Deeply Rooted Enterprises

In our “Seed Award Spotlight” series, we asked the Fall 2024 Seed Award winners about their experience as a food or farm entrepreneur, including the passion behind their business and their vision for positive change in their community. This January, 18 Seed Award winners were chosen to receive seed funding totaling almost $250,000. These grants represent not just a financial investment, but an acknowledgment of the vital role farms and food distributors play in advancing Michigan’s food value chain.

Among the standout recipients is Deeply Rooted Enterprises, which operates Deeply Rooted Produce, Detroit’s first zero-waste mobile grocery store. Supporting over 2,000 local farmers, Deeply Rooted Enterprises increases access to fresh, high-quality fruits and vegetables through innovative distribution channels like CSA boxes, farm stands, and grocery vending machines and leads the charge in sustainable urban agriculture in Detroit.

Keep reading to learn more about Deeply Rooted Enterprises and how Dazmonique Carr’s innovative approach to food distribution is nourishing Detroit and setting new standards in sustainability.

Name: Dazmonique Carr
Business: Deeply Rooted Enterprises LLC

What does being selected as a Seed Award winner mean to you personally, and how does it reflect on the journey of your business so far?

Being selected as a Seed Award winner truly means that I didn’t have to give up a dream for innovation. It means that my forward thinking was trusted for the benefit of myself, my community members and my family. I am very so much grateful to not have given up on our dream and being okay with pivoting our operations to stay aligned with the ever changing grocery climate and technological advances that exists in Michigan and in the United States. It reflects our journey of resilience and ability to adapt to times of challenge and opportunity.

In what ways will the Seed Award funding support your immediate and long-term business goals?

The Seed Award will help us implement grocery vending machines and make local food more accessible in innovative ways to Metro-Detroit. Most immediately we will be able install increase our farm capacity and host a farm stand on our farm with vending machines that are programmed to assist with EBT transactions.

Long term we will have an example of innovation and equitable access to great quality groceries and expand our services nationwide.

Can you share your vision for the positive changes this award will enable you to make in your business and the broader community?

My vision that this award will help with is increasing the access to high quality groceries without sacrificing quality for price. I envision a food system where consumers know the stories behind the food that they are receiving , its seasonality and the potential challenges that farmer(s) & land/lake stewards have experienced to help get their food on their plates. I would love for consumers to have a better understanding of the small companies & their supply to reach demand.

What led you to start your business? What motivates you to do what you do?

I started my business to help farmers, artisans, & land/lake stewards distribute their products in innovative ways. I started this journey with a bike and a basket to help farmers get their food to families in need. I am motivated to continue what I do to inspire other farmers (especially my children & my family members) to provide high quality services and breed more local food systems.

Want to try fresh produce from Deeply Rooted Produce? Visit their website to find their Detroit location or view online ordering options. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Want to try fresh produce from Deeply Rooted Produce? Visit their website to find their Detroit location or view online ordering options. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.