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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Union Kitchen

Food Tech News: Lettuce Glow, Plus More Expansions for Food Tech Companies

Since most of us are still relatively homebound, it’s no surprise much of the food tech news of late has been about grocery, grocery delivery, farming at home, and big food brands going the direct-to-consumer route.

Herewith, the latest developments in those areas from around the web this week:

Lettuce Grow’s Farmstand Gets a Glow

Lettuce Grow, a smart-garden company founded by Jacob Pechenik and Zooey Deschanel, announced this week a new accoutrement for all your at-home farming needs. The company is launching its Glow Rings LED indoor grow lights as an add-on to its Farmstand hydroponic vertical garden. The garden, which we covered back when it was first released, previously lacked any lighting technology and had to be kept outside. The addition of the Glow Ring means those would-be agtech enthusiasts with no outdoor space can try their hand at the indoor smart-farming concept. 

Giant Food Stores grows Mid-Atlantic footprint | Supermarket News

A Giant Partnership for Union Kitchen

Grocery chain Giant Food is expanding its partnership with Washington, D.C.-based food accelerator Union Kitchen. The chain will offer more products from Union Kitchen participants — all of whom are food and bev producers — through its grocery delivery program. For shoppers, it means access to more locally made and/or grown goods.

JUST Is Expanding to More U.S. Stores . . . Again

Eat JUST, the company behind plant-based egg product JUST, said this week via an email to The Spoon that it is in the midst of what it calls its largest expansion yet. By the end of September, the company will have its products at “more than 17,000 points of retail distribution” across the U.S., a 40 percent increase that includes stores like Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, and Safeway. Food Lion, Giant Food, and many other local stores are also on the list.

Dear Startups: Kick Off 2020 by Applying to One of These 3 Food Tech Accelerators

If joining a startup accelerator program is in your plans for 2020, it’s never too early to get a jumpstart on the competition. First, if you haven’t already, read up on who should ideally apply for these companies, and why (hint: you shouldn’t be doing it for the money). Then, check out the programs below to see if they fit your company’s goals for growth. Note that some of these application deadlines close soon (like, tomorrow).

We update this list monthly, so if you don’t see what you’re looking for, check back February for a fresh list of programs. 

FoodFutureCo
New York City

NYC-based FoodFutureCo looks for companies it can help move from early product-market phase to the mainstream, with specific focus on plant-based food, agtech, sustainable seafood, and fighting food waste. Plant-based frozen meal maker Zoni Food, ethical food brand Eat Nice, and analytics platform Farm Fare are all past participants of the program, which was founded in 2015.

The five-month-long program looks for companies on track to gross more than $1 million in annual sales. Four to eight startups are chosen for each cohort. Participants receive up to $10,000 (for 4 to 8 percent equity) along with mentorship opportunities and potential follow-on investment.

Applications close December 31, 2019.

Brinc Food Technology Accelerator
Hong Kong

Brinc’s Food Technology Accelerator covers a wide range of what it calls “investment verticals”: agtech, alt protein, cellular agriculture, packaging, food safety, supply chain, and food waste. Startups looking to join the program should have a product-market fit in one of these verticals, along with a defined business model. According to the program website, companies must be willing to incorporate in Hong Kong and, ideally, want to deploy their product or solution in the Southeast Asian market. 

Unlike many programs, Brinc charges a $30,000 participation fee for the program, though this can be deducted from the $80,000 investment Brinc gives each participating company (for 10 to 15 percent equity). Startups also receive mentorship, customized curriculum, access to potential investors, and post-program support. Companies must be present in Hong Kong for six weeks of the program for onsite training.

Applications close February 17, 2020.

Coming Soon . . .

Techstars Farm to Fork
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

A partnership with Cargill and Ecolab, Techstars Farm to Fork program looks for startups and entrepreneurs working up and down the food chain, from agtech and manufacturing to food safety, traceability, and waste reduction. Techstars looks specifically for companies using tech to solve problems in these areas, as program alumni like Spoonshot and  Renewal Mill have done.

Chosen participants get a $100,000 convertible note along with mentorship and networking opportunities and access to potential investors. They also get workspace, as relocation to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is required for the duration of the three-month-long program. 

Applications open on January 6, 2020.

4 Food Tech Incubators Startups Should Look Into Right Now

Last week, The Spoon chatted with WeWork Labs’ Tessa Price and Food-X’s Peter Bodenheimer about foodtech accelerator programs and what they can offer to startups seeking the next phase of growth.

Brought up during the conversation was an important point that sometimes gets lost: the difference between accelerators and incubators. While the sheer number of programs nowadays means the distinction between the two is often, as Bodenheimer suggested, “interchangeable,” there are still some key differences. Most notably, incubators tend to foster companies who are still very early on in terms of their growth and who may not necessarily be ready to commercialize. And unlike accelerator programs, which typically run for a set amount of time, incubators most commonly take participants on a rolling basis.

