Sign In
Upcoming Event
Free Newsletter
New contest provides support for dairy product entrepreneurs
New contest provides support for dairy product entrepreneurs
A new competition meant to enhance dairy product innovation and move products to market more quickly is now accepting applications.
The Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition supports innovators in launching products made from dairy ingredients produced in the northeast. The initiative also provides dairy entrepreneurs access to enterprise and technical support.
A total of $365,000 is available in award funding that will help bring value-added products to market.
The competition is open to all food innovators in the U.S. that use or commit to using milk and/or dairy ingredients produced at dairies in New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA) is producing the competition in partnership with the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center. The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center has provided a $1 million grant.
Participants will receive early stage incubation assistance from Cornell’s business- and food-processing faculty, access to the schools’ Food Processing and Development Laboratory, industry mentorship, training on product prototyping and optimization, food safety and compliance, and business planning.
Up to 10 finalists will receive $20,000, and up to three winners receive an additional $55,000. Prizes will be awarded during the Dairy Innovation Showcase at the 2023 Grow-NY Summit.
“This competition responds to a growing demand for innovative dairy products that reflect consumer preference for premium ingredients and positions the northeast dairy community as a leader in entrepreneurship,” Samuel Alcaine, director of the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center and associate professor at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said in a news release.
Visit the contest website for more information.
[email protected]/(585) 653-4020
d
