Two small businesses from Berrien County are taking part in a statewide competition seeking to find Michigan’s most exciting new entrepreneurs.
Zo’s Mini Donuts of St. Joseph and Gauged Hemp Block Systems of Stevensville are two of five finalists in the “Michigan’s Next Big Idea Pitch Competition” planned for April 21 in East Lansing.
Zo’s Mini Donuts founders Zoey and Lydia Heyn are excited for the opportunity after making a splash in Southwest Michigan the past couple of years. You may have seen one of their pink mobile donut kitchens in locations including St. Joseph, Sawyer and New Buffalo throughout the summer. Zoey tells us they’ve been growing by leaps and bounds.
“We have now 22 seasonal employees, and we’re running five food trucks, solely run by local high school and college students, which is just amazing,” Zoey said. “So, we’ve grown in so many ways possible, So yeah, we’ve grown in so many ways possible, and we cannot wait for the next summer.”
Zoey and Lydia say stay tuned to learn what’s coming.
The Next Big Idea Pitch Competition is being held as part of the annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Summit. The five finalists will take the stage for a live pitch before a panel of judges and a live audience, competing for statewide visibility and $10,000 to grow. Zoey and Lydia told us what they’re seeking the funding for.
“In order to keep up with this demand, we need the equipment that can produce at a higher capacity,” Zoey said.
“A higher production fryer, which is like niche donut world stuff, but it is super important to meet our demand,” Lydia said. “Because currently, we’re producing right at demand, and as our demand increases, we need to produce more donuts per hour.”
Zoey and Lydia say they’re thrilled to have their chance to pitch their donut dream at the event in Lansing this month. They say new equipment will mean Zo’s can continue doing what it does best — serving warm, freshly-made donuts.
“You’re driving by and you know you’re getting hot and fresh every single time,” Zoey said.
“And we’ve never like faltered in that commitment to being hot and fresh every time,” Lydia said. “You’ll never get a cold, stale donut from Zo’s Donuts.”
The other Berrien County contestant in the Michigan’s Next Big Idea Pitch Competition, Gauged Hemp Block Systems, is a green construction company developing building materials out of hemp. It says it’s creating a better way to build.
The remaining competitors at the pitch event are a high-tech wellness retreat in Detroit, an AI company out of Grand Rapids, and an AI literacy program out of Grand Rapids.
