Milwaukee Pretzel – a Milwaukee-based manufacturer of authentic Bavarian Pretzels distributed nationally for food service and retail grocery stores
- Clock Shadow Creamery / Hill Valley Dairy – a Milwaukee-based urban microcheesery, making local artisan cheeses
- T4 Solutions – a Pewaukee based cloud-based temperature controlled secure locker system to enable profitable food & beverage ecommerce
- Kakadoodle – a Frankfort, IL ecommerce D2C platform selling & delivering local farm products to consumers
- ReadySet – a De Pere-based technology platform to help consumer brands and retailers to optimize their product mix and attributes
- “Future of the Sector,” a panel of industry experts that discuss what’s next for food and farm industries
- Naturally Minnesota, Julie Kucinski | Board Member
- Fair Food Fund, Joel Moyer | Acting Sr. Director of Impact Investing & Director of Investments
- Proofing Station, Cortney Renton | Executive Director
- Chippewa Valley Angel Investor Network (CVAIN), Pete Marsnik | Executive Director
- Entrepreneur and Academic, Nic Mink | co-founder of Sitka Salmon Shares and Managing Member and Chief Restoration Officer of Seven Acre Dairy
Please join us as we explore the past, present, and future of food at this special event. A catered lunch will be provided.
FFI’s 10th Anniversary Celebration | 4 – 6 p.m. Central | City Lights Brewing
Please join us for a celebratory happy hour to acknowledge 10 years of FFI’s good and fulfilling work to move more money into food and agriculture. Snacks, beverages, and good times will be provided.
September 19, 2023
Pre-Event Food Business Tour | 1 – 6:30 p.m. Central | Various Milwaukee Businesses
Kick off the event with a fun, lively, and educational tour of local Milwaukee food businesses! We will visit four food businesses that have worked with FFI to learn about their unique business histories, paths, and products. To wrap up the tour, we’ll indulge in a pizza happy hour at Palermo’s Pizza. Space is limited. If you are interested in attending, please indicate so on your registration form.
The Food Finance Forum shares successes of our Fellows Program, our community, and our collective work to build impactful food and farm businesses. Core partners are the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, UW System and the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship, Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers, FaB Wisconsin and our sponsoring partners.
Need a Hotel?
Book here to get a great rate!
We know that many of our guests will be traveling long distances to join us. We appreciate you making the trip!
We have rooms reserved at the Cambria Hotel Milwaukee Downtown for this event. Our special rate of $109/night is available for September 19 and 20.
You must book by Friday, August 18 to receive this rate.