Awardees for 2023 BIPOC Vendor Fund| 06:25PM / Sunday, September 03, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Roots Rising and the Berkshire Black Economic Council announced the first round of BIPOC Vendor Fund 2023 awardees.
The fund supports Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) farmers and entrepreneurs, and is funded thanks to the support of Greylock Federal Credit Union.
"In order to achieve supplier diversity, organizations must put an emphasis on implementing our best practices for equity and accessibility. We are proud to partner with Roots Rising because of their commitment to demonstrating equitable practices and for being the first organization to utilize our equity evaluation service. Thank you for your collaboration and for walking the walk," said Alfred Enchill, Berkshire Black Economic Council.
Three local businesses comprise the first round of awardees.
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Upstreet Smoke is bringing their family recipes to the community. Their menu includes pulled pork, smoked ribs, mac and cheese, collards, spicy slaw and more. They launched their business at the Pittsfield Farmers Market this summer with a sell-out day.
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Also new to the market, Grice Beauty creates natural skincare products. Founder Ranisha Grice worked as a spa therapist before launching her own product line. She has created her own formulas made with essential oils, including patchouli, and fused with orange citrus.
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Imperfectly Purple returns to the market with her beloved line of CBD body care and pet care products.
"We are thrilled to once again offer the BIPOC Vendor Fund after a successful pilot last season. Our goal is to expand access to sales opportunities and offer support for BIPOC farmers and entrepreneurs to grow their business," said Jessica Vecchia, Executive Director of Roots Rising.
The BIPOC Vendor Fund aims to reduce the barrier to participation at the Pittsfield Farmers Market, by waiving the vendor booth fee and providing additional financial support for business start-up costs, such as supplies, permits, and business development. In that way, the Pittsfield Farmers Market will be more accessible, more equitable, and better reflective of the community.
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