Brought to you by the City of Peoria & Local First Arizona | Exclusive In-Person Series

With 2025 nearly halfway through, now is the perfect time to level up your food business! Don’t miss Peoria Plates: Food Business Owner Growth Series—a dynamic, hands-on workshop series designed to help you grow, adapt, and thrive in today’s food industry.

Topic: Building a Brand and Creating Product Differentiation in the Digital Space

Whether you're a food truck owner, cottage food operator, market vendor, or just getting started, this session will equip you with real-world tools to drive growth, increase visibility, and boost sales. We will walk through how to navigate the digital landscape, uncover the digital needs of your operation, and help you define what makes your product unique and irresistible, both online and in person.

And yes, coffee and pastries will be provided to keep you fueled while you learn! ☕🥐

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• How to cut through the digital noise to drive revenue through your online presence
• How to create a clear call to action for all digital collateral
• How to use digital tools to build a strong, differentiated brand that boosts both sales and profit
• How to engage authentically in ways that reflect your unique brand identity

✅ Perfect For:

• Food producers
• Cottage food operators
• Mobile vendors
• Early-stage food entrepreneurs

You’ll walk away with practical tools you can apply immediately, plus the opportunity to sign up for reduced tuition to attend the Local First Arizona Good Food Boot Camp, a six-week course designed to help scale a local food business from ideation to marketplace!

 

Meet Your Speaker


Gabe Gardner has been working in food since he was 13, washing dishes at his family’s restaurant. A life spent working with food enables him to help small food businesses celebrate the diversity of Arizona produce and flourish in the process. He manages all of Local First Arizona’s food initiatives across the state.

Peoria’s entrepreneurs and community leaders are invited to join us for a casual, welcoming morning of coffee, sweet treats, and conversation with your local economic development representatives. Whether you're looking for resources like technical assistance, funding, educational programs, or connections with local organizations, this is the perfect opportunity to chat with fellow entrepreneurs and learn about the support available to you.

There will be opportunities to bring in other city representatives from various departments and organizations to share helpful information that could benefit your business, so please let us know what you need! It’s a great chance to network, share ideas, and gain insights to help your venture thrive!

If you have specific questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to our economic development team at Business@peoriaaz.gov. We look forward to connecting with you!