Each year, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce hosts their Economic Summit and Annual Meeting. Attendees discuss serious economic issues specific to Kentucky and listen to speakers; this year's speakers included Martha Lane Collins, Mayor Fischer, and other economically influential Kentuckians.
After the first day of discussion, local vendors set up for The Taste of Kentucky Reception. We were fortunate to be one of this year's vendors. Our Kentuckyaki marinaded chicken with a spicy Bluegrass Soy Sauce mayonnaise and rice with Bluegrass Soy Sauce went over very well. We met people from across the state, and had a great time explaining the uniqueness of Bourbon Barrel Foods' products.
(Ellen and Matt)
Though most of our booth's visitors were already customers of Bourbon Barrel Foods, we also met people who had never heard of Bluegrass Soy Sauce or Bourbon Barrel Foods. As part of our education process, Bourbon Barrel Foods wants to sustain more of an influential stake in Kentucky. All of Bourbon Barrel Foods' products highlight Kentucky's plethora of culinary resources, and we want more people to embrace the notion of gourmet food from Kentucky. Bourbon Barrel Foods is, after all, "The Nappa Valley" of the Bluegrass.
As one leap in extending our reach, we plan to install a production kitchen in our new offices. The kitchen would allow us to host dinners, bring in celebrity chefs, and have special events. We plan to have a kitchen by late August.
Gaining support from the attendees of Economic Summit gave us fuel to educate potential customers about our products. We hope to participate in more community-encompassing events like the Economic Summit (we plan on hosting an event this fall to benefit West Liberty's Sorghum Festival), and we are excited to use the production kitchen as the essential tool in propelling us forward.