VFI Logo_Landscape-3

The 2022 NY MilkLaunch Final Pitch Event live-streamed on August 25th at 5 p.m. ET!

A recap of this year's NY MilkLaunch Final Pitch Event.

See this year's cohort and the winning pitch of Spylt, who received a $150,000 non-dilutive grant to scale their products in NY.

Click Here to read our Press Release

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

2022 NY MilkLaunch is an innovative dairy product accelerator driving milk and milk-based product consumption for Generation Z (ages 10-23) with a focus on sustainability, commercialization, and diversity.

The NY MilkLaunch competition aimed to fuel demand for dairy among Gen-Z (10-23 year olds), and offered over $200,000 in total awards as well as elite mentorship to accelerate these innovative new products.

Program By Numbers_Qualified Applications
Program By Numbers_Amazing Finalists
Program By Numbers_Expert Mentor Sessions
Program By Numbers_Expert Judges
Program By Numbers_Press Impressions
Program By Numbers_Milk

Qualification/Selection Criteria​: Participating products must use at least 50% dairy and show existing results or strong potential to drive consumption in the Gen Z target audience. The winning product must source milk from New York State.​

 

Value to the NY Community: These new innovative products will drive demand for local dairy and expand dairy consumption across younger demographics while also improving the image of dairy products and farming practices amongst young consumers.

NY MilkLaunch Program 2022 Timeline

Did you know that New York State has:

Landing Page_NY Milk_Judges Private Page_Infographics 1
Landing Page_NY Milk_Judges Private Page_Infographics 2
Landing Page_NY Milk_Judges Private Page_Infographics 3
Spylt-1

2022 CHAMPION: SPYLT

Spylt offers a high-protein, low-sugar, creamy, dairy-based chocolate "Energy Drink" loaded naturally with essential nutrients like calcium, B vitamins, potassium, vitamin D, and protein.​
 
Why They Were Selected:
The product, founder and brand are everything with Spylt. They all speak to the sustainable and health-conscious Gen-Z consumer while putting a fun spin on the traditional chocolate milk. We think this product will be a massive success in DTC as well as grocery. ​
 
Plan for $150K Winnings: ​
Spylt is currently sourcing their dairy from Cayuga Milk Ingredients in upstate NY. Their plan is to use the $150K in winnings to support product formulation and assist in launch marketing. Expected NY dairy increase of 600K lbs. per year!​

MEET THE REST OF 2022 FINALISTS

Creme and Cocoa Creamery

Crème & Cocoa Creamery

Omar and Astrid Charleus Thorpe, Founders & Owners

Too hot to bake but craving bread? Creme and Cocoa Creamery’s got you covered with their “Hot Honey” cornbread...ice cream that is!

Inspired by their rich Caribbean heritage, meet the husband-and-wife duo Omar Thorpe and Astrid Charleus Thorpe whose unique take on fresh ingredients from local farms earned Crème & Cocoa Creamery a spot as a finalist in this year's NY MilkLaunch.

Omar and Astrid craft this flavor and many more (over 100!) based out of their Brooklyn Ice Cream Shop, resulting in the highest quality ice cream, sure to satisfy even the pickiest palates.

Elite Sweets

Elite Sweets

Amin and Amir Bahari, Founders & Owners

Have your cake and eat it with Elite Sweets' new low-sugar, keto-friendly donut! Pre-glazed, protein-packed, and perfect anytime, these decadent delicacies were designed with your health in mind.

Inspired by their own weight loss journey, in which they lost over 200lbs combined, twin brothers Amin and Amir Bahari have always looked for the 'healthier' option. Together they wondered what it would take to turn their favorite indulgence - Donuts - into a go-to healthy snack and The Elite Donut was born: a protein packed (10g to be exact), gluten-free, naturally sweetened donut. With a portfolio of unique, delicious and good-for-you donuts, Elite Sweets has earned a spot as a finalist in this year's NY MilkLaunch.

Mochidoki-1

Mochidoki

Claudio LoCascio, CEO

Decadent, creamy, eyes-rolled-back delicious, Mochidoki uses only the finest ingredients. Their ice cream wizards transform these premium ingredients into delectable flavors both classic and unique.

Hear from Mochidoki CEO Claudio LoCascio whose extensive travels and multi-cultural background inform the creation of the company’s best-selling mochi ice cream flavors.

Novel Foods-Shay

Novel Food’s Shay

Jaidesh Sethi, Founder & President

Novel Foods is the mind behind a protein powder (74.7% protein), upcycled from cheese or Greek yogurt whey, and recovered nitrogen from dairy farm waste. The protein powder has an excellent amino acid profile and reduces the environmental impact of the dairy and yogurt industry.

Novel Foods have created a brand of protein and electrolyte mix for people on the go. The brand is called SHAY(TM). SHAY(TM) is sold as tablets in a consumer-friendly tube with a pop-top. SHAY(TM) will also be sold as a powder mix in pouches. Consumers will mix a pouch or a tablet with water to create a flavorful electrolyte and protein-enriched drink. They also plan to sell this protein powder as an industrial ingredient to companies making functional foods.

Founder Jaidesh Sethi is a food industry entrepreneur experienced in business plan development, angel investing, and startup management. He is interested in product innovation, growth, and helping other entrepreneurs get their ventures off the ground.

True Scoops

True Scoops

Kelly Williamson and Shelly Marshall, Co-Founders

True Scoops creates shelf-stable ice cream and topping mixes that make a more effortless ice cream-making experience for the home user with no ice cream maker required – add half & half, whisk, blend or churn; and freeze!

True Scoops mixes are made with simple ingredients with serious flavor. It is a TRUE scoop of premium, rich ice cream that you can make at home – with or without an ice cream maker!

Co-Founders Kelly Williamson and Shelly Marshall are obsessed with making ice cream and have 15 years of ice cream-making experience. True Scoops was created because they want to make insanely delicious, fresh ice cream without all the fuss.

FINALISTS' COMMERCIALS

NY MilkLaunch_Perksy Fan Vote-1

FINALISTS LEVERAGED THEIR $10K STIPEND FOR:

NY MilkLaunch_Leveraged Stipends_Packaging
NY MilkLaunch_Leveraged Stipends_Co Packing
NY MilkLaunch_Leveraged Stipends_Product formulation and creation
NY MilkLaunch_Leveraged Stipends_Branding-Marketing
NY MilkLaunch_Leveraged Stipends_INGREDIENTS

MENTORS

The Mentors of NY MilkLaunch are the secret sauce of this program, providing expert insights in how to launch and grow a new business. Their generosity and actionable advice have given our finalists a playbook for how to create the next big thing.
Niel Sandfort
Jennifer Onoja
Dana Kim
Veronica Lehman
Andrew Reynolds
Amie Gabriel
Mohammed Bellamine-1
Kate DiLeo
Melissa Martinelli

JUDGES

The Judges of NY MilkLaunch are royalty in the beverage and dairy world. They will determine the best of the best from this talented field of finalists. We are indebted to them for offering their wisdom and perspective on who will be crowned the NY MilkLaunch Champion.
The panel of expert judges rated each company based on: Uniqueness/Innovation, Taste, Viability/Scale, and Team Members.
Aaron May
Farley Kaiser
Harry Lewis
Claudia Leubner
Dafne Guisard Hefner
Niel Sandfort
Jennifer Onoja
Chocolate Milk Champion - Spylt

Listen To Our Podcast Episode With 2022 Winner,

Josh Mendenhall, Founder & Chief Brand Officer of SPYLT

Landing Page_NY Milk_Listen Here
For any questions on the program, reach out to Beau Bergman at: beau@venturefuel.net