April is MIO (Made In Oklahoma) Month! Associate Farm Editor Reagan Calk had the chance to visit with the Executive Director of the Made In Oklahoma Coalition, Emily Shuping, about all of the exciting things happening this month to showcase MIO Coalition members and their products.
“The Made In Oklahoma Coalition is a public/private partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, and Oklahoma food and beverage companies,” Shuping said. “We work to raise awareness for Made In Oklahoma products and increase consumer loyalty for products made right here in the state of Oklahoma.”
Every dollar spent on MIO products creates a positive impact in the lives of Oklahomans by boosting the state’s economy and increasing the number of local jobs available throughout the state and community while expanding the state’s GDP.
“There are so many benefits that come along with being a member of the Made In Oklahoma Coalition, and we do a lot of marketing and promotion for our member companies with our grocery store partners as well as restaurants throughout the state of Oklahoma,” Shuping said. “We are constantly working to help facilitate business to business relationships between our Oklahoma-owned businesses and sales outlets for those businesses.”
MIO membership is exclusive to advanced Oklahoma food producers and processors who have met certain criteria. Members have multiple opportunities to participate in cost-share activities and marketing promotions through a range of media outlets.
“MIO companies employ over 50,000 Oklahomans and provide a lot of jobs here in our state, so every time that you support local, you are helping support another family and another small business right here in our state,” Shuping said.
To visit the MIO Coalition’s website, CLICK HERE.
“We have thousands of recipes (online) that showcase all sorts of MIO ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store, so that is a really fun way that you can support local this month by finding a great recipe online and buying those products at the grocery store,” Shuping said. “We have a restaurant listing that has over 1,000 Made in Oklahoma restaurants statewide, and those restaurants are all restaurants the utilize MIO products on their menu.”
On the MIO website, Shuping said there is a listing of MIO members. In the works is a retail section of the site to help consumers find places to purchase Made In Oklahoma products, Shuping added.
To celebrate MIO month, Shuping said there are a variety of deals and discounts available from MIO members, along with giveaways on Facebook for products and more.
“There are lots of fun opportunities for you to win great prizes, and we are even doing a shopper sweepstakes in Oklahoma City at Uptown Grocery in Edmond on April 25, so you can enter to win up to $1,000 of free groceries,” Shuping said.
To enter to win free groceries during MIO month, CLICK HERE!
For those interested in becoming a member of the Made In Oklahoma Coalition, Shuping said individuals can apply at the MIO website. To apply and learn more, CLICK HERE!
To visit the MIO Coalition’s Facebook page, CLICK HERE.
To visit the MIO Coalition’s Instagram, CLICK HERE.
