Today, why a Minnesota company is suing Google. Then, how Somali food is spicing up the Twin Cities. And, Amazon is expanding its presence in Southeast Minnesota.
Transcript
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Today, why a Minnesota company is suing Google. Then, how Somali food is spicing up the Twin Cities. And, Amazon is expanding its presence in Southeast Minnesota.
I'm Chantel SinGs.
A Minnesota solar company is suing Google and its Artificial Intelligence or AI feature. Wolf River Electric solar service is suing Google, claiming its "AI Overview" component provided false information about the company. Last fall, the AI Overview claimed Minnesota's Attorney General was suing Wolf River for misleading and deceptive sales practices. But, that wasn't true. The company claims it lost significant business because of the false information. The case recently moved from state to federal court.
Up next: A Somali-owned food business in Minneapolis is expanding, not just in size, but in reach. Faaya Adem explains.
Joani Essenburg: And behind it is all of Hoyo's production facility, which we're very proud to show you.
Faaya Adem: Joani Essenburg is Hoyo's Business Development Director. Hoyo is a Somali-owned food business making its mark across Minnesota. Hoyo is bringing sambusas to grocery stores, school cafeterias and the State Fair, all while building cultural connections through food.
Ghita Worcester: Hoyo means mother in Somalia.
Faaya Adem: Ghita Worcester is the CEO of Hoyo. Matt Glover, a co-owner of Hoyo, helped co-found the organization after seeing a need in his neighborhood.
Ghita Worcester: And it was chosen because Matt Glover found a lot of women in his neighborhood that were having trouble finding jobs, and he kept hearing Hoyo being called out as the kids were running around in the neighborhood.
Faaya Adem: Sisters Halima, Mariam and Asha Mohamed from Somalia founded Hoyo, along with Matt Glover. A church and a common desire to create jobs by and for Somali women helped bring them together.
Ghita Worcester: They thought, well, they're authentic Somali recipes that we're talking about. And the goal here would be to have something that would feel authentic.
Faaya Adem: Sambusas are a triangular pastry with a crispy exterior and savory filling, typically made of beef or lentil. Hoyo sold its first sambusas at farmers markets.
Ghita Worcester: A couple of local co-ops, food co-ops, asked about us being able to have some product that they could sell in their frozen food section. Hence, we developed the frozen food sambusa model.
Faaya Adem: After Hoyo's frozen sambusas became available in stores, the Rochester School District reached out about offering the item in their schools.
Ghita Worcester: We're in about 30 school districts, which equals about 300 individual schools in the state.
Faaya Adem: They hope to bring on more districts at a statewide nutrition conference this summer,
Ghita Worcester: School districts that are already purchasing our sambusas bring other school districts over to talk to us,
Faaya Adem: Hoyo is now getting ready for its State Fair debut in partnership with Midtown Global Market.
Ghita Worcester: It's going to give us the ability to have staff working more hours during the summer and spending some time actually out at the fair.
Faaya Adem: The fair is a rare chance for production staff to step away from their usual work.
Ghita Worcester: Days when you sit in the food production facility making the sambusas, you don't get to see the enjoyment of the people that are tasting the food. So this is going to give them a really nice opportunity.
Faaya Adem: Hoyo is moving to a new commercial kitchen, which will help them double their production, and soon they'll be in Lunds and Byerlys.
Ghita Worcester: And we're looking to go into additional, larger grocery chains that we'll be able to have the production facility for when we're in this new space.
Faaya Adem: Hoyo is hoping to increase its staff by creating a second shift, something that was impossible at the previous facility.
Ghita Worcester: One of the goals for this company has always been to help people, oftentimes with their first job in this country.
Faaya Adem: This is Faaya Adem for North Star Stories.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
Massive online retailer Amazon is laying the ground for a new delivery center in southeast Minnesota. The company purchased a plot of land earlier this summer in Stewartville, just south of Rochester. While a company spokesperson did not provide a timeline for the project, they did say the goal is to improve delivery times. The new center is part of a larger effort by Amazon to build out its delivery network in rural communities across the country. Some local residents say they're excited by the jobs this could bring, while others are concerned about increased traffic.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.