Here's what happened during Pueblo Food Project's recent Sun Soil Water Ag Summit

Pueblo Food Project last week held its fourth Sun Soil Water Ag Summit, where attendees and food entrepreneurs soaked up information about food systems, agriculture and tools they can use to run a successful business.

The two-day summit at Pueblo Community College featured keynote presentations, round-robin pitch conversations and panel discussions that centered on Pueblo’s food system. More people attended this year’s summit than in years past, said Megan Moore, program manager for Pueblo Food Project.

“I think that we’ve been able to reach a lot more of our community over the last couple years, whether it’s just Pueblo or the greater region, with people who already work in food,” Moore said.

Entrepreneurs talk business, seek guidance

During the first day of the summit, some of Pueblo’s food entrepreneurs engaged in a pitch competition with three judges. Each of the judges listened to those entrepreneurs about their business model, what they have been able to achieve in Pueblot, and the next steps they want to take to grow their eatery.

The judges then told each of the entrepreneurs about certain routes they could take to fulfill their plans.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said Charles McKay, owner of the Hungry Buffalo. “Just being able to sit there and talk out loud about your ideas, problems and things you’re hung up on and verbalizing them helps out. But then having somebody with knowledge who can give you feedback gives a little bit of mentorship instead of trying to figure it all out yourself.”

McKay was joined by Sam Umoh, general manager of Hungry Buffalo, for the pitch conversations and they spoke of their desire to grow outside of the Fuel & Iron Food Hall, which has been the eatery's home for the past 10 months.

Consumer packaged goods and restaurants are a few ways in which McKay and Umoh hope to expand their business. Their discussions on the first day of the summit were a chance to get some insight on how to achieve that and gave entrepreneurs a glimpse of what they’ll have at their disposal at Fuel Kitchens, Pueblo’s new commissary kitchen.

McKay’s business was one of three to capture an award for its pitch during the summit. He suspects that because of the summit and Fuel & Iron’s business incubators, Pueblo could see more local entrepreneurs open up their own restaurants in town.

“The competition is going to force people to get better and it’s going to end up with better choices for all of Pueblo,” McKay said.

Collaboration key to develop, grow food system

Panelists and presenters touched on a number of topics during the second day of summit events. Food procurement, community initiatives and the relationship between the economy and food ecosystems were just some of the many subjects discussed.

However, the focus of this year’s summit was “people power.” The idea was to emphasize and remind members of the community that they have the power to strengthen each other and collaborate better, Moore said.

“It’s really important to Pueblo Food Project that we’re supporting, showing and learning alongside our community,” Moore said.

Pueblo Food Project has collaborated with multiple pantries and farmers in Pueblo since its inception. Moore called those partnerships “really rewarding” while noting that they benefit the community because each of them is working toward the same goals.

John Giordanengo, a small business owner, spoke about how Pueblo could use ecosystems as a model to help the economy become resilient and flexible, particularly in the food system.

Some of the people who have helped Pueblo Food Project were honored for their work on the summit's first night. Allison Rea, coordinator of PFP’s community gardens, was named Farmer of the Year; Vince Gagliano of Gagliano’s Italian Market picked up People, Planet, Profit Partner of the Year.

Marci Cochran was named Food Access Advocate of the Year.

Maker’s Market a hit for attendees, vendors

The summit wrapped up with a Marker’s Market, where local businesses offered up their products at booths for attendees to try. Food and drinks, from bread and fire cider to meat, were served to allow people to get a better sense of local foods and the businesses behind them.

Activity during this year’s market was much more active compared to last year, Moore said.

“It's a great way to get the word out to people who are definitely interested in food and products that are made here,” Moore said. “It’s a nice overlap with the community to know they care about the same things."

Pueblo Food Project last year spent nearly $300,000 on locally produced goods. It spends up to $1,000 a month purchasing products from farms, markets and local growers.

More: Killer Queen's tribute to Queen, prince of Spanish guitar among Pueblo events March 1-14

Chieftain reporter Josué Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Food Project highlights local growers, community at summit