Detroit Brings Back Green Grocer Program After Nine Years to Expand Fresh Food Options

Detroit revived its Green Grocer program after nine years. The initiative helps small grocers stock fresh food in neighborhoods across the city.

Grants go to shop owners who want to improve their buildings and expand what they sell. Kandies Mini Mart received the first award under the restored program.

Owner Jacquisha Blackwell secured $25,000. She added a grocery section to her sandwich shop and catering business at 2470 Collingwood St. in the Dexter-Linwood neighborhood.

Blackwell purchased refrigerators and freezers with the money. She upgraded the electrical system. A self-service ordering system went in too.

The grocery section now occupies 544 square feet of the 844-square-foot shop. Customers find fresh fruits, vegetables, prepared meals, dairy, baked goods, and personal care items on the shelves.

"If it wasn't for the grant, I would not have been able to do the expansion right now," Blackwell said to Crain's Detroit Business. "We had a vision for it, but putting the $25,000 into the upgrades wasn't ideal when it came to handling payroll, things like that."

The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and the city run the program together. It launched in 2010 but stopped in 2017 when funding dried up. City Council President Pro Tem Coleman A. Young II secured money to bring it back in 2024.

During its first years, the program pulled in more than $50 million in investment. It supported more than 40 grocery businesses. Over $1 million went to facade improvements. The initiative created 115 jobs across 14 stores.

The city allocated about $350,000 per year from the general fund. DEGC Vice President of Small Business Services Sean Gray expects about 14 grants will get distributed. More than a dozen small-business owners have lined up already.

Mayor Mary Sheffield attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 18 to celebrate the relaunch. "Walkable access to fresh foods, local ownership and good jobs for our young people," Sheffield said, "the Green Grocer Program will play a pivotal role in making that happen," she said, as shared by the source.

The DEGC still accepts applications. Store owners can spend grant money on equipment, renovations, inventory, technology, and technical assistance like market research.