The public can now purchase tickets for the OregonAF Grand Finale & Marketplace, featuring 50+ beverage and food entrepreneurs from across the region, to be held on September 17 at the Redd.
Portland, Ore. – July 19, 2022. Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) to host the Oregon Angel Food 2022 (OregonAF) marketplace and pitch finale event on Saturday, September 17, 2022. This event, now in its fourth year, is expected to feature more than 50 different food and beverage makers from across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Entrepreneurs from Hood River, Ashland, Depoe Bay, Portland, and other places across the region are set to participate.
The Grand Finale will showcase pitches from companies seeking angel investment. Attendees will gather to watch finalists present to a panel of investors as they vie for equity investment in a “Shark Tank” like presentation and competition. One of these companies will be awarded an angel investment anticipated to be around $200,000. In 2021, OregonAF investors made an angel investment of $225,000 in Puffworks, the maker of plant-based snacks from Portland, Ore., and hope to make a similar-sized investment this year. The total investment each year is made up of contributions of $5,000-$10,000 each from individual local angel investors, and in the past has been matched by the Oregon Growth Fund.
“Oregon is known for food. Creativity in food and beverage is a core talent here, going back to Oregon’s roots as a farm-to-table innovator,” says Amanda Oborne, executive director, Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. “We see craft food and beverage as a rallying point for post-pandemic economic development in the state – it’s what we’re good at and playing to our strengths matters more than ever in tough economic times.”
Xico, a modern Mexican restaurant, is one example of a local restaurant pivoting and offering a new packaged food product during the pandemic. As the restaurant sought new revenue streams during restaurant closures, founder Liz Davis started packaging Xico Chips as a way to keep staff employed. Featured in last year’s virtual OregonAF finale and Taster’s Boxes, the chips can be purchased online, as well as from local grocery stores such as Market of Choice. Renata, participating in OregonAF 2022, is another example of a local restaurant pivoting during the pandemic to offer wood-fired pizzas that mirror the quality and creativity of the award-winning restaurant and can now be found in the frozen aisles of stores across Oregon.
Tickets for the OregonAF Grand Finale and Marketplace are now available to the public online at $15 per person; entrance is free for children under 12. A limited number of Taster’s Tickets can be purchased for $75 and include one event ticket, samples of food and beverage from regional makers, as well as two drink tickets. Doors open at 1:00 pm and the event wraps up at 6:00 pm. Event attendees will have an opportunity to talk with the entrepreneurs, sample products from the finalists and other regional makers, and buy goods from the participating companies to take home. Attendees will also have access to a bar and beer garden and can purchase food from local food trucks if interested in consuming a meal in addition to all the samplings and tastings.
“We are going big this year with this signature event. It’s a great time for foodies, budding foodies and the community at large to discover new Oregon food and beverage products, buy some to take home,and find these products at local grocers following the event,” continues Oborne.Jovani Prince, the Founder and CEO of The Cracker King, received the Taster’s Champ Award at OregonAF 2020 and will serve as the emcee for the main stage finale. OregonAF was a virtual event in both 2020 and 2021 and OEN is excited for the 2022 marketplace both as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to get in front of potential customers and investors, and for eaters to rally around local entrepreneurs while enjoying a delicious afternoon of tastings. Companies participating in the marketplace include One StripeChai Co., Ranger Chocolate, Skaut Coffee, and Queen of Hearts Superfoods, just to name a few.
When: Saturday, September 17, 2022; 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Where: The Redd on Salmon at 831 SE Salmon Street, Portland OR 97214
What: Marketplace featuring regional food and beverage entrepreneurs; admission includes product sampling plus access to the main stage grand finale and pitches beginning at 2:00 pm
The OregonAF education and investment program kicked off on June 7 with a month-long series of investment-readiness education and mentorship sessions for food and beverage makers. Those makers ready to seek equity investment then applied for consideration with the OregonAF angel investors.
Participating investors are spending July and August meeting with, reviewing financials, touring commercial kitchens, and evaluating each company and product. This extensive review process will result in a short list of finalists, to be announced August 3, who will pitch on the main stage at the Grand Finale on September 17, at which one will ultimately be selected for investment. Alongside the investment finale will be a vendor marketplace featuring a broad sampling of regional food and beverage products. OEN anticipates participation from more than 20-30 investors, 50 beverage and food makers, and 500 people coming through the marketplace on September 17. Tickets are available online.
About Oregon Entrepreneurs Network
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) helps entrepreneurs of all kinds in Oregon and SW Washington find the capital they need to develop their businesses; both financial and social. Since the beginning of the pandemic, OEN’s Angel Oregon events in food and beverage, life and bioscience, and technology have catalyzed nearly $1M in angel investments into Oregon startups. OEN believes entrepreneurship offers freedom, empowerment, and autonomy at the same time it builds community, connectivity, and interdependence. The organization envisions a world in which Oregon’s innovation economy creates economic prosperity, personal fulfillment, and community cohesion for everyone who wants to be a part
of it.