Hy-Vee Supports Small Businesses at a Summit in Kansas City.

Hy-Vee recently hosted the Hy-Vee OpportUNITY Business Summit in Kansas City, emphasizing its commitment to local entrepreneurs. The event featured an expo that provided resources for small businesses, opportunities for learning through presentations and panel discussions, and chances to explore local brands. This summit is part of Hy-Vee’s broader initiatives to support small business owners in the communities it serves, highlighting how “Hy-Vee Supports Small Businesses at a Summit in Kansas City.”

One of the summit’s key features was a pitch competition, where 15 leaders from minority- or women-owned and other socially or economically disadvantaged small businesses across the Midwest presented their ideas to a panel of judges. Each participant showcased their product or service in hopes of winning a small-business grant from Hy-Vee. The selected companies were chosen from a pool of over 90 applications, demonstrating the competitive spirit of the event.

During the awards presentation, Hy-Vee honored several standout businesses:

• Grand Prize Winner – $30,000: BaKIT Box, Shelley Gupta, Chicago
  BaKIT Box offers a subscription service providing family-oriented learning activities through baking projects inspired by different cultures. Each box contains pre-measured ingredients, color-coded recipe cards, and related STEM activities, making it both educational and fun.
• Category Winner: Food & Beverage – $5,000: Yes Honey, Heather Mincer, Norwood, Mo.
  Yes Honey creates natural alternatives to traditional foods and beverages, focusing on gluten-free, dairy-free, and artificial dye-free products. Their honey-sweetened sodas are crafted without corn syrup, stevia, or sugar, catering to those with dietary concerns.
• Category Winner: Innovation & Technology – $5,000: Drizzl, Khushi Shah, Peoria, Ill.
  Drizzl has developed a smart irrigation system that uses underground sensors and an app to optimize water usage, potentially saving users significant amounts on their annual water bills.
• Category Winner: Health, Wellness & Beauty – $5,000: Fresh Wheatgrass Girl LLC, Kerri Rush, Carlisle, Iowa
  This company specializes in wheatgrass products, including grow-your-own kits, fresh-cut wheatgrass, and juice shots, promoting health and wellness through natural ingredients.

Additionally, Caresticks Mobile Phlebotomy (Kansas City, Mo.) and Swych Box (Peoria, Ill.) received smaller cash prizes for their innovative business ideas.

Courtesy of Starland News

Other participants in the pitch competition included:

• EAT G.A.N.G.S.T.E.R, Andover, Kan.
• Eve Beverage, Kansas City, Kan.
• No Sugar Baker, LLC, Minnetonka, Minn.
• Here I Go Travel Co., Wichita, Kan.
• Rhythm Cosmetics, Liberty, Mo.
• The LEGG Buddy, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Aurexus Health, Columbia, Mo.
• Soak iT Up, Hugo, Minn.
• ROCKaBLOCK, Merrillville, Ind.

Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating over 550 business units across nine Midwestern states, generating annual sales exceeding $13 billion. Known for quality, variety, and exceptional customer service, Hy-Vee was recently named the No. 1 grocery store in America by USA TODAY. With a workforce of more than 75,000, the company aims to provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” for its customers. For further information, visit http://www.hy-vee.com.