Jen Fordyce, “Head Pickle Lady” of Waikapu Pickles, is on the right.

The 2016 Annual Made In Maui County Festival (MIMCF) on Friday and Saturday, November 4th and 5th, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, will be one of the Festival’s largest shows to date. Now in its third year, the event showcases hundreds of made-in-Maui County products while helping to grow the islands’ small businesses. Over 140 vendors will offer a wide variety of foods, produce, arts, crafts, jewelry, fashions, gifts, and collectibles. On the 5th, 11 of Maui’s popular food trucks will be featured in the festival’s Food Court, offering a myriad of island-inspired menu items.

The Festival will be the first major show for many businesses that Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Innovation Series has fostered. “It is incredibly rewarding for us at MEDB to see all the workshops, bootcamps, and Startup Weekends actually paying off,” said Gerry Smith, MEDB Director of Business Development. “I can point to many businesses right now in the MIMCF that launched at a MEDB Startup Weekend. This festival is a vital tool to help them grow their businesses.”

“Jen Fordyce from Waikapu Pickles, one of MEDB’s Innovation Series winners, will be joining the event for the first time,” Smith added. “It’s been great working with her and watching her grow over the last two years.”

“I knew nothing about getting a business off the ground,” said Fordyce. “MEDB hosted a Maui Startup Weekend, which is how my business came to exist in the first place. After the business got up and running, I returned to MEDB for various workshops on finance and accounting for small businesses. Now with a strong foundation for business success, I’m back to the important part, making local pickles for local people. Also, I’m getting out into the community to share samples of pickles and talk about the need to grow our own food and create a more sustainable and independent Maui.”