Brekland, a Brooklyn-based startup building a biodegradable foam coating for crop protection, was awarded the $1 million grand prize in the 2025 Grow-NY Food and Agriculture business competition. The company is among seven winners splitting a total of $3 million in prize money.
Food & Ag Entrepreneurship Programs
Our programs include competitions, business development, grants, and resources for food and ag innovators. These programs fuel economic growth, support entrepreneurship, and help build a resilient, sustainable food system in New York State.
Grow-NY Business Competition
Business competition growing an enduring food and agriculture innovation cluster
Northeast Regional Food Business Center
Helping farmers and food businesses access new markets and available resources
Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition
Competition for innovators using raw milk and/or dairy ingredients
Impact
Our programs bring innovations, jobs, funding, and international recognition to our region.
Over $100 million in follow-on funding awarded to startups who have committed to investing in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier
Nearly 250 jobs created by food and agriculture program companies
Over 100 national and international news stories highlighting New York as a leader in food & ag innovation
Our Innovation Network
We partner with dozens of regional and national food & ag organizations to bring our programs to life and support innovators at any stage of their entrepreneurship journey.
News in Food & Ag
Brekland wins $1 million Grow-NY prize at Canandaigua summit
Grow-NY Summit to Award $3 Million to Global Startups Redefining Food, Agriculture and Sustainability
Grow-NY, the largest global food and agriculture business competition, will host its annual Food & Ag Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 12 and Thursday, Nov. 13 in Canandaigua, New York.
ClearLeaf Raises $3.5 Million in Expansive Funding Round
2024 Grow-NY winner ClearLeaf recently closed a $3.5 million seed financing round, taking the next step in formulating non-toxic agricultural products to protect crops.
Applications open for seventh annual Grow-NY competition
Applications for the annual Grow-NY food and agriculture business competition are open to high-growth agrifood startups through May 15.
Empire State Development Announces Selected Finalists for Round Six of Annual $3 Million Grow-NY Global Business Competition
Inventing a new product that you can hold in your hands and bring successfully to an eagerly awaiting market is sometimes likened to childbirth: If we knew from the outset how hard it was going to be, fewer of us would do it.
Dairy Runway Welcomes a Fresh Batch of Entrepreneurs
This month, a new cohort of dairy innovators started Dairy Runway, a free entrepreneurship program supporting early-stage ideas for value-added dairy products using New York State cow’s milk.
Introducing Carol Fitzgerald: A Dairy Runway alum launching her new business, Hazy Fudge
Carol Fitzgerald’s entrepreneurship journey began with making whiskey-infused fudge for members of her son’s band, Whiskey Shivers, and their parents as a gift around the holidays.
Dairy Competition Winner Awarded $200K Grant
Laura Mack, the owner of an independent ice cream parlor called lu•lu Ice Cream in Vergennes, Vermont, won a $200,000 Existing Dairy Processor Expansion Grant from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NEDBIC) in November.
Dairy Innovators Welcome to Apply for Dairy Runway Entrepreneurship Program
Launched earlier this year in partnership with the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center (NDFRC), the program offers a free, virtual curriculum that focuses on product concept and consumer discovery, along with training in prototype development and business coaching.