Even those distinctions aren’t set in stone, however, and the best way to decide if an incubator is right for your food business is to examine the program details and see if they line up with your own ideas and goals about your business. With that in mind, here are some of today’s most popular food tech incubators:

The Kitchen
Israel

The Kitchen bills itself as a “FoodTech Hub” and takes companies on a rolling basis. It was founded by Israel’s largest food and beverage manufacturer, the Strauss Group, and invites participants from up and down the food chain. Notable members of its portfolio include food safety company Inspecto and cellular agriculture startup Aleph Farms.

To apply, startups are asked to introduce themselves via email that includes an overview of the company, team, and competitive advantage. If your credentials pass muster, The Kitchen will set up an interview process that leads to an eventual meeting with its Office of the Chief Scientist, with whom the buck stops. Chosen companies get a $500,000 budget over a two-year work plan, office space, and assistance from various business leaders in the food industry.

Email The Kitchen to start the application process.

Chobani Food Tech Residency
NYC

In some ways, Chobani’s Food Tech Residency operates more like an incubator than the company’s officially titled Chobani Incubator program. The Food Tech Residency brings startups to Chobani’s facilities so they can work side-by-side with members of the company’s operations team. Since the Residency is all about innovation and improving ideas and solutions, startups don’t have a product in the market yet to be eligible. Successful applicants will be given a chance during the program to pitch their businesses and potentially secure funding.

Chobani is currently taking applications for the next Residency program, which kicks off in September 2019. Applications are open until July 14. Since the program is more tech-focused, traditional packaged food and beverage products are not eligible for this program.

The Hatchery
Chicago, IL

The Hatchery is a massive facility in Chicago that offers food entrepreneurs access to shared kitchen and co-working space. It also maintains an incubator-like program that offers, coaching and consultations, access to a large member network, classes, and opportunities for financing (via The Hatchery’s joint-venture partner Accion).

One of the cool things about this program is its large number of events and workshops open to the public, which give potential applicants a chance to check out the facility and its culture in depth before handing over an application fee. Check the schedule here, and if it’s intriguing enough, you can apply to become a member on an ongoing basis.

Those serious about joining should be willing to base their operations out of the Chicago area.

Union Kitchen
Washington, D.C.

Union Kitchen offers multiple levels of involvement for food startups, from simply using its shared kitchen space in Washington D.C. to joining its incubator program (which it confusingly refers to as an accelerator). For the latter, chosen companies work with Union Kitchen to move from idea to concept and to actual product, and eventually launch their goods and/or services first in the D.C. area and then into other regions.

Union Kitchen participants come from across the food industry, though there is a strong emphasis on consumer packaged goods. The program happens in three phases over the course of about a year and a half. Those interested can schedule a tour beforehand. Union Kitchen takes applications on an ongoing basis.

Thanks to Union Kitchen, a DC Real Estate Project Will Maintain Local Flavors

DC-based food-and-beverage accelerator Union Kitchen this week announced a new deal with the city’s forthcoming Eckington Place real estate project.

The project, called Eckington Yards, is a mixed-use site that will house both residential units and retail space, and is reportedly “inspired by New York City’s Meatpacking District.”

Union Kitchen’s mission is to guide food brands from concept all the way up to national distribution via a few different channels: a three-part accelerator program (which is currently accepting applications), a membership-based communal kitchen, and the Union Kitchen Grocery (UKG) which sells regular staples as well as dozens of local products, from chips to coffees.

The company currently operates four UKG outlets and a 17,000-square-foot communal kitchen in the Ivy City neighborhood and offers different levels of membership starting at $1,095/month. Similar to Pilotworks, the commissary kitchen membership (PDF) gives up-and-coming food brands access to appliances and equipment, events with investors and mentors, marketing and sales opportunities, and a direct line — online and onsite — to the wider Union Kitchen community.

For Eckington Yards, Union Kitchen will open another one of these communal kitchen spaces as well as another UGK.

What’s attractive about Union Kitchen’s involvement with the project is the opportunity for local food brands, whether that means additional exposure on store shelves or access to industrial-grade kitchens that can often be financially out of reach for smaller companies.

It’s also not a bad look for Eckington Yards, a project that’s been somewhat controversial in terms of what developers plan to give back to the local community. Union Kitchen might not directly mean more money for, say, nearby schools, but its emphasis on local food and business could help to keep Eckington Yards from turning into yet-another overpriced gated community that’s completely out of reach for hyperlocal business.

Union Kitchen joins sports complex Brooklyn Boulders, who signed on for space in earlier this year. Eckington Yards is slated for demolition in Q4, and by then we should also have a better idea of who else will climb aboard. Hopefully Union Kitchen’s presence means fewer mega-chains and more local flavor overall.