MoCo Made Food and Beverage Expo welcomed over 200 local food professionals and enthusiasts!

County Executive, Marc Elrich stops by to try a sample from Tsiona Foods.

On Thursday July 28th, the 2022 MoCo Made Food and Beverage Expo welcomed over 200 local food professionals and enthusiasts, including three County Council Offices represented (Councilmembers Friedson, Jawando, and Glass), and the County Executive, Marc Elrich. At the event, MoCo Made food and beverage businesses connected with representatives from local retail and customers to promote their fabulous products.

The mood was high, as it was the first such event that many of the businesses and attendees had attended since the pandemic. Attendees sampled juices, cheeses, beer, baked goods, wine, spirits, and a host of other unique products. One food professional who attended commented, “please make sure my post-event survey goes up to 11, because 10 isn’t high enough.”

Cheryl’s Kitchen tabling.

At the Expo, local businesses and professionals came out in full force to demonstrate that we have a vibrant local food and beverage business community here in Montgomery County. Local officials were able to network with businesses and dialogue about how Montgomery County can continue to be a favorable place to establish and grow a business. The Expo demonstrated how our County is a great place for small local businesses to thrive, and that we should keep building and sustaining our vibrant local food and beverage community.

In advance of the Expo, many of the businesses had participated in a training on how to sell effectively to retail and wholesale venues, led by industry experts Jennifer Underwood and Carolina Gomez. This experience prepared businesses to have their products ready to be stocked on the shelves of local businesses.

We owe a debt of gratitude to our sponsors, including Platinum Sponsors the TPSS Co-op, Montgomery College, and The Compost Crew, as well as Din Din, the USDA Local Food Promotion Program, and the Silver Spring Civic Building, for making the event possible.

See the WJLA story on the MoCo Made Food and Beverage Expo here. If you have any questions or comments about the Expo or MoCo Made, please get in touch with Lorien MacAuley, or Ester Waldroup, and we will be happy to assist you however we can.