Panel will focus on how to use the Maine brand to market locally produced food

Courtesy / Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets FocusMaine will host a panel that looks at how to use the Maine brand as a marketing tool for locally produced food.

Write a Comment

By Peter Van Allen

FocusMaine will host a panel that looks at how to use the Maine brand as a marketing tool for locally produced food.

The session, to be held Monday, April 29, from noon to 1 p.m., promises "to explore how to utilize the Maine brand as a marketing tool and how to develop the Maine food brand further. This open forum will allow you to make your voice heard and contribute to real change in the Maine food economy."

Presenters will be:

Caroline Paras, interdisciplinary Ph.D. fellow at the University of Maine
Malaika Picard, owner of Maine Needham Co.
Michelle Webb, director of agricultural resource development at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

The session is free and offered online. For more information or to sign up, click here.

The panel is part of a four-part series called Maine Food Future, whose mission is to develop an "action plan for economic growth, workforce development, future readiness and enhanced equity in Maine’s food industry," FocusMaine said.

"The series will convene a diverse group of engaged stakeholders in Maine’s food economy. Participants will review and discuss existing data, question assumptions, uncover gaps and barriers, and identify opportunities to strengthen Maine’s food economy. Together, we will develop a coordinated action plan to move Maine’s food economy forward."

About FocusMaine

FocusMaine seeks to accelerate the creation of quality jobs in Maine by investing in three of the state’s globally competitive and high-growth fields — agriculture, aquaculture, and biopharmaceuticals — and by strengthening Maine’s workforce capacity. To spur business growth within these sectors, FocusMaine partners with Maine nonprofits and private sector leaders to catalyze sustainable growth and business confidence, growing Maine's economy. FocusMaine is led by Andrea Cianchette Maker, president. Courtney Crossgrove is food and agriculture manager.