The Big Connecticut Food Event
Save the date!
The next Big Connecticut Food Event will take place on Saturday 3/1/25 at the Yale School of Management.
Please see below for the different participation formats for the event, and then please reach out via our participation request form.
Connecticut food & bev brands
Pitch competition
Tabling & sampling
Panel discussions
Expert coaching participant
Industry partners
Panel discussions
Whitepaper (published before event)
Expert coaching
Sponsors
Gold ($20k) — Everything in silver sponsorship + larger 20’ x 10’ space for brand activation, logo on pitch competition big checks
Silver ($5k) -- Everything in bronze sponsorship + company thanked on stage during pitch competition, opportunity to submit article to event whitepaper
Bronze ($2.5k) — Table for your brand, logo on website, ad in event booklet and on event screens
From 2/9/24
Thank you to the organizations and individuals that made the 2024 Big Connecticut Food Event a delicious success!
The five pitch competition participants and broader group of brands in attendance made it clear that our state's food entrepreneurship ecosystem is on the up.
Pitch competition results:
1st place ($25k): Secret Salad
2nd place ($10k): East Coast Kombucha
3rd place ($7.5k): Maia Yogurt
Runners-up ($2.5k each): Caribe Soul, Gorilla Lemonade
Audience choice ($2.5k): Gorilla Lemonade
If you are interested in joining our effort to strengthen Connecticut's food entrepreneurship pipeline and help organize next year's event please submit a participation request.
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About the event
Connecticut has made substantial progress in developing infrastructure for entrepreneurs in the state’s food and beverage industry. Multiple commercial kitchens, incubators and funding programs now span our small state and have generated interest within the regional industry.
Work remains to remove friction in the Connecticut food entrepreneurship pipeline, including stronger links with wholesale buyers and solutions providers, and more effective support for women and BIPOC entrepreneurs and businesses pursuing sustainable or regenerative processes.
The Big Connecticut Food Event is designed to provide opportunities for emerging food and beverage brands to connect with the expertise that they’re going to need on their journeys, and for strategic and industry partners to meet the growing community of promising brands.
Our goal is to support the development of Connecticut’s entrepreneurship pipeline so it produces multiple food and beverage brands every year that each exceed $2 million in annual sales.
Schedule, 2/9/24
12:45pm: Doors open
1:15pm: Opening remarks
Anthony M. Anthony, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development
1:30pm: Panel discussion: What buyers wish more emerging brands knew
Moderator: Reed Immer, CT Food Launchpad/Chabaso Bakery/Atticus
Deane Sullivan, Stop & Shop
John Fraro, Big Y
John Lawson, Whole Foods
Jim Creely, Bozzuto’s
2:30pm: Connecting the dots: Cross-sector partnerships in the entrepreneurship pipeline
Moderator: Onyeka Obiocha, CTNext
Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt, Connecticut Department of Agriculture
Dean Indrajeet Chaubey, UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources
Katrice Claudio, reSET
Charlie Negaro, Chabaso Bakery / Atticus / CT Food Launchpad
3:15-4:15pm: Sampling, tabling and expert coaching
Sampling
BREAKFAST BELLE LLC
88 Coffee Company
Maple Craft Foods, LLC
Maia Yogurt
Caribe Soul LLC
East Coast Kombucha Company, LLC
Seir Hill
Ruby Wellness Inc
Secret Salad
860Kombucha
Gorilla Lemonade LLC
Durty Jerk
Soul de Cuba Cafe
4:15-5:15pm: Pitch competition
Judges: Deane Sullivan (Stop & Shop), John Fraro (Big Y), Seth Nieman (Wakefern), Charlotte Myer (Fresh Direct), Rafi Taherian (Yale Hospitality)
Brand participants: Maia Yogurt, Gorilla Lemonade, Secret Salad, East Coast Kombucha, Caribe Soul
5:15-6pm: Announcement of pitch competition winners, sampling, tabling