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Cureate®

@cureateco

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Scale Thoughtfully, Source Locally
building an empowered supply to meet a changing consumer demand #womanowned
Est 2014📍Mid-Atlantic & the Heartland

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This is what it looks like when our network is activated 💥 — small businesses growing and scaling, and our buyer partners showing up ready to put their products on shelves and meals in their cafeterias.

We love creating real-life opportunities for our vendors that move their businesses forward, and connecting the dots between local makers and major institutions.

🔎 Next stop: the Heartland. Our next Taste Discovery B2B Fair is coming this week!

🎥 Watch the full recap of our MD event now on YouTube — link in bio!

💚 Funding partners: @baltcommunitylending + @ummedsystem
💚 Keynote: @atarabernstein

#umdbiopark #universityofmaryland by @cureateco

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a year ago

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 🇩🇴

Back in 1985, Los Hermanos started as a small “BODEGA” selling Latin American essentials. Twin brothers, Aris and Raymond, grew up working in the store when their mother came up with the idea to sell her own food. Soon families began traveling from across the DMV, craving a taste of home. Their latest restaurant, Mecho’s Dominican Kitchen, is a prominent culinary haven for Dominicans and Dominican food lovers. The brothers have been featured at hot bar activations through Cureate Connect, with customers raving about how much they love their food!

La Bandera “The Flag” is the most traditional dish in Dominican gastronomy and is typically enjoyed by Dominicans for lunch. This meal consists of stewed meat (chicken, beef, or pork) and arroz blanco y habichuela (white rice and beans). According to the Mecho’s family, “In the Dominican culture, La Bandera is so deeply entrenched in our way of life that nothing says Dominican better (gastronomically speaking) than Arroz, Habichuela y Carne…our most delicious version of the Dominican flag.”

Let’s give the Mecho’s Brothers some love in the comments! taken in Mecho’s Dominican Kitchen by @cureateco

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4 days ago

We had a wonderful time at Crafted & Connected #2 last Tuesday in Ashburn, VA. Thank you to the incredible CPG brands & professionals and content creators that attended, networked, sampled, made fun and tasty videos, asked good questions, and generally enjoyed each other’s presence. We appreciate your involvement with and support of this community!

BIG THANKS:
To our sponsor @tryrelish, our hosts @tastemakerconference & @cpginthedmv, and our partners @dcstartupweek, @firstruncpg, @cureateco, and @cultcontent.cc for helping us make this event a reality.

CREATORS:
@bri_ewing
@munchtravelogue
@Nicole__
@lifestylebyama
@themodernlatinamama
@razane.adly/
@familyadventuresva
@10busybeesfamily
@lifeofbiancam
@iamdestinyparks
@Suefooditinerary
@momsonthemap
(please let us know if we missed you)

BRANDS:
@getbluelene
@peakapop
@drinkearthcan
@primifoods
@truemadefoods
@Maspanadas
@Moia
@sweetmaddiescookiesondemand
@kashmirsaffronhouseusa

(life things came up and @gnawbear, @blueridgepickling, and @partyofsnacks could not make it - next time!)

REQUEST: Brands and creators - if you would like to make @craftedandconnected a Collaborator on your post(s) about the event, we will accept it and would love to promote your content! Thanks. taken in Venture X Brambleton by @cureateco

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7 days ago

We’re back! 🍏🧜‍♀️ Every time we kick off Cureate Courses in Norfolk it feels less like a beginning, and more like a homecoming. The local energy, the passion, and the dedication to personal growth and community development make our partnership with @cityofnorfolkva feel so natural. Our core missions couldn’t be more aligned: we’re both focused on driving real and lasting impact, lifting each other up, and creating opportunities that extend far beyond the 8 week educational programming we’re bringing to these local food & beverage entrepreneurs.

Juniper & Jam
My Mama’s Kitchen
Glasco’s
S’mores Amore
Butterkup Kookies
Sour Street Pizza
Coopers Parkplace
Beignets and Brew
Krys Krys Sugar Shack
Antonio’s Ultimate Everything Seasoning
The Vhault on Granby
Elite Custom Cakes

When values and support align, incredible things happen—and we can’t wait to see the magic this round brings. Stay tuned for graduation!

