MMI Hospitality Group’s Post

Get Your Greens On! 🌱 We are still in awe of the incredible Seed to Spoon workshop, and it has inspired us to dive deeper into the captivating herstories of Collard Greens in our latest blog post. From their rich cultural significance to their remarkable journey from seed to table, we celebrate the legacy of these greens and the hands that cultivate them with passion and love. #PalenkeExperience #CollardGreens #SeedToSpoon #Herstories #PalenkeExperience #FoodBlog #newblogpost

Cannes Lions: It's that time of year again, and the Rogue Bees are out in force. 😎 "Rogue Bees" is such a useful idea, popularised by the inimitable Rory Sutherland. It resonates deeply in the world of creativity. Rogue bees are those daring honeybees - yes, actual little buzzing hardworking bees 🐝 - whose whole job is to COMPLETELY IGNORE their genetically hardwired mission to find nectar and instead seek out new and unexpected sources. In bee world, most follow the poetically-named waggle dance to known sources of pollen. But these rogues ignore the dance, and zigzag off to discover unknown riches. There aren't many of them, but their role is vital, and it means the hive both survives and thrives. The point is simple: if we all played it safe, we'd never discover anything new. Flying in a metaphorical straight line leads to mediocrity, and never seeing the yet unseen. Pushing the boundaries – like our honeybee friends – redefines what’s possible and uncovers unthinkable solutions.🍭 People have said smarter things about this idea and managing risk, but for me, the best of it is about creativity and staying curious. 😉 Those tiny creative rebels have got their pollen-covered bums all over this years' entries. I’ll leave it to the actual creatives to round up the best, but enjoy the LinkedIn rabbit hole while the festival is on. Try to be just a little bit more rogue bee, and celebrate those among us.🌟 #CannesLions #Creativity #Innovation #RogueBees #Marketing #BoldIdeas

Secret Ingredient Swaps: Community kitchens blend diverse flavors, fostering connections over shared recipes. In this culinary unity, we exchange more than ingredients — we share stories, cultures, and the warmth of togetherness.😇 #ConnectToGrow growzilla.co #growzilla #community #communitybuilding #communitymanagement #communitydevelopment #communitygrowth #communityfirst #communitystrategy

Absolutely agree! It's disheartening to see how often indigenous cultures are exploited for profit without any real benefits flowing back to the communities that hold this valuable knowledge. This issue extends beyond Shark Tank and is pervasive in the business world globally. Your insight into the pricing disparities sheds light on the systemic problems, from labor costs to tariffs, but it's crucial to address the underlying cultural appropriation and lack of benefit-sharing. The disparity between the authentic, traditional products and their "exoticized" versions in the market is not only economically unfair but also perpetuates a harmful cycle. Your mention of Starbucks turning haldi doodh into "golden milk" perfectly illustrates how indigenous wisdom is often repackaged and sold as a trendy commodity. The World Intellectual Property Organization's report highlights a pressing concern about the exclusion of indigenous peoples from the benefits of their own cultural heritage. It's essential for us to be aware of these issues and actively work towards creating a more equitable and respectful business environment. Thank you 🌏 Shreya Ghodawat Ⓥ for bringing attention to this important topic. It's crucial that we all reflect on instances where our own cultures may be commodified or exoticized, fostering a dialogue that promotes understanding and fair practices in the business world. #business Hillary Uzomba Phoebe Hunyemen you should read this

