This past March, Mars, Inc. launched the Seeds of Change Accelerator and invited start-up food and beverage companies to apply. Two-hundred entrepreneurs responded, the group was narrowed to 10, and on July 19 six were chosen to participate. The six companies will receive grants of up to $50,000 and participate in a four-month mentorship program designed to help them grow.
The companies selected to participate in the program tap into a cross-section of industry trends propelling food and beverage product development, most notably flavor discovery, health and nutrition, and condiments. Brooklyn Delhi, Brooklyn, N.Y., for example, is a manufacturer of condiments and sauces featuring traditional Indian flavors. Products from the company include a variety of achaars in tomato, roasted garlic and rhubarb ginger flavors. Brooklyn Delhi also offers a curry ketchup and mustard.
True Made Foods, Alexandria, Va., offers ketchup, sriracha and barbecue sauces in no- and low-sugar varieties that are sweetened with vegetables. Fora Foods, New York, offers a dairy-free butter sold under the Faba Butter brand and will soon release additional products that are superior to their animal-based counterparts, according to the company.
Other companies selected include Prommus Brands, Chicago, a manufacturer of high-protein hummus, and NoBull Burger, Charlottesville, Va., a processor of plant-based burgers. The NoBull product line features burgers in such flavors as sundried tomato, spicy Italian, savory mushroom and madras curry. Lentils, grains and roasted vegetables are used to make the products, according to the company. And the Oxtale Co., Brooklyn, creates starters in a variety of cuisines to help consumers cook traditional dishes in under 30 minutes.
“We selected the final six companies for this first cohort because we thought we were best-suited to meet their specific needs, they are at the forefront of shaping the meals of tomorrow, and they have strong alignment to our mission,” said Gary Arora, Seeds of Change Accelerator lead.
