Pawfect Sweets Krystal Barnes started Pawfect Sweets in April 2022 in Henrico, VA with her husband Chris, and two daughters. They partner with many farms and businesses around Virginia to acquire quality ingredients for their pet treats. Their mission is to provide a wide range of healthy, fair priced treats for all furry furriends.
Founder, SageD Collective Sagdrina Jalal is the Founder of SageD Collective. Sagdrina’s work thrives at the intersection of community and innovation. Born in Augusta, Georgia at Fort Gordon military base and raised in Savannah on Burnside Island, Sagdrina is a graduate of the University of Georgia. In 2013, she became the founding executive director of [...]
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) LaTasha Thomas is a Grants Management Specialist for the Grants Division in USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), position that she has held since 2019. She has experience managing multiple portfolios of the east coast region for recipients of the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program [...]
Tisha Sawyer, a proud Navy Veteran, hails from the west coast but fell in love with Virginia when she moved here in 2004 to work as a chef at the Williamsburg Inn. Her professional experience also includes linguistics, teaching, administration, retail, and hospitality, as well as small business entrepreneurship. She has managed both the Surry [...]
Pinup Coffee Co. Stephanie Wein and her husband Bryce started Pinup Coffee Co. in 2021 while both were still active duty. Their mission is to bring people together over high-quality, small-batch, hands-on roasted specialty coffee, celebrating individuality in every cup while ensuring each blend and single origin coffee is crafted with care from source to [...]
Owner, Top Knot Artisan Bakery Brad Webber is the owner of Top Knot Artisan Bakery which specializes in sourdough breads, pastries and desserts. Brad attends several farmers markets weekly in the Hampton Roads area and wholesales to local restaurants and coffee shops. He may have just started his business in 2023, but already has a [...]
Owner of The Mayor Kyle Morse is the owner of The Mayor, a sausage company in Richmond, VA. His offerings range from classical flavors like Linguica and Bratwurst to seasonal chef driven sausages like a Ramp Sausage, Broccoli Raab & Swiss or the Red Eye Sausage. He practices whole hog butchery and only source sustainably [...]
Deputy Administrator, Transportation & Marketing, Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture Tricia Kovacs is the Deputy Administrator for Transportation and Marketing in USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), a position she has held since 2020. She leads programs that support local and regional food systems, grants to support market access for farmers, USDA’s Regional [...]
Market Manager, Downtown South Boston Farmers Market Melissa Nelson is currently the Market Manager for the Downtown South Boston Farmers Market in South Boston, Virginia. Prior to becoming the Market Manager, she was already managing her own farm as a 4th generation farmer and was an active vendor at the downtown market. In 2024, Melissa [...]
Executive Director, Virginia Farmers Market Association Dr. Kim Hutchinson has been a nonprofit executive, management consultant, public policy expert, federal contractor, and community advocate for building healthy, sustainable communities for more than 35 years. Prior to joining Virginia Farmers Market Association, Dr. Hutchinson served as the President and CEO of complex philanthropic organizations where her [...]