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MICROGRANTS PROGRAM - 2025 APPLICATION IS NOW CLOSED

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The Micro-Grants for Micro-Food Manufacturing Program (Micro-Grants Program) from The Market Entry Fund supports food and beverage businesses in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry. The objective of the Micro-Grants Program is to bolster the financial capability of emerging businesses that are owned by underrepresented entrepreneurs in Minnesota who demonstrate systemic barriers to equitable participation in this sector.


TMEF welcomes applications from any business making packaged food or beverages for the CPG market. However, as stated above, preference will be given to those who best align with the objective of the Micro-Grants Program. Applicants should be, or have plans to be, in the CPG market to sell business to business. Applicants must be licensed or working actively towards food manufacturing licensing in Minnesota.


Given limited funds, we ask that previous grantees wait two years before reapplying to the Micro-Grants Program. This means that any grant recipient from 2023 and 2024 is ineligible to apply in 2025.


USE OF FUNDS 

In 2025, an estimated 10-15 businesses will be selected to receive micro-grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 per grant. Each recipient’s grant amount will be based on the size of the business, as demonstrated by annual gross revenue.


Applicants can propose how they would like to use the funds, and uses for the micro-grants are flexible. However, the most competitive applicants are those that are able to describe how the funds will help to:

  • Alleviate or “untangle” the business from a specific challenge or systemic barrier, and
  • Propel the business forward to the next level of its development – whatever that level may mean for the business - but must be well defined and described in the proposal.


Grants may not be used to cover ongoing (fixed) costs, such as rent, mortgage, staffing, or general supplies & inventory.


Once an application has been selected for a grant, funds must be used for the purpose(s) outlined in that proposal. Applicants are highly encouraged to assess and know their business needs and opportunities well before applying.  

  

KEY DATES FOR THE 2025 CYCLE 

Application Info Session: February 25 (highly recommended)

Application Opens: February 25 

Application Closes: April 28 (by 11:59pm) -

Application Review: May – June
Grant Decisions & Announcement: August

Grant Agreements & Disbursements: August


QUESTIONS?

Review the FAQ pdf at the end of this page.

Contact: Katelyn Yee via email at katelyn.yee@marketentryfund.org 

READY TO APPLY? TAKE ME TO THE APPLICATION FORM

APPLICATION GUIDE & APPLICATION FORM

2025 Application GuideRev.2.20.25 (pdf)

Download

2025 Access to the Application Form (pdf)

Download

2025 Micro-Grants Program FAQ-Rev3.25.24 (pdf)

Download

2024 GRANT RECIPIENTS

Baptism River Barbecue Co.

Dearest Baker LLC (dba Dearest Baker Macarons)

Baptism River Barbecue Co.

Silver Bay - Founded by Kaylee and Dan Cahill Mathews in 2020 as a mobile food stand, Baptism River Barbecue Co. brings true Northwoods barbecue to you. The business sources local meats to smoke over Minnesota’s boreal forest’s hardwoods and pairs this with made-from-scratch barbecue sauces. The founders hope to take their sauce to scale year-round and reach more retailers in the near future.


Grant Focus: Increase production through automation of the packaging process, and exploring co-packing. 

More About Baptism River Barbecue Co.

Chef FLO-K Foods LLC

Dearest Baker LLC (dba Dearest Baker Macarons)

Baptism River Barbecue Co.

Minneapolis - Inspired by her family history in the restaurant industry and reconnecting African communities with traditional foods, Florence Karp founded Chef FLO-K Foods. The business makes Afric Sauce, an authentic African sauce available at local grocery stores and higher ed institutions. The founder finds much success in personally providing samples in-store and looks to replicate these good sales at larger retailers.


Grant Focus: Support the founder in her storytelling and creating brand strategies that help drive sales.

