Media & Press

PHOENIX, May 1, 2025 — Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. and Local First Arizona are partnering on a round-up campaign from May 12–31 to raise funds and awareness for Keep Arizona Beautiful, a Local First Arizona initiative driving community cleanups, waste reduction and environmental stewardship across the state.

Phoenix, AZ — April 22, 2026 — Arizona’s independent restaurants have always been more than just places to eat. They are the heartbeats of our neighborhoods, the creative outlets of passionate chefs, and gathering spaces where stories unfold over shared plates. This summer, you are invited to support the Valley’s vibrant dining community by taking part in a unique and meaningful culinary journey: The 2026 Devour Summer Chef Series.

PHOENIX (Mar. 31 2026) — Local First Arizona is now accepting applications for its next virtual Green Business Boot Camp beginning April 21, 2026. The award-winning, seven-week program guides 10 to 15 locally owned businesses and nonprofits through an Arizona-focused sustainability curriculum. Participants leave with a project plan targeting a projected 20% reduction in resource use and emissions.

PHOENIX (March 23, 2026) — Local First Arizona will celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Garden Education Center at Heart & Soil People’s Garden on Tuesday, March 31, at 11 a.m., marking the culmination of a historic $1 million investment from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation. The event will bring together Arizona Department of Agriculture Director Paul Brierley, philanthropists Bob and Renee Parsons, State Conservationist for USDA-NRCS Keisha Tatem, and Local First Arizona Founder & CEO Kimber Lanning to honor a milestone year in the making — and a community that made it possible.

PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 2, 2026) — Thunderbirds Charities has awarded $90,000 to Local First Arizona to support and expand business education and accelerator programs serving entrepreneurs who face persistent barriers to capital, credit and business training. The funding sustains Local First’s flagship programs, Fuerza Local Acelerador de Negocios, Fuerza Local Nivel Ejecutivo and We Rise, which provide culturally relevant business education, financial literacy and access to fair-market capital for Latino and Black entrepreneurs across Arizona. Since 2017, Thunderbirds Charities has invested more than $620,000 in Local First Arizona’s entrepreneurship programs.

PHOENIX (Jan. 19, 2026) — Local First Arizona will host the 2026 Arizona Good Business Summit in partnership with the Town of Gilbert on Wednesday, Mar. 11, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at HD South, Home of the Gilbert Historical Museum. The event will bring together more than 300 of Arizona’s locally owned business leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers for a one-day gathering focused on connection, collaboration, and strengthening local economies.

PHOENIX (Oct. 7, 2025) — Local First Arizona announced a partnership with O.H.S.O., the well-established local craft brewery, distillery and restaurant group, to create a limited edition beer to showcase delicious local ingredients and hometown pride. The Sonoran Sipper is a cream ale with hibiscus lime zest featuring a variety of locally sourced ingredients.

PHOENIX (July 24, 2025) — Climate change threatens the health and well-being of all Americans, but the effects are felt unevenly. The most vulnerable neighborhoods and communities are often excluded from resilience efforts and the benefits of green investment.  Local First Arizona and the City of Tucson Office of Resilience have partnered with the Urban Institute’s Transformative Climate Action in American Cities (TCA) project to help disrupt the climate status quo in Tucson.

PHOENIX (Jan. 6, 2025) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Southwest Regional Food Business Center announce the launch of the Business Builder Award Program to build the capacity of small and mid-sized farms and food businesses. Today the Center will begin accepting applications in Arizona for grants up to $100,000.

PHOENIX (Nov. 20, 2024) — “The Story of Arizona’s Good Food,” a feature-length documentary produced by Local First Arizona about the importance of family farms to Arizona’s economy and food system, will premiere at 8 p.m. Nov. 25 on Arizona PBS.

“This film is a love letter to our local farmers,” says producer and co-director Somlynn Rorie. “They face many challenges from a changing climate to the increasing loss of farmland that pose a real threat to the future of accessible and affordable food. The project was a way to bring this conversation to the masses. We wanted people to meet our farmers and learn how to support them.”

