Detroit Youth Food Brigade scores $10K grant for foodpreneur training

The Detroit Youth Food Brigade is $10,000 closer to launching the Motor City’s next generation of food-based entrepreneurs.

The Green Garage-based group received a $10,000 grant from IGNITEgood’s Millennial Impact Challenge. The money will help the Detroit Youth Food Brigade support the local food industry by pairing artisanal food entrepreneurs with Detroit students interested in becoming foodpreneurs themselves.

The Detroit Youth Food Brigade and its team of four people work with local schools and community groups to find teens interested in working with local food entrepreneurs. The 8-week program lets the students intern with local food companies like Corridor Sausage Co, work at farmers markets and other centers of Detroit’s food community.

“We’re really excited to partner with schools and community organizations,” says Amy Berkhoudt, co-director of the Detroit Youth Food Brigade. “We want to make this a more comprehensive partnership with more people in Detroit’s emerging food industry.”

Twenty students participated in the Detroit Youth Food Brigade this year. Berkhoudt hopes to grow those numbers in 2013.

Source: Amy Berkhoudt, co-director Detroit Youth Food Brigade
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.