More About Chef FLO-K Foods LLC

Dearest Baker LLC (dba Dearest Baker Macarons)

Dearest Baker LLC (dba Dearest Baker Macarons)

Dearest Baker LLC (dba Dearest Baker Macarons)

Saint Paul - Cynthia Lee launched Dearest Baker Macarons in 2015. Her passion for macarons evolved into what is now a successful business selling wholesale and custom order French macarons in traditional and character styles and Hmong American flavor fusions. Since a pivotal event selling 5,000 macarons in two hours in 2017, Dearest Baker Macarons has experienced steady growth and increasing demand.


Grant Focus:  Address specific operational needs by purchasing equipment and allow time for founder's professional development.

More About Dearest Baker LLC

Hem Eatery (dba Bao Bao Buns)

Hem Eatery (dba Bao Bao Buns)

Dearest Baker LLC (dba Dearest Baker Macarons)

Hopkins - Founded by Edward Zhang and Caitlin Higgins in 2023, Bao Bao Buns showcases small-batch Chinese bao buns in both traditional and modern flavors. Customers can order frozen bao buns online, at select boutique storefronts, or at pop-ups to take-and-bake at home. Bao Bao Buns has a growing consumer base of both repeat customers familiar with the product and new eaters alike.


Grant Focus: Increase productivity and visibility by purchasing automation equipment and expand marketing and branding efforts.

More About Hem Eatery

Hoyo SBC

Hem Eatery (dba Bao Bao Buns)

Junita's Jar LLC

Minneapolis - The idea of Hoyo and its original recipes were introduced by three sisters, Mariam Mohamed, Halima Mohammed, and Asha Galaydh. Now a social benefit corporation, Hoyo creates frozen sambusas and shelf-stable Somali sauces and provides employment for women, new immigrants, and low-income communities. In addition to retail sales, Hoyo supplies many local school districts.


Grant Focus: Lower operating costs by expanding into a new production facility and updating a key equipment.


More about Hoyo SBC

Junita's Jar LLC

Hem Eatery (dba Bao Bao Buns)

Junita's Jar LLC

Brooklyn Park - Junita Flowers united her lifelong dream of becoming a business owner and her favorite childhood treats with the launch of Junita’s Jar in 2018. The business aims to foster hope, connection, and inspiration for doing good and feeling good with each cookie. Junita’s Jar can be found nationwide in 500 store fronts and currently has the opportunity to become a supplier in a new food service opportunity.


Grant Focus: Optimize production processes and enhance packaging to prepare the business for new markets.


More About Junita's Jar

Linko Food LLC

Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill LLC

Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill LLC

South Saint Paul - Eddie Shih and Sasha Szutu founded Linko Food in 2015 to preserve the flavors of Taiwanese sausage from childhood. The USDA-approved small business experiences especially high demand for its sausages during the Lunar New Year and community festivals. The founders hope to introduce the Taiwanese-flavored sausages at the State Fair someday soon.


Grant Focus: Increase output while maintaining high quality by upgrading production facilities, boosting marketing efforts, and enhancing retail partnerships.

More about Linko Food LLC

Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill LLC

Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill LLC

Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill LLC

Saint Paul - Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill is a Frogtown restaurant celebrating Somali culinary heritage. Among other dishes, highly popular on the menu is their handmade flatbread. Huda Farah, one of Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill’s owners, sees this as an opportunity to branch out and become a CPG supplier of specialty flatbread. Farah plans to process and package this product for the packaged food industry. 


Grant Focus: Expand business opportunities by packaging (the flatbread) for the CPG industry - specifically with proper equipment.

More About Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill LLC

Taking Stock Foods LLC

Soo-Maala Cafe & Grill LLC

Taking Stock Foods LLC

Roseville - Taking Stock Foods sells shelf-stable, organic chicken bone broths. After nine years, founders Molly Clark and Maddy Kaudy find their business a key local supplier of bone broths  - available in three flavors both online and at nearly 150 stores. As they prepare for new markets, a year-long assessment resulted in valuable customer feedback on their product and brand. Putting some of that feedback into play can take the business into new market opportunities.


