Building Community Around Good Food

Foodstand’s next Spotlight event is happening on July 6th! Considering attending? Here’s what you need to know.

Some of Purpose’s most exciting work comes from its incubations–new organizations and ventures that it creates in-house to tackle issues where mass participation and collective action can unlock big change. Foodstand is one of Purpose’s incubations. It launched last fall with the goal of helping the better food system–a more local, healthy and connected one– win. The Foodstand team defines “win” as actions and processes that increase demand for more sustainable food businesses. It builds meaningful technology tools and experiences that give people deeper knowledge about where their food and meals comes from and their roles in the larger system to accomplish this goal.

Foodstand lives primarily as an app, an online food hub that allows food producers, artisans entrepreneurs and logistics partners to come together as a community around their common interest. By sharing and tagging their food experiences, stories and the awesome food they’re eating, it is easier for everyone to help grow a better food system. Foodstand’s leader, Rachna Govani, wanted to create an offline way to engage too. The solution, Foodstand Spotlight, involves in-person community building events that engage a community of changemakers around food, and it is funded by Slow Money NYC, a branch of a national nonprofit catalyzing investment in sustainable food and farms.

Each spotlight event showcases five food entrepreneurs who each give a five minute pitch about their product. A panel of experts made up of an investor, operator and marketer gives feedback as does a panel of 100 audience members, making this is the only food event where the audience is a necessary and active part of its operation.

Since Foodstand Spotlight kicked off a few months ago, it has engaged with 800 good food entrepreneurs, investors, journalists and food lovers. All 40 food entrepreneurs have presented in front of sold out crowds.

Laura Shafferman, founder of Legally Addicted and a presenter at a past event, reported that “The experience was incredibly rewarding and helpful for me and ways I probably haven’t fully realized yet.  I was already approached by a retailer I met that night to carry my products, which I am thrilled about so the results for me were basically instant!” So far, the event series has been a big hit!

Join Foodstand, Monday, July 6th at Brooklyn Brewery. RSVP here before it sells out!