About The Michigan Moxie Project
The focus of this project is the Michigan food culture, the small business owners, and farmers that proudly serve within this industry. These images document their stories from farm to table and all the places in between; they take an intimate look at some of the people that are the backbone of food production and agriculture in the state of Michigan. These images explore and tell the stories of various workers, the places they do their business, and the passion that they all commonly share. All share the passion for providing top quality nutrition and goods, for promoting an active, thriving food economy, and for improving their communities. This collection showcases a variant group of Michiganders, their traditions, spirit, and businesses that all come together within the food industry. Furthermore, this project highlights how food brings not only families but also communities together.
Birch Point Farm
Birch Point Farm is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm located on the outskirts of charming Traverse City, Michigan. CSA is an agricultural/social movement that links local growers with local community members, promoting small farm conservation and profitability. Growing vegetables on about 7 acres, the co-owned Birch Point Farm specializes in heirloom vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers. These goods are marketed through the CSA and are also available at local farmer's markets. The dedicated Birch Point farmers Michelle Ferrarese and Brenin Wertz-Roth aim to develop a flourishing local food operation that supports the local economy. They would like consumers to know the farmers behind the products they are eating, their farms, and what it takes to grow and produce healthy food.
Carlson's Fishery
On the shore of Lake Michigan, Carlson's Fishery is a living link to a long Great Lakes maritime heritage. Nels Carlson, a Norwegian immigrant, began a legacy on the Leelanau Peninsula where the Carlson family has been operating a fishery for over a century. Five generations of the Carlson family have adapted and handed down traditions transforming a small dock in beautiful Leland into what is now Historic Fishtown.The Carlson family has worked hard to keep their commercial fishing culture alive. They have maintained their livelihood over the years by creating an environment that promotes a sustainable business. Known for their delicious products, Carlson's Fishery offers customers a variety of smoked fish, as well as their original smoked whitefish sausage and pâté. A taste of Carlson’s merchandise is a taste of Michigan history.www.carlsonsfish.com
Detroit Mushroom Factory
Inspired by the energy and spirit of entrepreneurship in our beloved city, the Detroit Mushroom Factory is the brainchild of California transplants Chris Carrier and Deana Wojcik. Located in their home, it is an urban farm that grows edible and medicinal mushrooms. Serving the environment and fellow Detroiters is top propriety. The mushrooms grow on reused materials generated within Detroit, such as spent brewery grain, sawdust, and cardboard packaging. In this way, they turn what would-be waste into nourishing produce in an environmentally respectful manner.The Mushroom Factory has a variety of goals, including expanding to multiple spaces. Expanding would allow them to create jobs for other Detroiters, offer more food to area residents and restaurants, and utilize mushrooms as a food source and an art form. Chris and Deana are also eager to build out the myco-landscaping focus of their business, utilizing mushrooms and mycelium strategically on residential lawns and city land to grow food, mitigate flooding, and remediate contaminated soil.They call themselves a "factory" because they hope to become an entity that combines technology, education, and design with sustainable food production. With a nod toward Detroit's spirit of invention and innovation, they want to be a part of a new generation of Detroit-based production.www.themushroomfactory.com
Boss Mouse Cheese
Native Michigander Sue Kurta is a small-batch artisan cheese maker. She is "The Boss" of Boss Mouse Cheese. Honing her cheese-making skills in Vermont and Maine, Sue's hobby transformed into her passion. The result became a business, a full-time job, and for the lucky consumer-delicious handcrafted cheese!Sue makes her cheese on a pastoral historic 1867 Michigan Centennial Farm located in Kingsley, Michigan. Boss Mouse Cheese is made by hand, one delectable wheel at a time, and offers a variety of aged cheeses as well as smoked butter. Using pasteurized, grass-fed cow's milk, Sue combines traditional cheese-making techniques with modern recipes.Sue is not only an exceptional cheesemaker, but she is also an enthusiastic teacher about all things cheese and even life. Over a mid-afternoon glass of wine, during a break from cheesemaking, her philosophy of success could be applied to all professions. "If you work hard, have a good product, and are nice to people, you'll make it," she says. Sage advice from the "Big Cheese" at Boss Mouse Cheese.