This is a long time coming as the plan was hatched 7 years. This journey in regulated herb is not for the feint of heart, not for a quick return, not for people that aren’t able to be comfortable when things become extremely uncomfortable. The dream of an educational, experencial, casual, museumesque, Humboldt County visitors center, that also happens to provide access to the best of the best herb and herb products, organic local food, and music to enjoy is still alive. Phase one is getting the delivery platform, pos for events, and then the subscription box rolling. Phase two will be building out the storefront and proof of concept. Phase three will be expanding the vision into other regions with sound strategic partners in lock step. We will become horizontal not vertical in building an ecosystem of likeminded operators from seed to end consumer. Along with our farmer partner shareholders, our distribution company, our retail company, and manufacturer partners we are seeking to creat value added products with, like concentrates, health and welllness products, edibles, drinks, and prerolls. The time is now to jump on the small batch, artisanal, legacy family farm bandwagon with the grassroots community of independent operators fighting the good fight for the plant and the people. I’ve dreamt of building a bridge between urban equity retailers and brands spanning the the state, and country, to the legacy family farm community and it is also still alive. I don’t give up, I don’t quit and if we have spoken about this, let’s reconnect and forge a pathway forward together. I’ve also envisioned my company building the bridge between the right experienced executives and the traditional community that’s still here, but now legit and wholeheartedly believe that whoever does that and does it right has a massive shot at mkn it through these trenches. What did your first dream in regulated herb look like? Is the original vision still alive? How has it morphed? Stay up, stay blessed, stay grateful, and stay in love. It’s the only way forward. 🙏🏼❤️💛💚💙 #horizontalintegration #ecosystem #buildingbridges #nevergiveup #nevergivein #faith #dream #tourism #destinationlocation

Recipe Swaps: More than ingredients, it's a cultural exchange simmering with shared stories and flavors. In these culinary communities, each dish tells a tale, and every shared recipe is a step towards stronger, more connected neighborhoods.😇 #ConnectToGrow growzilla.co #growzilla #community #communitybuilding #communitymanagement #communitydevelopment #communitygrowth #communityfirst #communitystrategy

I sure didn't see this coming. My post earlier this week, about whether animal rights activist need to jettison the word "vegan", got more engagement than I have ever had on LinkedIn. My analytics went up over 2500%. I was braced for hundreds of naysayers saying "BACON!" or something similar. Instead, people shared their ideas with respect and keen insight. Alan Pater shared something brilliant with me. Apparently I'm not the first to wonder if veganism needs a new brand voice. Here's a new approach. This is exactly what I was hoping for. https://sentientism.info/ Regardless of your lifestyle, I hope you will check this out. It's about compassion for all living beings, and doesn't chase people away with the dreaded v-word. If someone is immediately turned off by your brand message, the best offer in the world won't change their mind. Every brand evolves with time. What worked last year may not work this year. Is your brand due for a deep dive, a rethinking of your priorities? How do your clients feel about your brand? Brand personality is what helps you stand out in a saturated market. Let's keep the dialogue going. Comment below or DM me. #veganbusiness #brandidentity #brandvoice

I don’t know about you but I find Shark Tank ABC to be quite an informative guilty pleasure 🙈 Lori is the reasonable one and Kevin tests my nonviolent promise but neither of them is the most interesting part of the show for me. What is most fascinating is that so often, I find myself watching someone non-indigenous sell indigenous items like coconut bowls, tequila, mahjong, and kombucha. This isn’t of course restricted to Shark Tank. Businesses world over often repackage and market indigenous wisdom as their own novel creations. And consistently, when people sell things native to other countries and communities, the difference in pricing is ridiculous. So I did some digging. The reason for this is of course not straightforward. The price disparity sometimes comes from differences in labour costs between the US and the country of the product's origin. If imported, sometimes tariffs cause a hike. But a big part of it is that haldi doodh at home is just haldi doodh. But in the hands of Starbucks and white influencers, it’s golden milk—the immunity elixir. Indigenous culture is exotic when marketed by white Americans to white Americans. But in their hands, do the profits come back to the communities whose knowledge and ingredients were used to build the business in the first place? The answer is usually no. According to a report by the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO of the United Nations, indigenous peoples and local communities are often excluded from the benefits of their own traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, and genetic resources. This leads to exploitation, misappropriation, and biopiracy by corporations and individuals who seek to profit from their unique and valuable heritage. This is not only unfair but also harmful to the environment and the diversity of life on Earth. Indigenous peoples and local communities are the custodians of more than 80% of the world’s biodiversity, and their traditional knowledge and practices are essential for conservation. By erasing their contributions and commodifying their culture, we are losing a vital source of wisdom and innovation for the future. LinkedIn community, what instances of heavily marked-up exotics have you seen? What do you get at home for a pittance that you can find at Whole Foods Market for an arm and a leg? What commonplace parts of your culture are exoticised? #Communities #Business #Indigenous #Heritage #Culture