Startup Tucson has just completed its fourth round of “Recipes for Success Food Accelerator” as a part of a $300,000 USDA grant secured in 2020. The accelerator ended with the Food Forward Showcase, a graduation, and celebration of the cohort’s hard work, and gave the opportunity to showcase their food products to the local Tucson community.
During the showcase, the 13 graduate companies demoed their food products and secret judges selected two prize winners with attendees also voting for the People’s Choice Award.
Taking the top prize of $500 for their cocktail mixer samples was Cactus Water Sonoran Mixers. A second prize was awarded to Good Pierogi, which uses all locally sourced ingredients and sustainable packaging for its handmade pierogies, and the People’s Choice Award went to 3 Empanadas, making Argentinian empanadas to be bought frozen and enjoyed at home.
The fourth cohort of Recipes for Success graduates worked to develop and grow their businesses over the course of ten weeks.
“The program was really awesome,” said Francisca Aros, Founder of Panchi’s Picositos and Recipes for Success participant. “I’m really grateful they were able to provide it for free. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot. The staff class lectures and incorporation of local small business owner mentors were done really well. Overall 10/10.”
These graduates are joining over 50 other food entrepreneurs that have completed the program since its inception.
“This program has grown so much since we first started and it’s truly inspiring to see the graduates thrive, making their mark at local markets and expanding their online presence,” said Liz Pocock, CEO of Startup Tucson. “It’s also amazing to see how the food ecosystem has rallied around the graduates and the program itself to provide support.”
Founders of Tucson Tamale, Barrio Bread, and many other local food heroes join the cohort as guest speakers and
mentors, and the showcase featured keynote speaker Felipe Garcia, President and CEO of Visit Tucson. All classes and the showcase are hosted in partnership with University of Arizona’s FORGE at Roy Place and even all the products served at the showcase are local, including wine sponsored by Sand-Reckoner Vineyards, beer sponsored by Pueblo Vida Brewing Company and RayRay’s Sonoran Tea.
Startup Tucson’s fifth cohort of the food accelerator will launch in the fall of 2023.
“Even though our USDA funding concludes in Fall 2023, we plan to continue to run this program based on the demands and needs of our local food ecosystem,” said Pocock. “We are actively seeking new partnerships and additional funding sources to ensure the continued success and growth of this initiative.”
Anyone interested in partnering with Startup Tucson should email Liz@startuptucson.com.
Meet the 13 New Food Accelerator Companies
3 Empanadas
3 Empanadas is a take-and-make frozen product that brings classic Argentine flavors straight to your Tucson kitchen.
BattleBorn Coffee Roasters
They are a specialty coffee roaster and source our raw beans from small farms that don’t use pesticides and then handcraft each roast to bring out the best flavor of each origin.
Cactus Water Sonoran Mixers
They create canned cocktail mixers that are inspired by the flavors of the Sonoran Desert. Also, they combine local ingredients and flavors such as tamarind, hibiscus, chiltepin, and mesquite with more common fruits like raspberry, and mango.
Good Pierogi
Frozen Polish dumplings and a traveling Eastern European pop-up aiming to settle in Tucson.
La Reina Hot Sauce
Born of one man’s slightly desperate need to find a replacement for his favorite hot sauce, La Reina is our pandemic baby. La Reina Hot Sauce gives you the perfect balance of flavor and spice that you want but without the embarrassing sweats.
Picositos
Picositos takes some of your favorite candy and spices them up with a bit of chili. You get a spicy-sweet combination that leaves your taste buds addicted and wanting more.
Shaman’s Way
Shaman’s Way offers premium sacred plant extracts, unique shamanic blends, and focus-enhancing nootropics at wholesale prices. A percentage of every dollar you spend at Shaman’s Way is donated to nonprofits fighting to stop overdoses in Tucson.
Song & Sugar Sweets
Through the use of high-quality, fairly traded ingredients, along with my keen eye for detail, each dessert is guaranteed to taste as rich and decadent as it looks.
Sonora Factory Grill
Sonora Factory Grill is a drive-thru service that offers fast and authentic carne asada cooked by a special grill that mimics the Sonoran style and can have your meal ready in a few minutes.
Stash’s Juice Joint
Stash’s Juice Joint is a pop-up company that provides fresh juices, tonics, and seasonal beverages, incorporating herbs and spices in every batch.
Sweets Cakes & Treats
Sweets Cakes and Treats is a dessert shop that provides a variety of comfort desserts, custom treats, and cake jars.
Supper Club
Supper Club is a meal delivery service for those who love good food, but need a break from cooking. Each week’s menu highlights the best of Tucson’s local produce while incorporating flavors from around the world.
Tucson Citrus Company
Tucson Citrus Company uses local urban foraged grapefruit from backyard growers to create a delicious unique flavored marmalade. The not-too-sweet, not-too-tart flavor is an excellent topping for cream cheese, buttered toast, or just straight from the jar. Each jar helps support a healthy tree, grower, and customer ecosystem.
About Startup Tucson
Startup Tucson is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to transform our region’s economy through entrepreneurship and innovation. Startup Tucson executes this mission by providing education and culture-building programs and events to grow a high-impact entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem.
You can find information about the organization and upcoming opportunities to engage at startuptucson.com.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
