Press Releases2024 Oregon Angel Food Winner Announced
Portland, Ore., June 6, 2024 – Oregon Angel Food Investors announced the recipient of a $160,000 angel investment at this year’s Oregon Angel Food (OregonAF) Investment Announcement Mixer, hosted by Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN). On Thursday, June 6 at the Mission Theater in NW Portland, the five craft food and beverage finalists pitched to a room full of investors, food industry professionals, and the public..
This year’s OregonAF investee is Mickelberry Gardens. The Portland-based company crafts a variety of healing remedies using raw honey, propolis, beeswax, bee pollen, and medicinal plants. Madelyn Morris, co-founder, pitched at the event while her co-founder, Matt Morris, cheered from the audience.
“We’re so thrilled to have this opportunity and are incredibly grateful to Oregon Entrepreneurs Network for the support and education that helped get us to this moment,” said co-founders of Mickelberry Gardens Madelyn and Matt Morris.
“Congratulations to Mickelberry Gardens! Madelyn and Matt are building a nationally recognized brand and employing a dozen people in Oregon,” said Cara Turano, Executive Director, OEN. “This is the type of community-centric business growth that is critical to the state’s economy. It is especially inspiring to see all five of the OregonAF finalists growing with a thoughtful eye towards both a successful product and a purpose driven mission.”
The event focused on Oregon’s innovative food and beverage sector and was the culmination of two cohorts of food and beverage entrepreneurs that had participated in a month-long investment readiness education program. Over 50 companies participated in the education program in the past 6 months and 15 companies went through the due diligence process with investors. Food and beverage startups represent a growing part of Oregon’s traded sector economy, leveraging Oregon’s agricultural resources and food-loving culture.
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurs start up and scale up. The organization hosts a mix of sector-specific Angel Oregon entrepreneur education and angel investment programs each year, including Angel Oregon Life & Bioscience (AOBIO), Oregon Tech (AOTech) and Oregon Angel Food (OregonAF), as well as the annual OEN Entrepreneurship Awards. Learn more at www.oen.org.
