For devotees and supporters of "buy local," Meijer is making it much easier for everyone to find a wide variety of Michigan-made specialty products.
Meijer's "Made in Michigan" program, launched in January 2012, has expanded to include all 102 Meijer stores in the state. The program now features 55 new Michigan-made grocery products, including kettle chips, salsas, barbecue sauces, jams, and much more. It is expected to have an economic impact of $900k statewide.
According to Meijer spokesperson Christina Fetcher, the program was developed in conjunction with the Michigan State University Product Center, and was intended to help Michigan entrepreneurs and small businesses tackle the difficult challenges of finding distribution and creating brand awareness for their products.
Fetcher says the expansion was market driven. "We expanded the program because it received positive support from customers. We went from 40 products in 33 stores to 55 products in all of the Michigan stores."
Fetcher adds that a handful of the original Michigan-made products have already been mainstreamed throughout all Meijer stores.
For individuals or small businesses interested in learning how this program might help them, Fetcher recommends contacting the MSU Product Center. Contact information can be found
here.
Source: Christina Fetcher, Meijer
Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.