There’s something about the Midwest. The fresh air, the farmland, the work ethic. It’s magic!
Recently some of that Midwest Magical Pixie Dust flew Black Jewell’s way and we had the opportunity to pitch our products to the Walmart buying team through their Open Call initiative. Walmart is focused on increasing US Jobs and has committed to spend $350 Billion on items grown, made, or assembled in the US. The Open Call initiative creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs with such products to meet with buyers when they generally struggle to get an audience with Walmart. More than 4,300 small and medium sized businesses applied for the chance to pitch their products and only 1,000 businesses were officially invited to pitch during Open Call. Black Jewell was 1 of the 1,000!
Check out our 30 second pitch video for our Microwave Natural product!
Black Jewell fits the bill for ALL criteria of grown, made, or assembled in the US. First and foremost, we are a small business located in the heart of the Midwest (Columbus, IN) and we try our best to keep our farmers, suppliers, and vendor partners in the Midwest as well.
Grown
Our Heirloom and Heritage Corns are grown in Indiana and Illinois by 4th and 5th Generation Family Farmers. These family farmers are committed to caring for the land they love and use regenerative farming practices to keep the land fertile for future generations.
Made
Our sellable products are ‘made’ or packaged by Midwest copackers located in Indiana and Michigan. These partners are experts in their fields of manufacturing and offer quality jobs within their local communities.
Assembled
Our orders are ‘assembled’ or fulfilled by a partner in Indianapolis who manages our finished goods inventory storage, order fulfillment, and logistics components. By keeping our production and fulfillment geographically close, we are limiting our carbon footprint.
We were honored to participate in Walmart’s Open Call showcasing products grown, made, or assembled in the US. We were excited for the opportunity to offer The Better Popcorn to more folks through Walmart stores and share some Midwest Magic! We will continue to live by the principles that earned us the invitation, even if an opportunity does not pan out with Walmart.
Keep Popping!
Kate Childs, VP Sales & Marketing
Photo credit: Alice & Wonder
Buy the Banner: https://aliceandwonder.com/products/midwest-magic-canvas-banner