Funds to support innovation in value-added products made from dairy products in the Northeast region
Vermont Business Magazine A new competition for producers of value-added dairy products is now open for submissions. The Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition supports food innovators to launch products made from dairy ingredients produced in the Northeast and encourages dairy entrepreneurs, including those producing products on organic farms and small farms, to start a business. Provides access to home and technical support.
With a total prize pool of $365,000, both finalists and winners will receive funding and technical support to bring their value-added products to market. This initiative will rapidly track innovative products to market while increasing the use of milk produced in the Northeast.
The competition is created by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Development (CREA) in partnership with the Northeast Dairy Food Research Center (NDFRC). Backed by a $1 million grant from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), all participants received early-stage incubation support from Cornell University’s leading business and food processing departments, Cornell University access to food processing and development laboratories, industry guidance, and training in product prototyping and optimization, food safety and compliance, and business planning.
In addition to this access to Cornell University facilities and faculty, finalists will be awarded $20,000 and winners will be awarded an additional $55,000 to participate in the 2023 Daily of the 2023 Grow-NY Summit in Upstate New York. You will be entitled to attend the Innovation Showcase.
“This competition provides an entry point into entrepreneurship for those who are passionate about meeting the needs of their customers with quality dairy products. and provide the resources needed to scale,” said Jenn Smith, Director of Food and Agriculture Startup Programs at CREA.
Samuel Alcaine, Ph.D., director of NDFRC and associate professor at Cornell CALS, said:
Laura Ginsberg, Director of Dairy Development and Innovation, Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food, and Markets and NE-DBIC, said: This competition, along with special subsidies for dairy processors, creates more avenues for local dairy processing that benefit farmers, consumers and local economies. ”
The Contest is open to small and organic farms, non-profit organizations, dairy cooperatives, and others in the United States that use or commit to using milk and/or dairy ingredients produced on dairy farms in New York, Maine, and Vermont. Open to all food innovators. Produced in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.
For more information on the Northeast Dairy Product Innovation Competition, please visit www.dairyinnovation.org.
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center’s investment and project strategy will drive innovation and resilience in local dairy production across the Northeast region of 11 states. NE-DBIC is sponsored by the Vermont Agri-Food Market Authority and funded through the USDA. For more information on NE-DBIC, please visit https://agriculture.vermont.gov/dbic.
February 2, 2023 | Montpelier, Vermont – Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food and Markets
