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  • A Passion for Pie: Fruit & Grain Bakery Serves Both Savory and Sweet

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  • Nourish the World: Bridget O’Boyle’s Oh Soup!

    February, 2

  • Meet Minnesota’s Cottage Food Community: Breaking Down Barriers to Building a Registered Food Business

    October, 16

  • From Kitchen Saucepan to Main Street Tasting Room: Sweet Haven Tonics’ Elevated Cocktail Adventure

    November, 29

  • One Pot Fresh Tomato Pasta

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  • Pettit Pastures: Regenerative Agriculture Becomes A Family Farming Tradition

    December, 13

  • A Hustle of Love: X2 Pastries Bakes Their Favorites for You

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  • Organic Brown Bread with Kernza by River Rock Kitchen & Baking Co.

      Organic Brown Bread with Kernza by River Rock Kitchen & Baking Co. This beautiful bread [...]

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Meet the Minnesota Makers

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michelle@meettheminnesotamakers.com
All the cool kids with be at #cottagefoodiecon2026 All the cool kids with be at #cottagefoodiecon2026 this week. I’ll be there too. :-) I’m looking forward to joining the bakers, makers, and doers at the first ever International Cottage Foodie Con hosted by @thecottagefoodie . I’ll be there leading two workshops and one information center to make digital marketing sustainable and accessible for our cottage small business owners. In the workshops we’re going to pull out our phones and get to work. We’ll talk about my must dos from five years of experience with Meet the Minnesota Makers. Attendees will walk out of the workshop with simple ways to make their bio, their image, and their post content more likely to connect with their ideal customers. The afternoon information session sets the foundation for having a website, newsletter, and social media that work together. I ground our session in recent research from the University of Minnesota about who’s shopping locally and how you can connect with them. We’re looking to build a community that supports your work. This event extends from Thursday through Saturday with virtual attendance options available. Planning to attend? Let me know which sessions you’re most looking forward to! Find more info at https://events.ringcentral.com/events/cottage-foodie-con-2026#schedule
Know your Neighbors. It’s always shop local month Know your Neighbors. It’s always shop local month at Meet the Minnesota Makers. Our Shop Local month series introduces the real makers, growers and doers from our “Shop Minnesota” guide and makers directory. These are just some of the small business owners who make Minnesota an amazing place to be. 🍷Who: Joe and Melanie Cihlar of Rolling Forks Vineyard 💚Where: Glenwood, MN 🍇What: Family-owned Vineyard and Winery bottling dry and sweet wines made from Minnesota-grown cold-climate grapes *Restaurant with pizzas, sandwiches and salads made with local ingredients *Easy day trip from St Cloud or the Twin Cities to enjoy the patio, meet the farmers who grow your grapes, and browse the on site store *U of M research on cold climate-grapes in action with several varieties on the rolling hills that make up the Rolling Forks vineyard *A fresh take on what it means to be a Minnesota winemaker. There’s good reasons why Rolling Forks is winning international awards 🚗How You Get Involved: Visit https://rollingforksvineyards.com to explore their current vintages and find a location near you to give them a try. (Not finding Rolling Forks on the shelf—please request—this is a great way to let area suppliers know that you’re interested in local brand.) *Follow the Rolling Forks blog for wine industry news. *Explore the Rolling Forks wine club. Think of it as a CSA for grapes to glass. *Follow @rollingforksvineyards for upcoming events *Learn about the Cihlar’s farming pivot into grapes at https://meettheminnesotamakers.com/from-vine-to-glass-rolling-forks-vineyard-award-winning-minnesota-wines *Visit meettheminnesotamakers.com and follow @meettheminnesotamakers to discover small business owners building community through their everyday missions. 💙Meet the Minnesota Makers is a news site that connects you to the local food, farms, artists and artisans that make Minnesota thrive. 💕We are Minnesota strong.
Know Your Neighbors… It’s always shop local month Know Your Neighbors… It’s always shop local month at Meet the Minnesota Makers. These are the real makers, growers and doers from our “Shop Minnesota” guide and makers directory— just some of the small business owners who make Minnesota an amazing place to be. Who: Alise and Lucas Sjostrom of @redheadcreamery Where: Brooten What: Farmstead artisan cheese and whey spirits What: Award-winning artisanal cheese produced from on site Jer-Lindy Farms milk *Foodie destination and community gathering space with a cheese shop, restaurant, and bar overlooking a pond in Central Minnesota *Technology innovation with on-demand milking for the herd thanks to robots that are available 24/7—whenever the cow is in the mood *Multigenerational family-run business with a team of local employees that produce 14 different cheeses, hold multiple festivals, offer farm tours, and distill whey-based spirits (derived from the cheesemaking process!) How You Get Involved: Save your seat for the Alexandria Road Trip Taste Makers Class on Saturday, April 18 at the MN Landscape Arboretum to sample and sip signature products and hear their story (Link in bio) *Visit https://redheadcreamery.com to place an order for shipping or delivery, reserve a ticket for a weekend farm tour, or mark your calendar for CurdFest June 2026. *Look for Redhead Creamery Cheese at Kowalski’s, Lund & Byerly’s, the coops, and other specialty food stores. *Plan your visit. Leave yourself time to marvel at the milking robots, browse the store, and sample their signature cheese curds (which are all gluten free!). *Learn about the journey from dairy farm to cheese paradise at: https://meettheminnesotamakers.com/diversely-delicious-cheese-and-spirits-redhead-creamerys-a-destination *Follow @redheadcreamery to see what’s popping up at the farmstead. *Visit meettheminnesotamakers.com and follow @meettheminnesotamakers to discover small business owners building community through their everyday missions. Meet the Minnesota Makers is a news site that connects you to the local food, farms, artists and artisans that make Minnesota thrive. We are Minnesota strong.
