Chobani incubator program eyes potential of food technology

01 Jun 2018 --- US yogurt company Chobani has launched an incubator program which eyes the potential of food technology and start-up companies that are steering their way through the food value chain. The program is Chobani’s fourth incubator initiative; earlier this year it revealed its third-generation brands, which are said to be disrupting and improving high-potential food categories.

Food accelerator programs have become an increasingly common way for brands to obtain financial and professional support, with many large companies on board and looking for ways in which they can support and nurture disruptive start-ups

Both PepsiCo and Nestlé have launched new accelerator programs. Last month, Kraft Heinz revealed its latest additions to its Springboard incubator. 

The Food Tech Residency will consist of tailored programming similar to Chobani’s traditional incubator initiatives, including visits to Chobani facilities; supply chain workshops, logistics, manufacturing; relations to retailers and farmers and a demonstration day for investors and mentors.

The particular scheme marks Chobani’s fourth incubator initiative; earlier in the year, it revealed its third-generation brands, which are said to be disrupting and improving high-potential food categories. You can read FoodIngredientsFirst's coverage here. 

Launching the tech incubator, Chobani says: “We want to solve challenges along the food and agriculture value chain: from waste reduction to food safety to supply chain traceability and more.

“We will bring tech entrepreneurs to the front lines of food manufacturing to enable them to tap into our operations, supply chain, logistics and quality assurance expertise to build innovative solutions to the industry’s biggest challenges.”

“We live in a time when technology has the power to disrupt every part of our lives, from sensors to blockchain to virtual reality to artificial intelligence. We believe we can build better food tech solutions if we take into account the realities on the ground from the start,” says the company. “We want to open our doors to tech entrepreneurs, innovators and builders to test, iterate and improve these solutions for implementation at scale.”

Some of the areas it aims to focus on include data systems, food safety, packaging and ingredients, and energy-saving implementations to lower carbon footprints.