Grand Total of $40,000 Awarded To Six Deserving Organizations


Fueled by $40,000 in grants given by the Austin Food & Wine Alliance, six Austin-area culinary innovators will receive funding to help realize their dreams and further propel the city’s skyrocketing culinary scene.


The highly anticipated 2015 Austin Food & Wine grant award winners were announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, December 8 at AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center. Four emergent artisan product companies, a local farming & youth development non-profit, and a high school culinary arts program were the recipients of $40,000, the AFWA’s largest disbursement of funds since the organization began providing grants in 2011.


The grant winners are Texas Keeper Cider for $12,000; Two Hives Honey andMeridian Hive Meadery, each for $8,000; Urban Roots and Salud! Bitters Company, each for $5,000; and Manor High School Culinary Arts Program for $2,000.


The 2015 grants will help fund support of an artisanal cider taproom to feature uncommon micro-batches of dry ciders and unique cider/wine hybrids using Texas-grown ingredients; a hyper-local line of all-natural, raw comb honey products harvested from micro-apiaries in Austin neighborhoods; Austin’s first and only meadery to expand production with innovative and diverse ingredients to meet the high demand of unique sparkling ‘session meads’; updating curriculum for a local non-profit using an East Austin farm to transform the lives of young people and support community food programs; a small-batch, handcrafted bitters company using responsibly foraged, locally sourced organic ingredients that seeks to gain FDA certification and provide educational tours for Texans; a high school culinary arts program needing working appliances for a student-run restaurant and catering business that serves families staying at the Ronald McDonald house.

Texas Cider Keeper

Two Hives Honey

Meridian Hive Meadery

Urban Roots

Salud! Bitters Company

 

Manor High School