Grant Focus: Address customers’ needs and demand by revamping packaging design.

More About Taking Stock Foods LLC

Tasty Tin

The Simple Sauce Company

Taking Stock Foods LLC

Falcon Heights - Thembi Johnson created Tasty Tin to elevate homemade meals with premium spice blends. Five diverse blends cater to varying taste preferences and can be found online, at local farmers’ markets, and at pop-up events. The founder seeks ways to cement her business as a must-have, high-quality product for consumers, investors, and partners.


Grant Focus: Create packaging design and brand for key products and build cross-sector network and bridges for the brand.

More About Tasty Tin

The Simple Sauce Company

The Simple Sauce Company

The Simple Sauce Company

Saint Paul - Since 2023, The Simple Sauce Company has been serving up French-Asian gourmet vinaigrette salad dressing through ties with a local retailer. Founder Xiong Zong Xiong crafted this fusion dressing with simple and natural ingredients and learned quickly how unique and loved this dressing became.   Xiong plans to formalize her processes and move into the CPG business with her product.


Grant Focus: Expand business opportunities by investing in new bottling containers, professional labeling, and kitchen supplies.

More About The Simple Sauce Company

Zeytoon Bread & Co.

The Simple Sauce Company

The Simple Sauce Company

Minneapolis - Hadeal Attal started Zeytoon Bread & Co. with a passion for the heritage surrounding both sourdough baking and the Levant region in the eastern Mediterranean. Zeytoon Bread & Co. offers organic, artisanal bakery items infused with traditional Levantine ingredients, available for purchase at local farmers’ markets and online. 



Grant Focus: Scale production and ensure quality and consistency by investing in additional and new equipment.

More About Zeytoon Bread & Co.

2023 RECIPIENTS

3 Bear Oats

Doubting Thomas Farm

A Tiny Homestead

Falcon Heights – 3 Bear Oats, founded by Therese Moore, is a maker of heat and ready to eat flavored oatmeal bowls. Over the years, 3 Bear Oats has consistently offered four distinctive flavors sold in the frozen section - each a meal in its own. 


Grant Focus: increase productivity through the addition of an automated filling system   to speed up the process of filling the flavored oat blends into the bowls.

More About 3 Bear Oats

A Tiny Homestead

Doubting Thomas Farm

A Tiny Homestead

Le Sueur - A Tiny Homestead, is a farm south of the Twin Cities owned and operated by Mary Lewis since 2021. It supplies fresh produce directly to communities through a farm share subscription as well as through local grocery stores. 


Grant Focus: keep operations going and meet demand during the MN winter months, by building an additional heated greenhouse on the farm.

More About A Tiny Homestead

Doubting Thomas Farm

Doubting Thomas Farm

Doubting Thomas Farm

Moorhead - Doubting Thomas Farm is owned and operated by Noreen Thomas, with help from her daughter-in-law. The focus - grow whole grains that are made into cereal, pancake mixes, and other products. It is expanding beyond the Moorhead area.


Grant Focus:  improve packaging to be more competitive in a wider market, than just the immediate communities surrounding the farm.

More About Doubting Thomas

Eso

Kalahari Associates

Doubting Thomas Farm

Cottage Grove - Brand new Premiere Organix, founded by Olamide Olatunbosun, launch its new beverage called Eso this year.  Eso is a plant-powered shake made from water, tiger nuts, coconuts, and dates.


Grant Focus:  increase production and enable entry into key markets including e-commerce platforms. 

more about Eso

Grlk LLC

Kalahari Associates

Kalahari Associates

St. Paul - Grlk is a garlic-based sauce maker, with multiple flavor-blends. Based on Founder, Peter Chehadeh's  Lebanese grandmother’s recipe, this sauce comes in multiple flavors and blends.  


Grant Focus: commercial labeling machine that will automate the packaging process and cut  labor time.

