These Three Maryland Small Businesses Won $10,000+ to Grow Their Operations
A festive group of small business advocates and community supporters came together to shop and cheer on their favorite Cureate Courses graduates at the Holiday Market & Pitch Showcase on December 14th. This was the culminating event where 20 entrepreneurs completed 40 hours of coursework to improve their business operations. The 20 small businesses were selected by a committee of community partners, and the Fall 2023 class was 60-70% Womxn-owned, 80-90% Black-owned across both cohorts.
Representatives from University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore Community Lending, and Cureate celebrated the most recent crop of Cureate Courses graduates from Prince George’s County, Charles County, Baltimore City and County. Mini donuts, loose leaf tea, handmade pasta, cold-pressed juice, and buttermilk waffles, amongst many other goodies were sampled and sold. Local faculty, media, and UMMS representatives judged the Pitch Showcase and awarded $5,000 checks to Omega 3 and Treehouse Juicery for clearly articulating their growth plans and goals for their businesses.
Omega 3 won from the Prince George's & Charles County cohort. Founder, Bright Djampa, is a 2022 University of Maryland graduate and is pioneering nutritional, brain-boosting foods. Djampa is a first generation American and this was his first ever pitch competition!
Treehouse Juicery won from the Baltimore City & County cohort. Co-owner, Todd Sheridan, is a Baltimore native and found purpose and opportunity in his personal health journey. Since 2016, he's been selling cold-pressed juices direct to consumer and wholesale. The company has a strong social objective: to promote health awareness among low-income families and children in food deserts and impoverished communities.
Los Hermanos won the community fund, where all ticket sales went directly to one business and Cureate doubled-down with a match! Attendees voted in real time for their favorite taste at the Holiday Market. This Baltimore-based, Black and Veteran-owned tequila brand converted the crowd and walked away with $850 for their business.
Cureate Courses is a free 10-week food & beverage entrepreneurship education program. A simple online application is open now for Spring 2023: http://cureate.co/courses-md. Businesses must be based in Anne Arundel County, Harford County & the Eastern Shore. Applications must be received by January 18. This innovative yearlong program is executed by Cureate, with the support of and in collaboration with Baltimore Community Lending, through a grant from the University of Maryland Medical System, funder of the program.
Do you have a favorite local food or beverage small business in Maryland? How about a farm you love to visit or buy from at your local farmers market? Fill out the form below to be entered to win 2 complimentary seats to the Cureate Spring Farm Dinner in April 2023.
