FaB Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Area Technical College have announced further details about the Food Maker School and Center of Excellence they are forming on the south side of Milwaukee.
FaB Wisconsin is an industry cluster that encourages economic development among food and beverage manufacturers across the state.
The new school, which BizTimes first reported on in October, will provide instructional technical food programs, a pilot-scale sauce production line with co-pack capacity, and laboratories for product development, food analysis and microbiology testing. The center will provide connections among students, entrepreneurs, existing food businesses, professional service providers, government agencies and FaB.
“FaB has worked closely with MATC over the past two years to develop needed technical programs for our food and beverage makers,” said Giacomo Fallucca, president and chief executive officer of Palermo’s Pizza and chair of FaB’s executive committee. “We are very excited about plans for the MATC’s Food Maker School, which will offer a state-of-the-art pilot plant and laboratories to develop our next generation of talent and industry innovators. And we couldn’t have asked for a more responsive partner than MATC.”
Wisconsin’s food and beverage industry encompasses more than 46,000 employees. It ranks fifth nationally for overall food and beverage processing and manufacturing employment and second in the country for cluster employment growth.
“At MATC we pride ourselves in providing the education and technical training that leads to careers for our students. The closer we can work with the industry, the greater the opportunities are for our students,” said Vicki Martin, president of MATC. “Our partnership with FaB ensures that our students are being trained for employment in the region’s rapidly-emerging careers.”
FaB hosted its first all-member meeting on Nov. 10 at the proposed location for the Food Maker School, 816 W. National Ave. in Milwaukee.
“Our end game is to grow the number of food and beverage maker jobs by expanding our talent pool, innovation and business capacities. As an organized cluster, we are in a position to elevate awareness of the industry and gain the support needed for our business to grow at home and in markets abroad,” said Shelley Jurewicz, executive director of FaB Wisconsin.
