You never know what the next successful Detroit start-up business will be. Hatch Detroit seeks, according to its website, to "champion and support independent retail businesses in Detroit through funding, exposure and mentoring." It is sponsored by Comerica Bank; this year was also co-sponsored by the Detroit Lions.
Sister Pie, the 2014 winner, is a Detroit bakery specializing in cookies, breakfast pastries, breads and, of course, pies. It uses locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. That means, as Hatch Detroit's site notes, customers can enjoy everything from "apricots and blueberries in July to cranberries and apples in November."
As the 2014 Hatch Detroit winner, the bakery will receive $50,000 from Comerica as well as accounting, information technology, legal and marketing assistance from Hatch Detroit. It beat out two restaurants and an instrument store who made the final four with it. Last year's winner was Batch Brewery, whose owners are planning to make it the city's first nanobrewery. It has not opened yet.
Sister Pie is already known by a number of Detroit locals. It has been around since 2012. It has grown from a home bakery to one that sells its goods at local specialty stores and online as well as at holiday markets. The owners are planning to move their bakery from Hannan House on Woodward to the West Village at Parker and Kercheval.
Starting a Detroit business can be a highly-rewarding, yet challenging endeavor. It requires not just vision, hard work and determination by entrepreneurs, but legal, financial and other expertise that only experienced specialists can bring. This is needed not only in the new business start-up phase but to help ensure success as the company grows, evolves and diversifies in the future.
Source: The Detroit News, "Sister Pie wins Hatch Detroit contest, will get $50,000, startup help" Aug. 21, 2014
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