By Ananya Gambhiraopet Jonah Gershon ‘24, a hotel administration major in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and the founder of Spekld, is the lone student finalist among the 10 selected for the inaugural Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition. While making chocolate chip cookies last summer, Gershon realized that he always uses brown butter in his recipes, but that “it’s an extra step that takes 20 or 25 minutes”. This led to the creation of Spekld, a form of brown butter that could be purchased in a stick, similar to traditional butter. Gershon is not new to the food industry and started sharing his cookie baking skills on Instagram, which led him to participate in Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge in 2022. With Spekld, Gershon aims to educate more people about brown butter and help home cooks who want to try new food products. As a finalist for the competition, Gershon won $20,000 in participant support, as well as business incubation services like product prototyping and optimization and food safety and compliance training. Additionally, Gershon will receive individualized mentorship and guidance from experts in the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Food Science Department and SC Johnson College of Business, including access to Cornell’s Food Processing and Development Lab (FPDL). Gershon, along with all 10 finalists, will present Spekld to a committee of judges during a pitch competition on Aug. 8 at Cornell for the chance to win an additional $55,000. Up to three winners will be selected and given the opportunity to be featured at the Dairy Innovation Showcase at the 2023 Grow-NY Summit on November 14-15 in Binghamton, N.Y. Learn more about Jonah Gershon and Spekld. Featured image of Gershon competing on the Food Network's 2022 Christmas Cookie Challenge provided by Food Network.
By Leigh Toerper Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA) and the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center (NDFRC) have announced the 10 finalists for the first-ever Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition, an initiative that supports food innovators in launching products made from dairy ingredients produced in the Northeast. Funded by a $1 million grant from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), the competition provides finalists early-stage incubation assistance from Cornell’s food processing and business experts, access to the university’s food processing facilities, industry mentorship, and training on product prototyping. Along with these resources, finalists will receive $20,000, up to three winners receiving an additional $55,000, and a presence at the Dairy Innovation Showcase at the 2023 Grow-NY Summit in November. Laura Ginsburg of the NE-DBIC, said, “This initiative responds to a growing need for developing new value-added dairy products, a critical component to increasing milk value for farmers, supporting regional opportunities, and building energy around dairy.” Over 50 food entrepreneurs, including those making products on organic and small farms, applied to the competition from across the United States. A committee of dairy experts representing producers, industry, and research selected the 10 finalists based on product concept, innovation or improvement, viability, prominence of dairy ingredients, and consumer value. The 10 finalists are: Bell & Goose Cheese Co., New Hampshire. Marinated feta cheese. lu•lu ice cream, Vermont. Goat’s milk gelato. Maia Yogurt, Connecticut. Grassfed yogurt for kids. Maple Valley Farm, Vermont. Saffron maple yogurt. North Country Creamery, New York. Semi-hard, pasteurized cheese. Oakfield Corners Cheese LLC, New York. Mexican style cheese. Spekld, Connecticut. Pre-made, brown butter product. Terra Firma Farm, Connecticut. Ready-to-use, premium ice cream base. Naturally Golden Family Farms Co-op, Pennsylvania. All natural, dairy-based coffee creamer. Very Good Yogurt, New York. Sugar-free, savory yogurt. “The Dairy Innovation Competition builds a pipeline of entrepreneurs equipped to create and scale value-added products that address today’s consumer preferences. Growing these businesses is key to increasing the utilization of dairy ingredients produced in the Northeast, and strengthening our rural economy,” said CREA’s Director of Food and Ag Startup Programs Jenn Smith. From May until early August, finalists will receive industry mentorship and entrepreneurship coaching that will include support with pitch development, as well as technical training, and identifying industry networking and resource opportunities. Industry experts who are participating as mentors include: Brian Bailey founding co-owner and creator of Yancey’s Fancy, Inc. Cheeses, Marla Buerk of Dairy Management Inc., Tim Cooley of American Dairy Association North East, Steve Funk of Nelson-Jameson Inc., Judy Keenan of Dairy Management Inc., Sheila Marshman of SUNY Morrisville, School of Agriculture, Business & Technology, Pulari Nair of Rich Products Corporation, Gil Tansman of DSM, Jeff Warner of Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Esperanza Wingard of HP Hood LLC, and Tristan Zuber-Hrobuchak of Chr. Hansen. “We are thrilled with the enthusiastic response to the dairy innovation competition and look forward to working with the 10 finalists by providing access to much needed technical and entrepreneurial resources. This competition positions the Northeast to create more product lines and business opportunities for our region’s dairy farmers,” said Dr. Samuel Alcaine, director of the NDFRC and associate professor at Cornell CALS. The competition culminates on August 8 at Cornell University’s Stocking Hall in Ithaca, New York, where finalists will pitch their products to a committee of judges. Finalists will be evaluated on: Dairy product concept and execution Dairy product innovation and improvement Viability of commercialization and business model Use of dairy ingredients Consumer value The competition’s committee of judges includes John Crishman, CEO of the American Dairy Association North East, Sue Miller, award-winning cheesemaker and co-owner of Birchrun Hills Farm, and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts. To learn more about the Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition, visit: www.dairyinnovation.org/product-competition/ To learn more about the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center, visit: www.cals.cornell.edu/northeast-dairy-foods-research-center To learn more about the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, visit: www.agriculture.vermont.gov/dbic
Teams from eLab, Cornell’s student accelerator, and Cornell Tech’s Runway Startups program shared their business ideas to an audience full of members of the West Coast Cornell community at the Student Startup Showcase, presented by Cornell Silicon Valley, on March 30 at the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco.
Cornell MBA students, doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers focusing on clean energy and climate technology now have the opportunity to collaborate on real-world startup creation through a new fellowship and certificate program offered by the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
Members of the Cornell entrepreneurial community gathered to celebrate a successful first year of the BioEntrepreneurship Initiative at the program’s culminating workshop on March 18 at Cornell’s academic space in Midtown Manhattan.
A cannabis product from Rev member Florist Farms was the very first one to be sold in New York, at the grand opening of the state’s first adult-use cannabis dispensary, Housing Works Cannabis Co.
New Dominion Enterprises, Inc. (NDE), a member of the Southern Tier Clean Energy Incubator at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator, has been awarded two Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards from the Air Force’s AFWERX program for its battery additive technology. The San Antonio-based startup’s innovation improves the performance of lithium batteries.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, Rev: Ithaca Startup Works is shining a light on the female founders throughout our ecosystem.
After receiving a historic number of applications, the Kessler Fellows program has welcomed a record 20 students to its 2023 fellowship cohort.
