Local food leaders are honored during a night celebrating entrepreneurship

Food Well Alliance is committed to connecting local food entrepreneurs to financial resources, such as grants, but also to resources including professional development training that will build their organizational capacity and ability to run successful, scalable, impactful businesses.

To continue this effort, Food Well Alliance in partnership with the Center for Civic Innovation developed Atlanta’s first-ever Food Innovation Fellowship last year.

The Food Innovation Fellowship was created in order to equip impact-driven leaders, who have shown the potential to impact our city through food, with the tools they need to be more viable, successful and sustainable as entrepreneurs.

Nine local food leaders were selected to participate in the six-month fellowship, seven of whom are Food Well Alliance Local Food Grant recipients.

The fellowship included one-on-one mentoring and two classes per month at the Center for Civic Innovation, focusing on topics including Mission & Vision Statement, Market and Customer Validation, Problem/Solution Case Statement and Pitch Deck Development.

On April 27, we came together to celebrate their hard work and success on what proved to be an incredibly inspiring night during their graduation showcase.

From farmers to community advocates, these entrepreneurs are transforming urban communities through their leadership and commitment to food security, food justice and food access.

We believe each of the Food Innovation Fellows have the leadership skills and drive to transform our city’s local food movement through their enterprises. 

Meet this group of inspiring fellows below and check out the photo gallery from the Food Innovation Fellowship Graduation Showcase.

2017 Food Innovation Fellows

Jasann Gilliam, Gilliam's Community Garden

Haylene Green, West End Community Urban Garden

Brent Hall, Freewheel Farm

Nuri Icgoren, Urban Sprout Farm

Sagdrina Jalal, Georgia Farmers Market Association

Joe Reynolds, Love is Love at Gaia Gardens

Yasmeen Salaam-Sabir, Carver's Produce

Chris Theal, Small Farmer at Large

Noreen Whitehead, Georgia Women in Agriculture

To learn more about the Food Innovation Fellows, visit here.