MDARD Awards Grants to Three Businesses in NLEA Region
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has awarded $293,095 in grants to three businesses in the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) region, supporting investments in local food and agricultural production.
Bear Creek Organic LLC in Petoskey, Cellars at Royal Farms LLC in Ellsworth, and Elder Piper LLC in Petoskey each received funding through MDARD’s grant program. The investments will support new equipment, expanded production capacity, and improvements to local food manufacturing operations.
Of the three regional recipients, Cellars at Royal Farms received $100,000 to purchase equipment that will allow the company to bring more of its hard cider production process in-house. The NLEA worked with Cellars throughout the grant application process and submitted the application on the company’s behalf.
A division of Royal Farms Inc., Cellars began producing fermented apple cider in 2011 as a value-added product using apples grown on the farm’s 1,200 acres of orchards and mixed-use farmland. While Cellars currently grows and presses its own apples and ferments the juice in-house, several of the final production steps—including filtering, carbonating and kegging—are completed by outside contractors.
The new equipment will allow Cellars to complete those steps at its Ellsworth facility, reducing reliance on outside contractors while improving production flexibility, quality control and cost efficiency. The investment is expected to help the business grow while creating new opportunities to support other agricultural producers and develop the region’s workforce.
“We’re excited about the opportunity this investment creates for Cellars and for the broader agricultural community in Northern Michigan,” said Sara McGuire, co-owner of Royal Farms. “Bringing more of our production process in-house will give us greater control over our products and our costs, while creating opportunities to work with other producers and provide hands-on learning experiences for students and aspiring food entrepreneurs.”
As production expands, Cellars anticipates creating one to three new full-time positions. The company also plans to use its expanded capabilities as a training resource for local high school FFA and community college students, as well as others interested in fruit wine and cider production.
“Projects like this demonstrate the impact that strategic investment can have on both an individual business and the broader regional economy,” said Dave Kronberg, Director of Business Growth at the NLEA. “The NLEA is proud to help connect local businesses with resources that support growth, strengthen our agricultural economy, and create opportunities for people to learn and build careers in Northern Michigan.”
The two other NLEA-region businesses receiving MDARD grants are Bear Creek Organic LLC in Petoskey, which received $98,361 for soil health, supplemental lighting, and farm automation improvements, and Elder Piper LLC in Petoskey, which received $94,734 to transform its facility into a rural manufacturing hub. The NLEA also provided a letter of support for Elder Piper’s project.
Together, the three grants represent nearly $300,000 in investment in agricultural and food-related businesses across the NLEA region, supporting local production, business growth, and workforce opportunities.
