Tracy, Calif. – Milk-based beverages for active kids and ready-to-drink lattes with collagen are among the nine finalists announced today in the California Milk Advisory Board’s (CMAB) Real California Milk Accelerator dairy startup competition designed to inspire ideas integrating the values of fluid milk into contemporary products and provide resources to help bring them to market. The competition, launched in 2019, aims to inspire innovation and investment in fluid milk products, packaging and capacity within California by connecting manufacturers, producers, investors, ideas and entrepreneurs for high quality, sustainable dairy beverages.
The nine innovators will receive up to $25,000 of support each to develop protocepts while receiving elite mentorship from marketing, packaging, and distribution experts, including a business development trip the week of October 14 to tour California dairy farms and production facilities and meet with industry leaders to help facilitate their new ventures. The final competition will take place live on Thursday, November 7 in the San Francisco Bay Area, culminating in a grand prize winner who will receive up to $250,000 worth of additional support to deliver their new product to market.
Finalists include:
- Bears Nutrition Daily Nutritional Milk Beverage for Active Kids
- WheyUp Protein Dairy Beverage with 12 Live and Active Probiotic Cultures and Whey Protein
- Good Citizens Ready to Drink Latte with Collagen
- Thai Star Brewing Co. Thai Star Iced Tea
- Nutraberry Upcycled High Fiber Polyphenol Milk Protein Beverage
- NAICHA Milk Tea w/Probiotics and Vitamins
- ALLPUR FIZZA Sparkling Dairy Nutrient Refresher
- Cheese Yogurt Fermented Dairy Beverage
- Stuyt Dairy Dairy-Based Dessert Beverage
“The number and quality of entries received is a testament to the vibrancy of the beverage category and proves the desire of product developers to tap into the unique natural goodness of milk to meet consumer cravings for beverages that are not only healthy but taste great,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB.
VentureFuel, Inc., a leading innovation consultancy, is working with CMAB to find, identify and mentor the best emerging startups from their global network of investors, founders and academics to drive first-to-market innovation for the dairy space.
“This competition has created an opportunity for cutting-edge technologies and dynamic entrepreneurs to drive innovation for a product that has been a household staple for generations,” said Fred Schoenberg, CEO and Founder of VentureFuel. “CMAB’s vision, combined with the ingenuity of the nine selected pioneering startups, sets the stage to educate the public regarding milk’s true nutritional benefits, and re-introduce it to the marketplace in inspired and engaging ways that connect with the public’s current and evolving tastes.”
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. California is the nation’s largest dairy producer.
Competition information is available at: https://www.venturefuel.net/milk-accelerator.
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 and is one of the largest agricultural marketing boards in the United States. With a mission to increase demand for products made with Real California Milk, the CMAB is celebrating 50 years in 2019 promoting 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 by partnering with emerging startups and breakthrough technologies. Our innovation programs solve specific challenges, deliver tangible results and discover first-to-market opportunities from the Museum of Ice Cream to the latest pioneering technologies. We are 100% independent, sourcing from our global network of the best investors, scouts, founders and academics. Learn more at: www.venturefuel.net.