Local First Arizona’s 17^th annual Devour Culinary Classic, the most anticipated tasting event of the year, will impress even the most refined diners with its luscious eclectic fare Feb. 22-23, 2025.

Desert Botanical Garden and Southern Arizona Arts and Culture Alliance will partner once again with Local First Arizona to assemble a panoply of the most creative and indulgent chefs, sommeliers, cicerones and other food and drink purveyors Arizona has to offer.

PHOENIX (Sept. 1, 2024) —  Mark your calendars and plot your course for Local First Arizona’s 18th annual Fall Festival presented by Arizona Financial Credit Union on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kick off your holiday shopping early with 250+ local vendors and taste and sip goodies from 70+ local restaurants, breweries and distilleries in the expanded food court and beverage garden.

Local First Arizona will bring the Arizona Good Food Forum + Expo — the state’s largest conference and sampling event for local food and agricultural businesses — to Tucson this year on Aug. 27.

Anyone with an interest in food, dining, agriculture and the environment is encouraged to attend, including chefs, restaurant owners, farmers, ranchers, tribal growers, packaged food producers, brewers, vintners, distributors, foodies, climate advocates and others eager to learn about and contribute to the future of food.

Local First Arizona proudly celebrates the success of its second annual We Rise Demo Day, an inspiring event dedicated to highlighting the achievements of Black entrepreneurs in Arizona. Held on Thursday, June 20 in Phoenix, the evening showcased the culmination of dedication, resilience, and innovation among the participants of the We Rise Business Accelerator program, specifically designed to empower Black small business owners and entrepreneurs.

The Arizona Rural Policy Forum — the most popular meetup of the year for rural and tribal leaders — is now sold out, but reporters looking to gather story ideas and sources can still sign up to attend at no cost.

More than 300 rural and tribal changemakers will converge on the 17th annual conference held by Local First Arizona, this year in Clarkdale and Cottonwood.

Local First Arizona acquired the Keep Arizona Beautiful charity in 2022, after the program had been dormant. Keep Arizona Beautiful engages community members across the state to keep rural  Arizona clean and beautiful with projects including litter collection, recycling programs, illegal dumping prevention and community beautification.

PHOENIX (Feb. 27, 2024) – Local First Arizona is proud to announce the winners of the 15th annual Devour Culinary Classic. 

The event showcasing Arizona’s top chefs was hosted Feb. 24-25 at Desert Botanical Garden in partnership with the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance.

Heritage Foods of Arizona and Taste Tempe, in addition to live music and painting.

Tickets are sold out but media may request credentials by this Friday Feb. 16 to cover the event at Desert Botanical Garden

Anand Giridharadas — the world-renowned author of internationally best-selling books that examine economic inequality, the charade of elite philanthropy and the need to build bridges with those who disagree — will keynote the Arizona Good Business Summit in Tempe on April 16.

The summit, presented by Local First Arizona, brings together more than 300 business people and entrepreneurs engaged in making local economies and communities stronger and leading positive change.

Tickets go on sale to the public Friday for Devour Culinary Classic

Don’t miss your entry pass to the Valley’s most decadent foodie event

PHOENIX  (Nov. 1, 2022) — Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday for the 15^th annual Devour Culinary Classic, the most anticipated tasting event of the year. 

Maryvale’s first low-cost commercial kitchen is launching new restaurants and food businesses

A dozen women entrepreneurs are receiving one-on-one mentoring and fees well below market rate at Local First Arizona’s third community kitchen

PHOENIX  (Oct. 4, 2023) — Local First Arizona’s 15^th annual Devour Culinary Classic, the most anticipated tasting event of the year, will impress even the most skeptical of diners with its luscious eclectic fare Feb. 24-25, 2024. 

Desert Botanical Garden and Southern Arizona Arts and Culture Alliance are partnering with Local First Arizona to assemble a panoply of the most creative and indulgent chefs, sommeliers, cicerones and other food and drink purveyors Arizona has to offer.