Hy-Vee Awards $50K to Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses in Omaha
Regional grocer Hy-Vee, Inc. has awarded $50,000 to minority- and women-owned businesses during the Hy-Vee OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit at the Scott Conference Center, located on the University of Nebraska Omaha's Scott Campus in Omaha.
During the pitch competition component of the event, 15 companies from across the Midwest presented to a panel of judges and more than 200 event attendees. Each company leader was able to demonstrate their product or explain their service for the chance to win a small-business grant from Hy-Vee. A Hy-Vee committee selected the participating companies from more than 100 applications.
Hy-Vee recognized the following during an awards presentation that followed the pitch competition:
Grand-Prize Winner
$30,000: Humbl Roots, Jacquelyn Burkland, Omaha, Neb.
Humbl Roots is a food manufacturing company whose mission is to bring people to the table and have them leave feeling good. Without compromising quality and taste, the company reinvents familiar foods to accommodate dietary restrictions.
Category: Food & Beverage
1st place-$5,000: A+ Berry, Dr. Xiaoquing Xie, Lincoln, Neb.
A+ Berry is a Big 10 food tech company based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that is creating innovative antioxidant drinks for health. Its first product is AroJuice, a cold-pasteurized juice made from a superfruit, the Aronia berry, which is grown in the Midwest and is said to provide the highest antioxidant protection.
Category: Innovation & Technology
1st place-$5,000: RESPI, Jessica Queen, Omaha, Neb.
RESPI is developing a medical device to save lives during military operations, mass- casualty events, and overcrowded emergency rooms. StatPatch is uniquely designed for monitoring large groups of people simultaneously.
Category: Health, Wellness & Beauty
1st place-$5,000: Mama’s Garden Apothecary, Newhall, Iowa
Whether it's small-batch handmade skin care, aromatherapy, loose leaf teas, soups, spices or herbal remedies, Mama’s Garden specializes in bringing peace and comfort to people’s everyday lives.
Planting People Growing Justice, LLC, of St. Paul, Minn., and Angel Buck Corp., of Bunker Hill, Ill., were also presented with smaller cash prizes for their respective business ventures.
The Hy-Vee OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit is one of several initiatives led by the grocer that helps support minority- and women-owned businesses in the communities that it serves. This year's event featured an expo that offered resources for small businesses, learning opportunities through presentations and panel discussions, the chance to learn about local brands, and more.
Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 550 business units across eight Midwestern states, with sales of more than $13 billion annually. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company has a team of more than 75,000 employees and is No. 36 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named Hy-Vee a 2023 Top Regional.
