Port Huron, MI – New and emerging small snack food businesses in Michigan will be able to compete for $50,000 in cash prizes this September in Port Huron, Michigan. The MI New Favorite Snack contest is being billed as the biggest snack food contest in America.

“The growth of new small craft and niche snack food companies in Michigan is exciting,” said Duncan Smith, President & COO of All Star Services Inc., which is a state-of-the art food and beverage service provider throughout Michigan. “All Star Services is a growing small business and we want to help bring more focus to the growing segment of snack food companies in Michigan.” In addition to the top cash prize of $30,000 the winning company will also have their winning product distributed through All Star’s network of markets and vending machines. “This cash prize contest is big,” said Smith. “I don’t think there’s anything like this in America today.”

According to Thelma Castillo, President of the Blue Water Area Chamber, who is managing the logistics of the event, the contest is open to any Michigan-based snack food company with 10 employees or less. “Michigan has such a rich history in agriculture, food and produce, and this contest will bring special attention to those small, new and emerging entrepreneurs.”
Brad Cocklin, founder of Chunk Nibbles in Troy, Michigan, was the first to register for the event. “This type of cash prize would be a game changer for our small business,” he said. “Not only would the prize allow us to weather the supply chain crisis storm, but it would allow us increased marketing efforts to further our brand awareness and bring our products to the attention of a larger group of buyers.”

The cash prizes are being provided by the Community Foundation of St. Clair County and the James C. Acheson donor advised fund. “Small businesses are the backbone of small towns throughout Michigan,” said Hale Walker, Board Chair of the Community Foundation. “Our community foundation values these emerging entrepreneurs in the food industry from Michigan’s Thumb Region all the way up to Houghton and Hancock.”

The event will be held September 17th in downtown Port Huron along the shores of the St. Clair River at Vantage Point. The registration deadline is August 1st and the entry fee is $100. More complete details can be found on the Blue Water Chamber’s website.