Tastes, trends and teamwork helped seven new products earn top honors in Prepared Foods’ 21^st annual Spirit of Innovation (SOI) awards competition this summer.

The five brands encompass a wide range of food and beverage brands, from English muffins on a mission to make a social impact, functional iced teas to low FODMAP broths and seasonings. 

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) in partnership with innovation advisory VentureFuel, announced the eight finalists selected to participate in the 5th Real California Milk Excelerator competition – the search to identify, curate, and accelerate the very best dairy-based products that introduce novel benefits and drive use of California milk and dairy in formulations.

FLORA Ventures invests in early-stage start-ups from two of the leading AgriFood ecosystems, Israel and Europe, that are building a healthier, more sustainable and resilient AgriFood system; and supports those ventures in scaling globally.

The finalists represent a diverse range of emerging businesses in the categories of consumer-packaged goods, beverages, market analytics and technology, sustainable packaging solutions, and environmental impact and waste reduction. 

Ready to start making your new product? If you’ve passed your initial formulation hurdles, you’re ready to think about where to sell the item, an initial volume and how the food will be safely processed and packaged. Possibilities include a home kitchen, a commercial kitchen or co-manufacturing plant, just to name a few.

The start-up engagement program, which launched in 2021, was designed to help build a portfolio of disruptive brands and venture pipeline for the global snacking leader. 

You have a great tasting food you want to commercialize. What claims can you make? One of the first things on your to-do list should be to define a few basics: Who will buy your food? What’s important to them when it comes to your food category?

SKU’s mentors are what truly sets the accelerator apart. Brands are surrounded by a customized mentor team hand-picked to meet their needs. 

Born out of a family recipe with Argentinian roots, La Porteña is a Portland-based, Latino-owned business that crafts locally sourced, high-quality, small-batch chimichurri.