2019 Winners

Enables food and ag workers to use management tools on-the-go

Norcross, GA

AgVoice helps site-specific agriculture professional teams capture and analyze clean, verified, and structured data in real-time. AgVoice is the world’s first voice-driven, hands-free, workflow management and analytics platform for mobile workers in the food and agriculture industry. Its software service enables mobile users to conduct verifiable and fast inspections, capture workflow, and compile reports for the agri-food supply chain quicker and more accurately than other programs. AgVoice recognizes food and agriculture terminology, is user-correctable up to 100% accuracy, and works with no internet connection.

AgVoice website

AgVoiceGlobal

@AgVoiceGlobal

Upcycles dairy waste into valuable biofuels and bioplastics

Ithaca, NY

Capro-X has created a sustainable fermentation technology to upcycle dairy wastewater. Capro-X processes Greek yogurt’s problematic acid whey waste through its WheyAway treatment systems that are installed at Greek yogurt production plants and produces treated water and “bio-oil”— a sustainable, natural, food-grade alternative to oils sourced from palm oil. Capro-X has a pilot system installed at Byrne Dairy’s Cortland, NY plant and has secured a customer to purchase its bio-oil for food and personal care products.

Capro-X website

Eliminates pests that threaten the health of honeybee hives

Ithaca, NY

Combplex solves the primary problem driving honey bee population decline by eliminating the invasive Varroa mite. Combplex builds fully electronic, low-power, and chemical free miticide that specifically targets Varroa mites, while leaving bees unharmed. The device works year-round and does not contaminate the honey – two critical advantages over current solutions. The device seamlessly integrates into a beekeeper’s typical management practices. In addition to treating mites, the device collects valuable colony-wide data that enables beekeepers to prioritize hives that need the most care and helps inform crop yield forecasts and identify local regions of intensive pesticide use.

Combplex website

Combplex

@BeeCombplex

@BeeCombplex

Leverages drones to pollinate crops and increase crop yield

Syracuse, NY

Dropcopter uses drones to pollinate crops and is the first company in the world to offer automated pollination as a service. One third of the world’s food requires insect pollination and the rapid decline in pollinator insects is threatening the world’s food security. Dropcopter supplements and improves bee pollination and can increase crop set by 60%. Dropcopter’s patented device and method has been used to pollinate almonds, apples, cherries, and pears for paying customers in California, New York, and Washington.

Dropcopter website

@Dropcopter

Dropcopter on YouTube

Creates antimicrobial solutions to ensure food safety

Ithaca, NY

Halomine offers anti-microbial products to ensure the safety of processed foods. The USDA estimates that each year, in the United States, about 9 million illnesses, 50,000 hospitalizations, and 2,300 deaths result from food borne diseases and the total economic loss is $15.6 billion per year. Almost half of all food recalls are caused by microbiological contamination. Harmful microbes can grow and proliferate in small scratches in the surfaces of food processing equipment. Halomine offers an antimicrobial, rechargeable coating for food processing equipment that provides continuous protection from microbial attack.

Halomine website

Growing new supply chains to provide world-class malt for the craft food and beverage market

Litchfield, MI

Independent Barley & Malt (IB&M) creates commercial-scale grain refining supply chains that unite locally-grown barley, locally-produced malt, and local craft beverage and specialty food manufacturers into an integrated ecosystem. These ecosystems provide a local supply of world-class, competitively-priced malt products. In New York, IB&M is building a state-of-the-art grain refining facility demanding over 2.5M bushels of barley and other grains from local farmers, replacing more expensive, imported products with local ones. IB&M’s local malt ecosystem reduces transportation costs and carbon emissions and spurs local innovation and collaboration, while supplying high-demand food and beverage ingredients.

Independent Barley & Malt website

Independent Barley & Malt on LinkedIn

Modernizes manure management to improve yield and sustainability

Alberta, Canada

Livestock Water Recycling’s manure management solution reduces the overall volume of manure, concentrates nutrients for better crop yield, and delivers a renewable, high-quality water source. The technology-based solution offers farmers a high return on investment (20-30%) and minimizes the environmental impact of livestock farming. Livestock Water Recycling enables farmers to grow more crops and produce more food using less money and fewer resources.

Livestock Water Recycling website

LWRinc

@LWR_Inc

LWR on LinkedIn

Maximizes indoor and greenhouse crop yield via water nutrient solutions

New York, NY

Nuravine provides automated water nutrient solutions for indoor and greenhouse cultivators, solving their most common pain-points: inconsistent yields due to variation in nutrient levels, high labor costs due to tedious hand watering, and crop-loss anxiety due to an inability to verify nutrient levels 24/7. Nuravine produces hardware devices that utilize the latest sensor technology to collect valuable environmental data and make automated corrections in real-time. Data is collected by Nuravine’s cloud platform and analyzed by nutrient algorithms to enable cultivators to maximize yields consistently.

