Yoghurt company Chobani has launched the new Australian arm of its food-focused incubator program, announcing the five startups set to make up the first cohort.
The Chobani Incubator was created to “take on the big guys” while making delicious, nutritious, natural and accessible food, a philosophy known throughout the company as its DNNA.
In creating the Australian program, Chobani partnered with Monash University and the Food Innovation Centre (FIC) to create a framework that supports the next generation of food entrepreneurs.
The companies chosen for the program will spend February to May collaborating and learning from key members and executives of the Chobani team, take part in educational programs at a variety of Chobani locations, and receive a $10,000 grant to grow their business, equity free.
FIC’s facilities have been designed to support food entrepreneurs perform tasks like product development and quality testing, part of Monash University’s wider work in the food innovation and agtech space.
The university announced last November it has partnered with Bosch Australia to create an agtech facility in Melbourne, which will work on the creation and testing of smart farming techniques.
The development will sit on one hectare of land at Bosch’s Clayton headquarters, making room for a development centre and agtech ‘launch pad’ facility, which will include a smart farm. Here, Monash said it will look to work on applying technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, robotics and advanced sensor technology to farming.
The plan for Chobani is to combine FIC’s work with Chobani’s strength as a high-growth company in areas like sales, marketing and customer engagement – helping to grow and innovate Australia’s food industry.
The five Australian companies to benefit from the program are:
A company that makes ethically sourced and minimally processed nut butters.
A company creating healthy and wholesome baking mixes that deliver a great deal of nutritional value.
A company changing the way the world views jerky with its high-protein healthy offering.
A company offering a gentler source of caffeine with remarkable antioxidant and nutritional properties.
A company creating seasonings with innovative combinations of herbs and spices.
In the past two years the Chobani Incubator has assisted in the growth of thirteen other food companies across a number of segments including craft beer, ice cream and bone broth.
Featured Image: Australia’s Chobani Accelerator Cohort | Source : Facebook Images.
P.S. Who else is digging those Chobani chambrays?
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