TRACY, Calif. – The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced today that it has doubled the number of semi-finalists and added over $350,000 in additional awards to the Real California Milk Snackcelerator, its dairy product innovation competition. Inspired by the number of quality ideas and products that integrate the flavor and functionality of California dairy into both sweet and savory snack formulations, the VentureFuel-run competition has expanded to include 16 companies competing for over $800,000 in awards.
The Real California Milk Snackcelerator taps into the $605 billion global snack food market1 while combining two of California’s great natural resources: High quality, sustainable dairy products and the insatiable California entrepreneurial spirit. The competition aims to inspire innovation and investment in dairy-based snack products, packaging and capacity within California by connecting the dots between processors, producers, investors, ideas and entrepreneurs.
“The purpose of this competition is to inspire new ideas integrating the natural ingredients, flavor and nutritional profile of milk and other dairy products and this year’s entries certainly delivered,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB. “In fact, when the judging committee evaluated the applications, we saw so many unique ideas and scaleable opportunities to bring new products to market, it was clear that we needed to find a way to expand the program even further.”
VentureFuel, Inc., the leading corporate innovation consultancy, is partnering with CMAB to run the program and identified and recruited applicants from their global network of investors, founders and academics. “We saw a 153% increase in qualified applications from our first program with CMAB, which is a testament to the momentum we have been building together as well as the opportunity in marrying snacking innovation with dairy,” said Fred Schonenberg, Founder of VentureFuel, Inc. “We saw applications from Ghana to Oakland that included personalized nutrition, functional foods as well as unique flavor-profiles inspired by cultures around the world. Now comes the fun part of helping accelerate these products so that they are ready to pitch at the semi-finals, the finals and ultimately get to market for consumers to enjoy.”
The competition now moves to the Sweet & Savory 16 where semi-finalists will be broken into two groups, “Sweet” for those that cater to the sweet flavors and “Savory” for those palates that look for more salty and cooked flavors. The 16 semi-finalist applicants for the 2020 RCM Snackcelerator are:
Sweet
- Peekaboo Ice Cream: The first and only organic ice cream with the added nutritional benefits of vegetables.
- FitPro Heroes’ Cookies: High quality lactose-free, shelf-stable protein cookies that deliver ingredients designed to support daily performance needs, including: mental acuity, healthy energy, joint support and inflammation relief, stress and anxiety relief, sleep aid, as well as offering traditional protein recovery benefits from premium milk proteins.
- Moody’s Ice Cream: Mood-boosting ice creams. Moody’s infuses ultra-premium ice cream with functional ingredients, adaptogens and herbalist blends to naturally boost mood and turn up the body’s own superpowers.
- Lucha Leche: Protein-rich yogurt drinks, in Latin-inspired flavors, fortified with pre- and probiotics and no added sugars. Provides a healthy, nutritional snacking option featuring a relatable cultural icon: The Luchador.
- Frutero Ice Cream: Premium Latin-inspired ice cream made with 100% real tropical fruits and creamy butterfat. Flavors include Mango, Guava, Passion Fruit, Guanabana and Coconut.
- Optimized Foods: Functional Ice Cream Bars: Premium ice cream novelties that leverage innovative proprietary encapsulation technologies to deliver key functionally proven health ingredients (improved muscle performance, cognitive function, intestinal immunity, etc.) with better taste and greater bioavailability.
- Petit Pot: The first brand to bring traditional French desserts to American grocery stores is developing a new indulgent chocolate dessert, perfect for family snacking, made with the best organic, local ingredients.
- KetoBites Cheesecake Bites: A snackable and indulgent cheesecake treat that is high in protein, and low in sugar and carbs, packaged in a convenient yogurt-style cup.
Savory
- Baozza: An entirely new snack category, combining two of the most consumed foods in Asian and gen pop culture – Bao buns and pizza.
- WheyUp Probiotic Kefir Krisps: Snack chips made from creme Kefir (Labne) with a 1-year shelf life while maintaining the active probiotic cultures in a cheese yogurt snack.
- Point Reyes Farmstead Whey Cool Kitchen Curd Cup: Whey Cool Kitchen Curd Cup is the first clean, mix-in dairy snack with savory flavors, high in protein, making it the perfect afternoon snack or lunchtime meal
- Sach Foods Organic Paneer: The world’s first flavored and artisanal paneer. Rooted in Indian cuisine, this is a snackable version of paneer, a time-tested, nutrient-rich food and a high-protein favorite for millions around the world.
- Fahris LLC: Yoghurt Chips: Inspired by a historical Mediterranean recipe, these chips are made from high quality California cow’s milk, which first turns into prebiotic- rich yoghurt and then is mixed with crushed wheat and thyme. The final product is a hunger-satiating snack that is high in protein and rich in fiber, healthy enzymes, and probiotics.
- Saga Ventures Crispy Cheese Bar: A crispy cheese bar snack utilizing California cheese and other flavors for the perfect savory snacking option that is low carb and high in protein to provide a boost of sustainable energy.
- Yummy Industries: Cheese Bits: An innovative line of all-natural, fresh and wood-smoked scamorza and chechil cheeses, conveniently shaped and packaged for snacking fun. Made in California from 100% local milk.
- Enrich Protein: Hispanic-style dairy snack chip containing innovative and novel enhanced dairy proteins to support greater health, body composition and exercise recovery.
Through the Real California Milk Snackcelerator, the CMAB sought high-growth potential snack product concepts, with cow’s milk dairy as their first ingredient and making up at least 50% of their formula. The startups have committed to producing the product in California, with milk from California dairy farms, should they win the competition. The sixteen (16) startups accepted into the cohort will receive $10,000 worth of support each, to develop an edible prototype, while receiving a suite of resources including graphic design, lab or kitchen time and elite mentorship from global marketing, packaging, and distribution experts. They also will receive additional services and support via industry leaders to help drive success of their new venture.
Semi-finalists will compete in four (4) virtual events on November 10 and 11followed by a final virtual public pitch event for the “Final Four” November 19th from 5 – 6:30 p.m. PT. The first-place winner will receive up to $200,000 worth of additional support and the second-place winner $100,000 worth of additional support to get their new product to market. The value of the competition prizing is over $800,000.
California, known for innovation, has a reputation for quality dairy products. As the number one producer of fluid milk in the nation, California also leads the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. More than 1,200 family dairy farms produce the California milk found in fluid milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream and other dairy products identified by the Real California Milk seal.
About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
About VentureFuel, Inc.
VentureFuel helps established companies around the world unlock growth and discover efficiencies by partnering with emerging startups and breakthrough technologies. Our innovation programs solve specific challenges with tangible results, discover first-to-market opportunities and help large organizations develop a repeatable innovation mindset. We are 100% independent, sourcing from our global network of the best investors, scouts, founders and academics. Learn more at: www.venturefuel.net, Linked-In, Twitter and Instagram. You can hear The VentureFuel Podcast on Apple, Spotify or Messy.