Nuravine website

@Nuravine

Creates flavors, colors and nutrients protected within whole grain rice flour

Princeton, NJ

Paragon Pure produces affordable, high performing encapsulation solutions with simple, natural ingredients. The packaged food industry heavily relies on synthetic additives like chemically modified starch to protect sensitive ingredients. Paragon Pure’s first innovation uses whole grain rice flour as a natural replacement for these additives protecting flavors, colors and nutrients, within a broad range of dry foods including fruit powders, snack chips, cake mixes, and beverage blends.

Paragon Pure website

Paragon Pure on LinkedIn

Developed a patented catalyst technology that renders conventional plastics biodegradable

Beverly, MA

Radical Plastics is creating biodegradable plastic compounds that have the same favorable economics, outstanding properties and recyclability of conventional plastics with the added benefit of complete biodegradability. Radical Plastics compounds are used to produce plastic mulch films that have excellent physical properties and yet, are fully degradable in soil. This technology can also be used to produce other types of films, bags and netting used in agriculture and flexible packaging.

Radical Plastics website

Radical Plastics on LinkedIn

@PlasticsRadical

Transforms food waste into organic nutrients as a sustainable alternative to mineral salts

Rochester, NY

Re-Nuble takes produce waste from wholesale produce distributors and food processors and turns it into highly-efficient organic nutrients for both soilless and soil-based farmers to optimize plant productivity and nutrient density. Unlike competitors, Re-Nuble maximizes the nutrients removed from the vegetative waste, keeping costs low and creating a longer-lasting product. Its core technology, a patent-pending device and uniquely formulated pelletized fertilizer, known as its ‘on-site nutrient system’, enables hydroponic farming to rapidly yield fully organic produce—at a significantly lower cost than competitors.

Re-Nuble website

Re-Nuble

@Re_Nuble

Re-Nuble on LinkedIn

@Re_Nuble

Delivers fresh, healthy meals, while minimizing food waste

Geneva, NY

Building a healthier food future with healthy, responsibly sourced meals that minimize food waste.

RealEats is a mission-driven, innovative food-tech company that develops products to make it simple for people to access and enjoy the benefits of real food. The company’s first product innovation is a highly successful line of healthy, hyper-convenient meals that minimize food waste. RealEats meals are delivered directly to consumers and are available in RealEats branded,  healthy smart fridges in corporate office locations.

Expands access to fresh and healthy foods via high-tech vending machines

Philadelphia, PA

Simply Good Jars is expanding access to fresh and healthy foods packaged in reusable and returnable jars. The jars are distributed via Smart RFID enabled vending machines making it easy to monitor and stock inventory, minimize food waste and eliminate single-use plastic waste. Simply Good Jars strives to operate with zero waste while creating the new standard for fast, fresh food.

Simply Good Jars website

SimplyGoodJars

@SimplyGoodJars

@SimplyGoodJars

Crafts better chocolate milk in cans for adults

Boston, MA

Chocolate milk has always been perceived as a high-in-sugar kids’ drink. Through significant product enhancements and a unique packaging style, Slate is crafting the world’s first all-natural, lower sugar, higher protein line of canned, lactose-free chocolate milks for millennials and adults.

Slate Chocolate Milk website

SlateMilk

@SlateMilk

Crafts locally-sourced granola for NY schools while giving back

Victor, NY

The Perfect Granola produces allergy-free, locally sourced, single-serve granola for NY schools. The company purchases raw ingredients and “seconds” from local farms, providing them with new revenue streams. These products are New York State’s first NYS Grown & Certified Ready-To-Eat Grain Product and NYS’s First Grain Process that is part of the Farm-to-Institution Program. The Perfect Granola business model is designed to give back to the community. The company shares profits and food with homeless shelters, outreach centers, and food banks; hires at-risk youth; and recently built a production line at Foodlink to expand their workforce development training program for adults living in poverty.

The Perfect Granola website

PerfectGranola

@PerfectGranola

@PerfectGranola

Identifies products at supermarket checkouts with AI—no bar code needed

Munich, Germany

Tiliter installs artificial intelligence technology at supermarket checkouts to recognize products, like fruits and vegetables, without barcodes. Tiliter’s AI technology software identifies products in less than one second with 99% accuracy and can be integrated into any checkout, without the need for an internet connection. Tiliter’s scanning technology also eliminates the need for plastic packaging that has historically been used to adhere barcode information.

Tiliter website

Tiliter

Tiliter on LinkedIn

@TiliterTech

Develops new food ingredients with therapeutic benefits

Ithaca, NY

Whole Healthy Food creates therapeutic food ingredients and is currently focused on producing a white kidney bean protein that can be added to foods and beverages. Clinical studies have shown that the protein can efficiently block starch enzyme activity—allowing it to reduce blood glucose spikes and caloric intake. The protein, currently produced in a powder, is a natural way to reduce the human body’s carbohydrate and calorie intake without changing diet. Whole Healthy Food plans to build a plant protein processing factory in New York state to produce its food ingredients.

Whole Healthy Food website