EBS STAFF
With the aim to get “more Montana food and beverages on Montana plates and in Montana glasses,” the Montana Department of Agriculture will be hosting a food and beverage tradeshow in Bozeman at the Best Western GranTree Inn on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
More than 40 Montana fresh produce, meat, food and spirit companies will be showcasing their products to both professional buyers and the general public. The show will be open to professional buyers only from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and open to the general public from 4-7 p.m.
“Based on conversations we’ve had with Montana food and agriculture companies across the state, there is a need for an event like the Montana Food Show to connect local food and beverage companies with statewide and regional buyers,” said MDA Director Ben Thomas. “We are excited to host this tradeshow and look forward to the connections that will be made between food and beverage companies and institutions of all kinds.”
The purpose of the show is to connect Montana food and beverage companies with food buyers and connect restaurants, schools, grocery stores, health care facilities, catering companies and other organizations with the resources to source more local products and ingredients for their businesses.
Although the main focus of the event is for professional buyers, MDA and its partners decided to open the event to the general public beginning at 4 p.m.
“We thought that since we have all these great companies from across the state in one place, it would be a shame not to invite the general public to meet these companies and sample and/or purchase their products,” said Steph Hystad, MDA marketing officer.
A list of Montana companies attending this event can be found at foodshow.mt.gov. Professional buyers from schools, restaurants, hospitals, grocery stores, catering companies and other organizations interested in local food can register at the same address.
The first annual Montana Food Show is a collaboration between MDA and Montana Farm to School, Montana Farm to Cafeteria Network, Lake County Community Development’s Farm to Institution program, Montana State University’s Farm to Campus program, the Montana Food and Agriculture Development Center Network, Prospera Business Network, Western Sustainability Exchange and the Montana Department of Commerce.
Visit agr.mt.gov for more information about the Montana Department of Agriculture.
