Real Time Farms has struck a strategic partnership with
Food52, a popular cooking website. The Ann Arbor-based food transparency start-up sees their partnership with the New York City-based company as a way to build national recognition.
"It's a much bigger thing," says Cara Rosaen, co-founder of
Real Time Farms. "It's one of the top cooking sites around. It's really a natural fit to partner with a nationally known cooking site."
Real Time Farms got its start a couple of years ago as a combination social media tool for foodies and online directory of farmers markets and their vendors. Users can share pictures of local markets and farm stands by posting them on the site, along with product information and handy tips for other patrons. Rosaen co-founded Real Time Farms with her husband Karl, a former Google employee who moved back to Michigan to start the venture.
Partnering with Food52 provides more capital to continue Real Time Farms' growth and add more farms, farmers markets and food artisans to its data base. It's currently shooting to expand the number of those food producers to 5,000-7,000 across the country over the next year. Roseaen expects the partnership with Food52 will allow them to do that.
"We're not worried about business models anymore," Rosaen says. "We're just worried about doing good."
Source: Cara Rosaen, co-founder of Real Time Farms
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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