TRACY, Calif., Nov. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bears
Nutrition and its innovative, milk-based nutritional shakes
for children was named the grand prize winner today of the Real
California Milk Accelerator dairy startup competition. The
competition, sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB)
and powered by leading innovation consultancy VentureFuel, Inc.,
will provide Bears Nutrition with $250,000 in resources and funding to bring their
fortified milk beverages to market.
As presented by co-founders David
Sheu and Kevin Yeung, Bears
Nutrition focuses on helping active kids grow. The winning product
is a daily milk-based beverage fortified with protein, vitamins,
minerals, and omega 3's designed specifically for children aged
three and older.
The competition was designed to inspire innovation and
investment in fluid milk products, packaging and capacity within
California by connecting
manufacturers, producers, investors, ideas and entrepreneurs for
high quality, sustainable dairy beverages. Alongside eight other
finalists, Bears Nutrition was judged on taste, nutritional
value, packaging innovation, sustainability, and the ability to
scale by a live panel of judges from the dairy, consumer packaged
goods, and investor communities including business, industry and
academic influencers. Bears Nutrition was one of nine finalists
that each received up to $25,000 of
support to develop protocepts while receiving elite mentorship from
marketing, packaging, and distribution experts.
"The innovation we've seen from these nine incredible finalists
has shown that we've barely tapped the natural goodness of dairy
milk and what can be done to create products relevant to consumers
today," said John Talbot, CEO of the
CMAB. "Not only are we excited to provide consumers with a healthy,
great-tasting new beverage option by helping to bring Bears
Nutrition shakes to market, but we also look forward to seeing what
the other finalists are able to achieve with the support they've
received through this program."
"This collaboration between VentureFuel and the CMAB is a great
demonstration of the heights that are possible when influential
organizations in major industries collaborate with startups; we can
accelerate growth and jump-start innovation in new ways that can
not only influence consumer perception, but help redefine an
industry," said Fred Schoenberg, CEO
and Founder of VentureFuel.
More than 1,200 family dairy farms produce the milk found in
fluid milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream and other dairy
products identified by the Real California Milk seal – which will
soon include Bears Nutrition beverages. California is the number one producer of fluid
milk, butter and ice cream in the U.S. and the second largest
producer of cheese and yogurt.
Additional information on the winner and competition finalists
is available at: https://www.venturefuel.net/milk-accelerator.
About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory
Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an
instrumentality of the California Department of Food and
Agriculture, is funded by the state's dairy farm families and is
one of the largest agricultural marketing boards in the United States. With a mission to increase
demand for products made with Real California Milk, the CMAB is
celebrating 50 years in 2019 promoting California's sustainable dairy products in the
state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising,
public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional
programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit
RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and
Pinterest.
About VentureFuel, Inc.
VentureFuel helps established
companies around the world unlock growth by partnering with
emerging startups and breakthrough technologies. Our innovation
programs solve specific challenges, deliver tangible results and
discover first-to-market opportunities from the Museum of Ice Cream
to the latest pioneering technologies. We are 100 percent
independent, sourcing from our global network of the best
investors, scouts, founders and academics. Learn more at:
www.venturefuel.net.
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SOURCE Real California Milk