Know your Neighbors. It’s always shop local month Know your Neighbors. It’s always shop local month at Meet the Minnesota Makers. Our Shop Local month series introduces the real makers, growers and doers from our “Shop Minnesota” guide and makers directory. These are just some of the small business owners who make Minnesota an amazing place to be. Who: The Olberding Family of Rustic Roots Farm Where: Alexandria What: Direct-to-Consumer Farm cultivating prize-winning Garlic, Maple Syrup, Asparagus, log- grown Mushrooms and herb blends from on farm crops *Family-run farm built around the values that Julie and Chad want to pass on to their kids *Regenerative practices with a mission to reduce food waste allows them to restore soil and water health at their farm and create unique products like a smoked garlic powder *MN Garlic Festival Best in Show in 2023. With 35,000 garlic bulbs sending up their early shoots this April, it could be another big year for Rustic Roots *Destination for u-pick flowers and fun photo ops for all ages How You Get Involved: Save your seat for the Alexandria Road Trip Taste Makers Class on Saturday, April 18 at the MN Landscape Arboretum to sample some of their signature products and hear their story (Link in bio) *Visit https://www.rusticrootsfarmmn.com to order powdered garlic (shippable!), browse their items available for pick up, and read their blog for their Farm Aid moment of fame *Sign up for their newsletter to be in the know for when this year’s maple syrup is ready or when the farm stand is open for visitors. *Make a plan to visit for u-pick dahlias this summer *Learn about these first-generation family farmers at https://meettheminnesotamakers.com/best-in-show-first-generation-family-farm-rustic-roots-is-mn-garlic-festival-winner *Follow @rusticrootsfarmmn to see what’s literally popping up on the farm. *Visit meettheminnesotamakers.com and follow @meettheminnesotamakers to discover small business owners building community through their everyday missions. Meet the Minnesota Makers is a news site that connects you to the local food, farms, artists and artisans that make Minnesota thrive. We are Minnesota strong.
Community building is the heart of @localfeast T Community building is the heart of @localfeast The Cannon Falls trade show each March has become one of my favorite events of the year that supports our local food space. A dynamic environment brings food and beverage makers from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa in dialogue with buyers and support services from the same region. This supportive and education-forward space educates and informs makers about buyers’ needs and buyers about makers’ challenges. It’s a lively space. People arrive open to possibilities and ready for connection. The energy hums along as sips and samples are shared and conversations begin in real time between real people. After all, isn’t positively impacting people supposed to be the point of building a brand? In this space, local ingredients and the people who shape them into products that nourish and delight are the heroes. This celebration of values is why I’m delighted to be moving forward as a part of the Local Feast! team. Three and a half years ago Elena Gutierrez Byrne invited me to Feast—contacting me to share why attending the event would be worth my time. She couldn’t have been more right. My connection with Local Feast continues to grow as I undertake some of their marketing and outreach work. I’ll be sorry not to work with Elena in Local Feast and @renewingthecountryside I trust that our paths will continue to intersect as we support our local makers, growers, and doers. Special shout out to Nicole of @coffeewompleroastery and Jennifer from MDA being a part of the event (@womenwhoreallycook out and about in Cannon Falls!). Event highlight shoutout to @kate.labrosse for her thoughtful professional development session after the trade show. Kate is a literal treasure trove of wisdom, which she shares in an accessible and engaging way. Thank you to the Local Feast planning commitee and the amazing team at Renewing the Countryside for your work in making these events reality. Your next opportunity to get involved is at the Local Feast Marketplace on November 7 in Rochester. We’ll see you there!
Breaking the Frame A powerful guiding principle f Breaking the Frame A powerful guiding principle for the 15th Annual Women’s Leadership Forum hosted by the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce @dcrchamber . I had the privilege to spend the morning in the same room as 300 (mostly) women as we awarded student scholarships, envisioned leadership directions, and talked about past lessons and future aspirations. It was a vibrant and dynamic environment that offered both inspiration and clear plans of action. My thanks to the organizers for their thoughtful planning from the round table seating to the intentional breaks to give attendees the opportunity to process with their peers and explore the marketplace full of local businesses and civic organizations. The planning committee created a supportive environment that engaged participants and speakers regardless of this experience. There truly was something for everyone at this event. It was my great honor to be a part of the Power Panel along with three other local leaders and founders to share our experience. It was a provocative exercise to reflect on the leadership lessons and challenges that shaped me. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do the work I do today. It’s not often that I create intentional space to consider where I’ve been and how I’ve come to serve the community in this role. I enjoyed learning from my other panelists and appreciated the positive energy in the room as people candidly shared their journeys. This annual event brings together leaders across multiple disciplines throughout Dakota County. I appreciate having the chance to be a part of this conversation.
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