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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2023
More Than $75,000 in Cash Prizes Will Be Given Away
September 9, 2023, in Port Huron
MI NEW FAVORITE SNACK COMPETITION
PROVIDES VALIDATION, OPPORTUNITIES
TO 2022 SECOND PLACE WINNER
PORT HURON, Mich. – Nurse Emme Ekanem of Wyoming, Michigan, was your typical mother of four, looking for a healthy snacking alternative for her family.
She looked back on her childhood memories of growing up in Nigeria, where plantain chips are a common – and healthy – snack. She went into the kitchen and started peeling plantain.
So, in October of 2020, Ekanem officially launched Emme’s Plantain Chips, an all-natural, gluten-free, crunchy chip alternative to potato chips.
In September 2022, Ekanem’s healthy snack alternative was validated when she was named second-place prize winner in the 2022 MI New Favorite Snack Competition held in Port Huron, Michigan.
The MI New Favorite Snack Competition, now in its second year, aims to provide capital to a few micro-businesses based in Michigan this September, with more than $75,000 in cash prizes on the table.
Applications for the 2023 competition are still being accepted. The deadline for entering was recently extended to July 14, 2023. There is a $100 fee per entry. The competition will take place in Port Huron on September 9, 2023.
The $15,000 in prize money allowed Ekanem to purchase much-needed production-enhancing equipment.
“Winning $15,000 in the competition enabled me to purchase a plantain peeler machine,” she said. Prior to making this purchase, Ekanem had been peeling all plantain by hand.
To create her tasty treat, Ekanem peels plantain, cooks it in olive oil and seasons the chips with various herbs, thus producing multiple flavors. For the past three years she has sold four popular flavors and she plans to enter the 2023 MI New Favorite Snack Competition with a brand-new flavor.
“Hopefully, my business will attract additional capital to obtain a facility for expansion of my business,” she said. “My experience with the 2022 MI New Favorite Snack Competition was great. I was so impressed with the feedback from the people who sampled my plantain chips. Many people reached out to me after the 2022 competition. It exposed my business in a positive way.”
During its inaugural year, the MI New Favorite Snack Competition attracted more than 50 snack makers from across both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan and awarded more than $50,000 in prize money to five award winners.
The grand prize winner also received a distribution agreement with All Star Services, a Break Room Services company based in Port Huron.
Companies must meet the following requirements to be eligible for participation:
--Must be a Michigan Micro-Business (10 employees or less)
--Must carry the appropriate licensing and insurance
--Must be headquartered in Michigan
--Must have appropriately packaged product available for consumer purchase
The Top 20 Finalists will be announced the week of July 31.
All competitors that register for the 2023 competition, regardless of whether or not they are a finalist, will be invited to participate in the MI New Favorite Snack exhibition, giving them access to event attendees who can sample and/or purchase packaged goods. Only the top 20 finalists are eligible to win prize money and the title of “MI New Favorite Snack 2023.”
This year’s event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 9 at the McMorran Plaza in the heart of downtown Port Huron. Judging will take place from 10 to 11 a.m., and the event will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information and to register, please visit the MI New Favorite Snack page on the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce website at: www.BlueWaterChamber.com.
The MI New Favorite Snack Competition is produced by the following sponsors and community partners:
Presenting Sponsor:
Community Foundation of St. Clair County
Platinum Sponsor:
McLaren Port Huron
Eastern Michigan Bank
Community Partners:
All Star Services
Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce
City of Port Huron
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2022 WINNERS:
4th Place:
Downey's Potato Chips
Waterford MI
3rd Place:
Popside Candy
Whitmore Lake MI
2nd Place:
Emme's Plantain Chips
Wyoming MI
Grand Prize of $30,000 and 1st Place:
Dave's Sweet Tooth
Harrison Twp MI
People's Choice Award:
Dot's Candy Bar
Port Huron MI
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