“It all started back in 2011,” begins Henry, when I meet with him and Adam, Mighty Squirrel’s Sales Manager, in their offices at 745 Atlantic Ave. In 2011, Henry and Naveen -- the other founder -- had met at their job and were exploring their “shared interest in entrepreneurship and building brands.
Here at Branchfood we often think about the future of food and food technology. What will the world look like 10, 15, 20 years from now and how will our food system evolve? From robots making your food to ultra-personalized meal plans based on DNA, it seems as if the future -- that far off, nebulous idea -- will be unrecognizable to the people of today. This topic is of such importance to us that last week, we held a panel at the Boston offices of architectural firm Perkins + Will in order to investigate what the future of food tech for health looks like.
Tania Green would always get “horrible PMS symptoms.” Living in the North End, she often turned to the various neighborhood bakeries to satisfy her cravings for “thick, dense, moist baked goods like a brownie or a rich indulgent chocolate cake.” She found, however, that during the time that she experienced PMS symptoms, that she “was not making the right food decisions.”
From fast-casual vegan bowls to fertilizer and alcoholic ginger beer, these businesses have demonstrated that a dedicated team and an innovative idea are the building blocks for a successful business. And, with the cash prizes provided by MassChallenge, they’re poised to continue growing.
You don’t have to go far these days to find an industry in the midst of rapid innovation. For example, just take a look at the grocery industry. As with all brick-and-mortar retailers, the advent of the internet has radically changed the way people shop. Fading are the days of weekly grocery trips. Instead, grocery delivery services like Amazon Fresh and Instacart, along with meal delivery services like Blue Apron and Purple Carrot -- not to mention farm delivery services like Boston Organics -- prove that alternatives to the standard way of shopping are both viable and, for many, preferable.
Did you know that the American folk hero Johnny Appleseed planted scores and scores of inedible apples? In the bestselling book, The Botany of Desire, author Michael Pollan mentions that Appleseed and the frontier settlers who bought his apple orchards were not at all interested in eating the apples. They had something different in mind -- cider.
In 2014, Neheet Trivedi was “interested in building a company in the food and ag sector.” At the time, however, he was unsure what this company was going to be. He considered “restaurants, food delivery, food distribution, food waste, and other topics,” but ultimately it was the fortunate timing of his sister’s pregnancy that led to the founding of Real Food Solutions (RFS), maker of the Anchor Nutrition Bar.
So you’ve decided to get your food business off the ground. By now, you’ve got a business plan, boundless ambition, and you’ve probably been eyeing the perfect space for a while now. But, with a plan in place, there is still the question of money. How will you fund your business?
Transforming the world’s food systems isn’t just about transforming the way we produce, send, and consume. It’s also about transforming how we deal with the part of the plate that's thrown away. As it stands, roughly one-third of the world’s food gets tossed in the garbage each year, according to a 2011 study by the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization.
Food entrepreneurship is a fast-paced and dynamic field. With the approach of Autumn colors comes crisper weather and shorter days, but it also marks the beginning of a new season of innovation for food entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and investors. The right conferences and workshops can be an invaluable means of joining the conversation. For those serious about changing the food system, take a look at these upcoming events in the world of food and beverage innovation you don’t want to miss.
China has been following Western countries’ lead in terms of technology and development for years, but they're catching up and undergoing rapid development in nearly every sector, including food. Though China's food industry developed over thousands of years, it is rapidly advancing in line with Western competition and influence.
There is a lingering mentality that corporate success and social justice are at odds. Though, with a steadfast mission and a vision for a better future, the entrepreneurial aspirations of a lemonade stand or any other food and beverage startup can be a powerful agent for change.
New England is a powerhouse of invention and success, and our contributions to food are no exception. Out of the region's surprisingly deep portfolio of successful businesses, we have compiled twenty of the most notable food brands and the top five keys to their success.
In this cultural shift toward artisan and regional products, there is no greater reflection of the push for local than the rising movement of craft breweries. Local companies are disrupting the industry with an average of two new breweries opening every day, and Boston is no exception to the thriving scene.
The Boston food scene is heating up with leading-edge startups working to reinvent everything from production to consumption. Last week, Startup Stir launched their 3rd annual ‘Foodie Founders’ event where Vice Cream, NOLA’s Salsa, and our very own Branchfood founder, Lauren Abda, led the discussion on navigating the ups and downs of starting out in the food and beverage world. Topics covered ranged from branding, scaling up, and the ever important reality of raising capital.
