Food Entrepreneurship: Aimutis Featured on Farms, Food and You Podcast

NC Food Innovation Lab Executive Director Bill Aimutis spoke about North Carolina’s agricultural processing potential on an episode titled “Growing Food Entrepreneurship in NC” on NC State’s podcast Farms, Food and You hosted by Dee Shore. 

North Carolina: Food and Nutrition Technology Hub

North Carolina is third in agricultural diversity with 90 different crops; however, 80% of those crops are shipped elsewhere to be processed. Supporting the potential of food entrepreneurs is the mission of the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL); it assists entrepreneurs, especially those in rural areas, in developing and scaling up plant-based food products. 

Aimutis states, “Five to 10 years from now, North Carolina will be recognized as a place for food technology as well as for nutrition technology. We have good soil, water, and different climatic zones enabling us to grow different crops. We can put ourselves as one of the top food producing and food processing centers of the world.” 

NCFIL partners with the NCDA&CS, who helps entrepreneurs with regulatory statutes and marketing. NCDA&CS Asst. Director of Marketing Ron Fish says the agency’s motto throughout his 30-year career has remained the same: “Educate before you regulate.” 

Find Out More

To find out more about how NCFIL supports plant-based innovation and the podcast Farms, Food and You, listen here. Aimutis also writes a bimonthly NCFIL Director’s Perspective on NCFIL’s status as well as food innovation trends. Check out his most recent post here.