More about Grlk LLC

Kalahari Associates

Kalahari Associates

Kalahari Associates

Eagan - Kalahari Associates' two founders are driven to share their Peanut Brizzle - a peanut snack inspired by their Ghanaian heritage. The product is now sold at local events and markets. 


Grant Focus: nutritional labeling and other regulatory needs, as well as packaging design and printing.

more about Kalahari Associates

K-Mama Sauce

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Minneapolis - K-Mama Sauce makes vegan Korean sauces –by KC Kye. K-Mama produces multiple flavors that are sold in various stores, including a national retailer and online platforms. To maintain his lead, KC continues to get his brand out into unique (chance of a life time) venues that give potential customers a tasty preview.

 

Grant Focus: position the brand for higher sales and distribution by showcasing during the 12 days of the MN State Fair.

More about K-Mama Sauce

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Roseville – Founder Charles Lovejoy started out as a bartender about two decades ago. Today, he makes his own line of Bloody Mary mixes and supplies bars, restaurants and retail stores throughout the Twin Cities, as well as various online platforms that help him distribute beyond MN.

  

Grant Focus: access tradeshows and   development opportunities to increase the founder and his team's business & industry acumen.

more about Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Maytown Foods

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Maytown Foods

St Paul - Maytown Foods started 2022 by  Shan Colombus. Maytown produces chili sauce. The sauce can be found in a few Twin Cities grocery stores already. Shan hopes to grow beyond in the coming years. To do so means increasing her ability to produce more. She is working on her capacity to do this well.


Grant Focus: purchase small equipment to speed up the self-production process, including a commercial sanitizer washer.

More about Maytown Foods

Per Se

P&TY Granola Co.

Maytown Foods

St. Paul - Per Se is a ready-to-drink mocktail producer that launched in 2021, by Hally Turner who wants to enable gatherings where diverse tastes and preferences are celebrated. Its non-alcohol drink products are all natural with familiar ingredients and half the sugar. 


Grant Focus: support the process of developing a new flavor.

More about Per Se

P&TY Granola Co.

P&TY Granola Co.

P&TY Granola Co.

Dayton - Please and Thank You Granola (P&TY) is a 4-year company founded by Brit Williams. P&TY offers bags of granola mixes and pocket-size bars for the on-the-go in a variety of flavors and blends. Products are sold in local co-ops and neighborhood stores.   


Grant Focus: development, testing, and launch of a new peanut-free bar. 

More about P&TY

Uprooted Coffee

P&TY Granola Co.

P&TY Granola Co.

Newport - Uprooted is a new coffee business started by Saengmany Ratsabout and Gao Lee. Uprooted roasts whole beans originated from Southeast Asia, a new region to enter the global coffee industry. Its products are available in bags of whole roasted beans.


Grant Focus: purchase commercial-grade grinder to add ground coffee to its selection; and also help with branding and marketing.

More about Uprooted

Well Rooted Teas

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Falcon Heights -Rachel Banken of Well Rooted Teas crafts loose-leaf teas from foraged botanicals found on local farms and forests native to Minnesota. Its infusions of herbs, roots, leaves, fruits and berries nourish the body and are grown and harvested in a manner that preserve the environment too.


Grant Focus:  purchase a dry-pack filling machine to increase packaging process. 

More about Well Rooted Teas

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Roseville – Founder Charles Lovejoy started out as a bartender about two decades ago. Today, he makes his own line of Bloody Mary mixes and supplies bars, restaurants and retail stores throughout the Twin Cities, as well as various online platforms.

  

Grant Focus: access tradeshows and   development opportunities to increase the  team's business & industry acumen.

More about Lovejoy's

Eso

Lovejoy's Bloody Mary Mix

Eso

Cottage Grove - Brand new Premiere Organix, founded by Olamide Olatunbosun, launch its new beverage called Eso this year.  Eso is a plant-powered shake made from water, tiger nuts, coconuts, and dates.



Grant Focus:  increase production and enable entry into key markets including e-commerce platforms. 

More about Eso

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