When you picture “locavore,” what imagery comes to mind? You probably picture someone eating a fresh, colorful array of farmer’s market vegetables, each of which are namely grown locally. At Branchfood, we love our fresh veggies just as much as anyone, but we believe being a ‘locavore’ extends beyond shopping the local farmers markets.
It has been a whirlwind season for the beverage industry in the U.S. With sugar-sweetened beverages so heavily under fire, standard soda and juice consumption is plummeting while a host of new beverages is taking their places on the shelves. Many of the top selling drinks today were virtually unheard of a few years ago. In this pivotal time to be in the beverage market, here are the top 4 changes we’re seeing:
We can't forget the other essential ingredients that add dynamic flavor to this top-rated U.S. food city; food tech, distributors, packaging, transportation, infrastructure, etc. With so much going on, we were inspired to create the Boston Food Network, a resource highlighting food organizations in Boston and beyond.
Here at Branchfood we offer co-working space for food startups that believe collaboration and education are the keys to successful entrepreneurship. Below are just a few of our resident companies and the people who make them so great.
Last month we hosted IDEATE, a day-long event that highlighted the innovative work of leading restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs. We believe restaurants are critically important to our economy, culture, and society. The current economic model is broken, but we can fix it... But the discussion is far from over. In the spirit of IDEATE, here are four products changing the face of restaurant tech.
If you're like us, you couldn't be more excited for what the future holds for the industry in Boston, a hotbed of food product innovation. On May 5th, Branchfood hosted Amplify, an event aimed at showcasing the city's best emerging food companies and connecting them with media and retailers. Here are some of the notable up-and-comers.
Looking for the next step in your career? Still haven't snagged a summer internship? Branchfood is hosting a job fair this Thursday, April 14th, from 3 to 7pm at CIC Boston. You'll have the chance to meet some of Boston's most impressive companies and startups from one of the hottest and fastest-growing industries in the city.
In April 2013, Canadian 30-Under-30 winner Caithrin Rintoul co-founded Provender, an online platform that connects food producers and local buyers, garnering significant support and facilitating millions of dollars in transactions. The virtual marketplace is a welcome opportunity in an industry not often associated with innovation -- North America's aging farms. Branchfood sat down with Rintoul to discuss Provender's business model and the rapidly-changing food+tech world.
A veteran of the food industry, Eli Feldman knows restaurants. His company, Clothbound, stems directly from the challenges of building a strong staff. Through an easy-to-use app, the service connects candidates with job offers, facilitating the process on both ends of the industry. We talked to Eli about his experience with crowdsourcing and the shifting workforce dynamics in food.
Inspired by the financial struggles of America's family farms, local Bostonian Jessica Angell created a business intelligence web application that provides producers with services such as price optimization, inventory management, and analytics. Cabbige, named for a slang term for money from old-fashioned gangster films, is a big step for small-scale agriculture, which often faces challenges integrating into mainstream markets. We talked to Jessica, also a core Branchfood member, about her experience founding her startup from scratch.
Grove is the aquaponics company everyone is talking about. Their first product, a sophisticated indoor farm powered by LED lights and fish waste, promises produce year-round, as fresh and as local as it gets. Users can monitor their crops with a mobile app, tracking two separate gardening beds in a true integration of food+tech. We talked to Grove cofounder Gabe Blanchet about his company's journey and the lessons he's learned along the way.
Funding a startup can often seem like the most tedious or intimidating part of entrepreneurship. Online crowdfunding has facilitated the process enormously, but introduced a whole host of new challenges... So, what makes a particular cause rise above the rest? Here are Terry Romero's three tips on how to create and promote a standout campaign.
This week we're announcing IDEATE, a day-long event that will showcase the innovative work of New England's food entrepreneurs. Boston's large technology sector and booming restaurant industry prime our city to lead in entrepreneurial opportunity, and we're excited for a day of discussion and connection between the best in the biz!
Happy New Year! And welcome to the first-ever post of the Branchfood blog. If you’re already familiar with our company, you’ll know our maxim: innovation will fix our broken food system. This year, we’ll take that sentiment further than ever before, expanding our services and establishing even more connectivity between foodies, techies, and entrepreneurs who are transforming the Boston food and tech startup scene as we know it.
Thank you to everyone who attended our January Community Table last Friday! We had a great group of people representing all different types and stages of entrepreneurship, whether they were starting to sketch out a business plan, finalizing their logo, or looking to expand their established business and make new connections.
