Founders : Food

"Most users find MyFab5 through Instagram," says Omeid Seirafi-Pour, co-founder & CEO of MyFab5. "We give them value through our ability to introduce people to new options. You will find some awesome restaurants by following us."

Questions with MyFab5 hits key milestones without reinventing social media wheel

"Make sure the production side of things is something you have a passion for," Ellis-Brown says. "It's not easy. It's one of the hardest things I have ever done."

Questions with Ellis Infinity Beverage Co figures out the recipe for finding the first home away from home

"We're in great shape for future expansion," Rieth says. "We want to have a capacity of 150,000 barrels and this gives us that. We want to continue growing in Detroit because the city is an important part of what we’re about."

Questions with No place like home for Atwater Brewery

"This year we're going to have even bigger growth because we added some key people," says Joe McClure, co-owner of McClure's Pickles.

Questions with New hires turn into key ingredients for growth spurt at McClure's Pickles

"I ran the business with my heart, but my costs continued to go up," Gutierrez says. "I closed my eyes and prayed for help. When I opened them up I saw things differently. I am an administrator who needs to run a business."

Questions with Building a community-based company, Hacienda Mexican Foods in southwest Detroit

Joe Hessling spent a couple years building 365 Retail Markets from nothing, but he was able to grow the Troy startup's revenues quickly after scoring $1 million in seed capital. That hockey stick spike in growth is why 365 Retail Markets is one of the Gazelle 100, a year-long exploration of the fastest-growing startups in Metro Detroit as part of SEMichiganStartup's Year of the Gazelle series.

Questions with Seed capital fuels 365 Retail Markets rapid growth rate

Slows restaurant in Detroit caught lightning in a bottle when it opened in 2005. It has slowly grown since then despite numerous offers to open around the world. Co-founder Brian Perrone explains why.

Questions with Brian Perrone on slowly growing the Slows footprint

Savorfull originally got its start selling healthy boxed meals and moved to providing healthy-eating consulting services. Stacy Goldberg, Savorfull's CEO, explains why that switch made sense.

Questions with Stacy Goldberg on evolving the best path forward for your business

VernDale Products is a family business employing its third generation of descendants, and executing a big growth plan. The Detroit-based firm's CEO Dale Johnson explains how building trust over time provided the basis to get everyone on board with the plan.

Questions with Dale Johnson on getting everyone in a family business on board with a growth plan

Mark Rieth likes to talk about Stroh's when he is speaking about turning Atwater Brewery into Detroit's next great brewery. He explains why Detroit's most fabled brewery serves as an inspiration.

Questions with Mark Rieth on why Stroh's inspires Atwater Brewery's growth

Joe Hessling is the founder & CEO of 365 Retail Markets, which means he has to balance a shareholder's need to create value and a executive's impulse to build a business.

Questions with Joe Hessling, balancing CEO and shareholder duties

Brian Rudolph wants you to eat Banza, gluten-free pasta from chick peas. First he has to get his Detroit-based food startup product on store shelves, a task he is enjoying some fast success with this year.

Questions with Brian Rudolph on bringing Banza to a store shelf near you

Jeff Plott is the co-founder of Flipsi Bottle, an Ann Arbor-based startup developing a baby bottle that can be turned inside out for easy cleaning.

Questions with Jeff Plott

Joe Uhl is the founder of Joseph Wesley Tea, a slow-food startup specializing in teas based in Detroit.

Questions with Joe Uhl

Ron Jeffries is the founder of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, a craft brewery based in Dexter.

Questions with Ron Jeffries