This originally appeared in the U.S. Economic Development Administration June 2019 newsletter. This past 4th of July, Americans had more meatless options for their barbecues – enter the “Impossible Burger.” This vegetable-based product that looks, feels, smells and tastes like a hamburger has attracted more than $700 million in funding from investors. It has currently […]
Food Innovation Center Offers Food Business Basics Workshop and Training Session for Food Entrepreneurs
The Food Innovation Center at Rutgers is having a Food Business Basics Workshop and Training Session for early stage entrepreneurs on Monday, September 9 from 9:00am-5:00pm at the Rutgers EcoComplex. Food Business Basics is a unique opportunity for food entrepreneurs to learn critical aspects of entering or growing their business in the prepared food and […]
Taste testing: The FIC deepens partnerships with hosts of the Fancy Food Show
Stories from the Rutgers Food Innovation Center Six years ago, David Fullner and Daniel Auld had their hands full with a son born eight weeks premature. A focus on his diet to keep him healthy inspired them to blend their own baby food, with the added benefit of introducing him to real, not-too-sweet flavors to […]
Pizza, but portable: Cones just work better than sloppy, floppy slices
Pizza in a cone is a familiar treat in Italy, but like nothing Eric Ciancaglini had ever seen before. The basic components of it were just like the pizza back home in New Jersey — melty cheese, flavorful sauce — but the shape was portable, so much more appropriate for on-the-go grub than a floppy […]
How the Impossible Burger got its remarkable start at Rutgers
Food for thought. The next time you’re grabbing a bite at any of the 150-plus restaurants in New Jersey alone that serve the meatless Impossible Burger, know that this disruptive delicacy came to life at Rutgers. Impossible Foods, the company responsible for this formulated faux-meat foodstuff, has generated plenty of hype. Celebrities including Serena Williams, Bill […]
Food and Beverage Manufacturers of All Sizes Find Support and Solutions at the Rutgers Food Innovation Center
For nearly two decades, entrepreneurs developing plant-based meat alternatives, gluten-free breads, functional beverages and many ethnic specialties have leveraged resources at the Rutgers Food Innovation Center to grow their businesses. Startups considering a move to the Rutgers Food Innovation Center can now apply for rent support through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s (NJEDA’s) NJ Ignite Program. […]
Gnocchi, Reimagined: Wooller Wants Sexy Things to Happen on the Pasta Shelf
Stories from the Rutgers Food Innovation Center Sure, the package says “Product of Italy” but Nocca gnocchi is definitely an American product. CEO Nicholas Wooller spent a decade in the Italian packaged goods industry, exporting products to be rebranded in private label in American grocers. Nocca isn’t one of those rebranded products. “The idea of […]
A Little Clarity: Health Woes Draw an IT Professional Back to Historical Family Food Biz
Stories from the Rutgers Food Innovation Center Ghee, or clarified butter, has been sold in India for thousands of years. The Agarwal family has been selling it for 130 of those years out of a small shop in the northern Indian town of Hisar, and for the last 10 years, from a business based at […]
Out Here in the Fields: Viggiano and Leger Found Help for their Business ‘in the Thick of the Tomato Patch’
Stories from the Rutgers Food Innovation Center There were a few extra tomatoes. Well, 600 pounds extra. It was enough for Theresa Viggiano and Patrick Leger to experiment with his mother’s ketchup recipe and sell it at the honor-based farm stand at the end of their driveway in 2011. Viggiano was in grad school at […]
From Concept to Creation, FIC is a ‘One-Stop Shop’
Stories from the Rutgers Food Innovation Center – This is the first of a monthly series on companies spun out of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center. Have you ever spotted Soupman products in your local grocery store? What about the plant-based Impossible Burger on the menu at any of 5,000 eateries from Michelin star restaurants […]