📸 Brian Berusch/City of Norfolk

#NorfolkVA #CommunityImpact #MissionDriven #NorfolkCommunity taken in Norfolk, Virginia by @cureateco

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11 days ago

Cureate’s mission is deeply informed by the need for interconnected, economically-vibrant communities, and we recognize the immense power in a diversified local supply chain. 🪅 To kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, our founder and CEO Kim travelled to San Antonio where she was a featured speaker at the National Association For Latino Community Asset Builders’ (NALCAB) Annual Conference, “What Does It Take to Support Small-Scale Manufacturers? Lessons from NALCAB’s Maker to Market Accelerator.” NALCAB’s ‘Maker to Market’ program strengthens how practitioners guide entrepreneurs, specifically small scale manufacturers and creatives, through the transition from making and selling a product to building the systems and market relationships required for sustainable growth.

As Kim observed, “When practitioners have stronger tools, deeper industry-specific knowledge, and more practical strategies, they can help many more entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses and access new markets.”

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you? Comment below👇 taken in San Antonio, Texas by @cureateco

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13 days ago

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! At Cureate we celebrate diversity everyday, and this Hispanic Heritage Month we want to highlight some of the incredible food entrepreneurs we work with.

🍌 Pinchos Chocolate Dipped, founded by Sue Artiga, is a mobile dessert cart offering chocolate-dipped fruit and desserts in Northwest Arkansas. Sue was born and raised in El Salvador and grew up eating chocobanano, a traditional Salvadoran dessert made with frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. She holds onto memories of enjoying this beloved dessert with her 92-year-old grandmother and her connection to the generations who have come before here. Sue is also a Cureate Courses NWA alumni and grand prize winner!

In Sue’s words, “Being an immigrant business owner means having the courage to start over, adapt, and create new opportunities in a different country. Building Pinchos has allowed me to turn my experiences and heritage into something meaningful. I am proud to show that immigrants bring creativity, determination, and stories that can positively impact our communities.”

Thank you Sue, for sharing Pinchos Chocolate Dipped with Cureate! Comment below your favorite Hispanic dessert 👇 taken in Northwest Arkansas by @cureateco

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14 days ago

We Love Local! Have you spotted the new local signage at Charles Street Market? 👀

Hopkins Dining is proud to support Baltimore and Mid-Atlantic-based businesses, bringing more locally made products and community partners right to campus. Through our partnership with Cureate, we’re highlighting the makers, businesses, and flavors that call our region home.

Look for the “We Love Local” signs around CharMar to discover something new and LOCAL! 💙

#HopkinsDining #WeLoveLocal #BaltimoreMade #ShopLocal #JHU taken in Johns Hopkins University by @cureateco

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19 days ago

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19 days ago

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25 days ago

We often get asked by vendors, “What would an ideal menu be for a hot bar activation?” @kapowbuddy is a great example, having created a unique value proposition with their mouth watering build-your-own Thai street bowls.

Kapow Buddy was born with roots in community, flavor, and accessibility. After years of grabbing quick lunches from chain eateries, Mr. Kapow wondered why nothing similar existed for Thai cuisine and decided to build it himself. Today, guests can mix veggies, proteins, and signature sauces to create their perfect Thai street bowl that is authentic, affordable, and made to fit any lifestyle.

Curious or have questions about how your business can expand into hot bar activations? Stay tuned for an announcement about our new monthly series “Office Hours” with the Cureate team! taken in KAPOW BUDDY by @cureateco

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a month ago

Our CEO Kim Bryden was recently interviewed by Esperanza Massana Crane, Director of Business and Entrepreneurship Development for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Kim shares the original inspiration for why she built Cureate and how it continues to influence our ethos as a company. In her own words: “People would come to me and say, “I’m at the farmers market, and now what? Where do I go from here? And that sparked this fire in my belly because I wanted to work with people who are community-based businesses, creating jobs, creating economic impact, and creating legacy in their communities.” Give a listen through the link in our bio and let us know what resonates with you in the comments! by @cureateco

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a month ago

Did you know that Cureate books hot bar activations featuring local chefs at anchor institutions like hospitals, universities, and corporate headquarters to mix up meal options for staff and visitors while also supporting our local communities? Pictured here is RASA serving up their delicious fast-casual Indian bowls. Are you a chef or operate a growing restaurant business? Do you have a catering company or a prepared meals business? Our goal is to localize the food system and what better way than over a locally sourced lunch. We want to build out our vending opportunities for service based food businesses, DM us or tag your favorite food biz below! by @cureateco

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a month ago