Fresh Corner Cafe has long been an innovator when it comes to improving the availability of healthy food in inner-city neighborhoods. Now the company is introducing a couple of new programs, including one that is bringing healthy-eating pop-ups to community centers across Detroit.
The Midtown-based startup has launched its Fresh Food Pop-up in a handful of Detroit's community centers, starting with one in Brightmoor (the Detroit Achievement Academy) this summer. The weekly pop-up eatery will feature its freshly made sandwiches, wraps, and other eatables.
"Every community center we partner with will have a weekly pop-up," says Noam Kimelman, founder & president of
Fresh Corner Cafe.
The 5-year-old startup, which is based out of the
Green Garage, got its start with the idea of bringing fruits and vegetables to inner city corner stores, where food choices are often unhealthy, prepared foods. The idea was bring more healthy-eating options to stores where working class people only had a few shelves of junk food to choose from.
Fresh Corner Cafe switched to selling its own sandwiches and wraps from those bodegas, and eventually went with selling them from their own coolers. The business also started its own catering service.
"Catering has become an important part of our business," Kimelman says.
The Fresh Food Pop-up program will start in half a dozen community centers this summer. Kimelman and his team of five people hope to grow it to 40 community centers by the end of the year.
"This model takes us directly to the consumer," Kimelman says. "We can sell it to the consumers at the wholesale price."
Fresh Corner Cafe also recently launched a new lunchbox catering website called "
Small Batch that Box," which allows customers to add locally made foods to their lunch. The options include Detroit Friends' authentic farm-to-table potato chips and a dark chocolate peanut butter granola bite made by the Detroit Food Academy.
Source: Noam Kimelman, founder & president of Fresh Corner Cafe
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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