Indiana Grown held a member event Tuesday focused on encouraging schools, hospitals, restaurants and more to buy local. The event featured 57 Indiana Grown members who are ready and able to expand into larger markets. 

Members who attended the showcase were highlighting their locally grown, raised, processed and crafted items, like wagyu beef, pork, Indiana wine, craft spirits, specialty produce, sauces, spices, coffee and more.

The event featured guests from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky shopping for their specialty store, distribution business, hospital or school cafeteria, restaurant or grocery store. 

Isaac Hughes with Ideal Meat & Specialty Foods was looking for unique products from local producers to offer to their customers.

"I love events like this because it gives me an opportunity to see things I normally don't see and that I would be interested in distributing," said Hughes. "We also enjoyed visiting with our current business partners and welcomed their suggestions of who to see at the show. This event was a great opportunity for me to connect with Indiana Grown members I might not have known existed."

Indiana Grown was excited to host this first time event said Caroline Patrick, Indiana Grown director. 

“This brand-new event for Indiana Grown was a huge success and we are so thankful to the many members who attended,” said Patrick. “When expanding your small business, it can be hard to be connected with the right audience and this was a great opportunity for our members and for our food buying attendees to feature locally grown, made and crafted products in their schools, hospitals, restaurants, catering services and more across the state.”

Tamika Catchings with Tea's Me Café from Indianapolis stated she appreciated her fellow members and Indiana Grown teammates. 

"Being an Indiana Grown member for only a year and a half, we were grateful to be invited to this first-ever event," said Catchings. "Walking around and visiting with other Indiana Grown members has been a huge asset because we can seek other members who want to work with us and leverage both of our products for greater success." 

Jennifer Wiese of BeeFree, whose company was started by a mom looking for gluten free snacks for her son who was diagnosed with Autism, highlighted that this event was a great success. 

"We loved the opportunity to introduce our products to new customers, and we love sharing our story that our snacks were created by a mom on a mission and our products are sweetened with honey, contain real ingredients that are the perfect on-the-go snack," said Wiese.

Companies who attended the showcase are listed below:

• Daniel’s Vinyard – McCordsville
• Pig’s Tale Charcuterie – Indianapolis
• Sip & Share Wines - Indianapolis
• Marsha’s Specialty Desserts & Tierney’s Catering - Avon
• 550 Wagyu - Lafayette
• Owen Valley Winery - Spencer
• Uncle Al’s Breading & Auntie B’s Custom Blending - Converse
• Agua Blanca Shrimp - Indianapolis
• Voils Family Farm - Mitchell
• Abby’s Elderberry - Otisco
• Cindy’s Candy Corner - Hymera
• Bee Great - Churubusco
• Kim’s Key Lime Products - Indianapolis
• Little Family Foods – Terre Haute
• Your Grandpa’s Old Fashioned – Carmel
• Indiana Soap Company – Greenfield
• Cute as a Cupcake! Cupcakery & Bake Shop – Merrillville
• Three Flock Farm – Ellettsville
• Amish Country Dairy – Shipshewana
• PopKorn Kernels With A Twist – Bloomington
• Pa and Ma’s BBQ Sauce – Indianapolis
• Tulip Tree Creamery – Indianapolis
• West Fork Whiskey Co. – Indianapolis
• Spicekick Seasoning – Fishers
• Fungi Meadows – Logansport
• Miller’s Orchard – Nappanee
• Fish Lake Organic – Goshen
• Little Way Farm and Homestead – Vevay
• MKONO Farm – Bloomington
• Needmore Coffee Roasters – Bloomington
• Garcia’s Gardens – Indianapolis
• Metal Honey Foods – Indianapolis
• Pure Memory Water – Indianapolis
• Risin’ Creek Creamery – Martinsville
• Linneweber's Sauce Company – Vincennes
• Hunt Family Farm – Amboy
• Brick House Vinaigrettes – Indianapolis
• Healthy Hoosier Oil – Converse
• Nature’s Tea Company – Indianapolis
• Aahaa Chai – Indianapolis
• Bloomington Farm Stop Collective – Bloomington
• Celtic Glen Heritage Livestock – Spencer
• Middle Davids Candles – Franklin
• Kei2Health – Indianapolis
• Eat Surreal – Indianapolis
• Wild Spirit Coffee Co- Bloomfield
• Slaughter Orchard & Cidery – Bloomington
• Beehive Body Co – Mount Summit
• Tea's Me Cafe – Indianapolis
• Apricot Sun – Carmel
• Groomsville Popcorn – Tipton
• BeeFree – Noblesville
• Culver Duck – Middlebury
• Bread & Roses Gardens – Bloomington
• My Sugar Pie – Zionsville
• Newfangled Confections – Indianapolis
• 4 Birds Bakery – Indianapolis

Indiana Grown is excited to continue this showcase into 2025 and beyond.