Bingo Roasters takes home top honors as Fresh Thyme customers select the brand they want to see in stores at first Pitch Thyme event

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fresh Thyme Market, a Midwest-based natural grocer committed to inspiring healthier living and supporting the communities it serves, is putting customer demand into action. Following its inaugural Pitch Thyme Competition at the Farmington, Michigan store, four Michigan-based brands are getting their big break, with Bingo Roasters earning top honors as the Customer Choice winner.

Seven local Michigan-based businesses participated in Fresh Thyme’s first Pitch Thyme event, a competition created to support and discover local emerging brands while giving customers a chance to cast their vote for the product they would like to see in their local store. Fresh Thyme partnered with the Michigan State University Product Center for the Farmington event, which brought together customers and a panel of industry judges to evaluate participating brands based on product uniqueness, taste, quality, packaging and price.

Bingo Roasters earned the Customer Choice distinction, receiving the strongest support from Fresh Thyme shoppers. The Michigan-based company creates specialty coffee spreads and chocolate bars using artisanal beans and quality ingredients. Made by coffee people for coffee people, Bingo Roasters spent more than four years perfecting the art of making coffee edible, with products handcrafted in small batches by its team of baristas.

“Fresh Thyme has invested heavily in local brands and bringing our customers the best products we can find since we opened our doors,” said Brad Etlin, senior manager of community affairs at Fresh Thyme. “Pitch Thyme is giving local entrepreneurs the chance to practice their pitch, and get their product in front of new customers, while giving our customers the chance to tell us what new products they want to see on our shelves. We’re excited to help these local Michigan brands take that next step and grow with Fresh Thyme.”

Following an enthusiastic response from customers, judges and Farmington store team members, Fresh Thyme selected three additional local businesses to join Bingo Roasters on store shelves: Mimidae Beverage Company, Red Truck Orchards and Gnarly Sauce Co.

“It was incredibly rewarding to see these local entrepreneurs connect with customers and experience such an overwhelmingly positive response to their products,” said Kendra Wills, Innovation Counselor at the Michigan State University Product Center. “We’re proud to have partnered with Fresh Thyme on a program that is helping take all these local businesses to the next level.”

Bingo Roasters and the other selected brands are expected to arrive on shelves at Fresh Thyme Market’s Farmington store late September, giving local shoppers the opportunity to continue supporting the businesses they discovered during Pitch Thyme. There will be an in-store sampling event paired with the launch of those products. Given the success of the inaugural event, Fresh Thyme plans on bringing Pitch Thyme to select markets across the Midwest, creating additional opportunities to discover local entrepreneurs and help introduce their products to Fresh Thyme shoppers.

To learn more about Fresh Thyme Market and to follow along for future Pitch Thyme events, visit freshthyme.com or follow Fresh Thyme Market on social media.

About Fresh Thyme Market
Fresh Thyme Market is a better-for-you, Midwest-based grocer with a mission to foster healthier communities by offering real, fresh food, vitamins and body care products. The grocery retailer was born from a genuine desire to help people live better and healthier lives and does so by focusing on three core pillars: quality, experience, and community. Every day Fresh Thyme Market works to be a trusted resource in our communities, bringing people access to real food at affordable prices. By offering an immersive, intuitive shopping experience and a local focus on what the community needs, each store provides fresh, natural, and organic food, as well as vitamin and body care products. To learn more, visit freshthyme.com.

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FreshThyme@Phase3mc.com
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SOURCE Fresh Thyme