Chobani this week unveiled its 2020 Chobani Incubator class – “eight disruptive and innovative food and beverage startups.” They are a diverse mix of backgrounds and culinary perspectives, with products ranging from gluten-free sourdough bread to Nepalese dumplings and “farm-fresh” applesauce to grain-free tortilla chips.
This year’s class:
- A Dozen Cousins makes convenient meals and sides that are inspired by traditional Creole, Caribbean and Latin-American recipes. Their first product is a line of ready-to-eat beans that are cooked in avocado oil and seasoned with vegetables and spices.
- Sherpa Foods is a South Burlington, Vt.-based family food supply business that produces and supplies traditional Nepalese foods such as Momos (Nepalese dumplings) and Momo Sauce (Himalayan Style Hot Sauce).
- Soñar! is a Latina-owned organic food company making grain-free tortilla chips. The company provides at least 1% of annual sales to advance the mission of the Latino Community Foundation.
- Bread SRSLY makes wild-fermented sourdough bread that is gluten-free, free of the top eight allergens, Kosher and made with organic ingredients. The team bakes bread by hand in Berkeley, Calif.
- Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce is for health-conscious adults or parents willing to pay extra for a chunky applesauce that’s vegan-friendly, gluten-free, Non-GMO and has no artificial additives.
- American Vinegar Works makes vinegars from select American ciders, wines, sakes and beers.
- Pescavore is a new portable protein made with responsibly caught wild fish.
- Big T uses a recipe from Tony’s mother-in-law to create seafood with a coastal Carolina flair.
Since 2016, the Chobani Incubator program has helped entrepreneurs break into the food & beverage business through equity-free investment and a strong focus on mentorship. The three-month program consists of on-site programming in New York and visits to Chobani facilities, retailers and trade shows. It includes monthly meetings at Chobani’s New York office and/or Chobani manufacturing plants in Twin Falls, Idaho, or New Berlin, N.Y.
Chobani’s founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya dreamed up the program, and he selects all the final participants and spends time getting to know and mentor each company during the program.
