Nurse Emme Ekanem of Wyoming, Michigan, was your typical mother of four, looking for a healthy snacking alternative for her family.

She looked back on her childhood memories of growing up in Nigeria, where plantain chips are a common – and healthy – snack. She went into the kitchen and started peeling plantain.

So, in October of 2020, Ekanem officially launched Emme’s Plantain Chips, an all-natural, gluten-free, crunchy chip alternative to potato chips.

In September 2022, Ekanem’s healthy snack alternative was validated when she was named second-place prize winner in the 2022 MI New Favorite Snack Competition held in Port Huron, Michigan.

The MI New Favorite Snack Competition, now in its second year, aims to provide capital to a few micro-businesses based in Michigan this September, with more than $75,000 in cash prizes on the table.

Applications for the 2023 competition are still being accepted. The deadline for entering was recently extended to July 14, 2023. There is a $100 fee per entry. The competition will take place in Port Huron on September 9, 2023.

The $15,000 in prize money allowed Ekanem to purchase much-needed production-enhancing equipment.

“Winning $15,000 in the competition enabled me to purchase a plantain peeler machine,” she said. Prior to making this purchase, Ekanem had been peeling all plantain by hand.

To create her tasty treat, Ekanem peels plantain, cooks it in olive oil and seasons the chips with various herbs, thus producing multiple flavors. For the past three years she has sold four popular flavors and she plans to enter the 2023 MI New Favorite Snack Competition with a brand-new flavor.

“Hopefully, my business will attract additional capital to obtain a facility for expansion of my business,” she said. “My experience with the 2022 MI New Favorite Snack Competition was great. I was so impressed with the feedback from the people who sampled my plantain chips. Many people reached out to me after the 2022 competition. It exposed my business in a positive way.”

During its inaugural year, the MI New Favorite Snack Competition attracted more than 50 snack makers from across both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan and awarded more than $50,000 in prize money to five award winners. The grand prize winner also received a distribution agreement with All Star Services, a Break Room Services company based in Port Huron.

Companies must meet the following requirements to be eligible for participation:

–Must be a Michigan Micro-Business (10 employees or less)

–Must carry the appropriate licensing and insurance

–Must be headquartered in Michigan

–Must have appropriately packaged product available for consumer purchase

The Top 20 Finalists will be announced the week of July 31.

All competitors that register for the 2023 competition, regardless of whether or not they are a finalist, will be invited to participate in the MI New Favorite Snack exhibition, giving them access to event attendees who can sample and/or purchase packaged goods. Only the top 20 finalists are eligible to win prize money and the title of “MI New Favorite Snack 2023.”

This year’s event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 9 at the McMorran Plaza in the heart of downtown Port Huron. Judging will take place from 10 to 11 a.m., and the event will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.