Skip to main content

Client Profiles

Feb 12, 2024

Haw River Mushrooms Accelerates Its Goals

In search of gourmet, edible mushrooms? Heard about mushroom jerky? Curious about the health benefits of mushroom tincture? Haw River Mushrooms CEO Laura Stewart is banking on consumers regularly integrating nutritious mushroom-based products into their diets. And her partnership with Bill Aimutis and the team at NCFIL is helping her usher in those goals.  NCFIL: What is your product…

Jan 18, 2023

Milli Mylk Offers Convenience and Nutrition 

When Maacha Le Blanc contacted the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL), she was determined to create the very best dairy alternative. She wanted to give people the ability to conveniently make fresh, delicious, and nutritious plant-based dairy alternatives. Working with Bill Aimutis, Executive Director of NCFIL, and his team of food scientists, Le Blanc and…

Nov 9, 2022

Nowadays Sees Success in the Plant-Based Meat Market

“I saw another food world coming to life, much more innovative and aligned with how I was personally approaching food: food that doesn’t just feed people but nourishes them as well,” says Dominik Grabinski, co-founder and CTO of Nowadays, a plant-based meat start-up that is building a manufacturing platform for healthier, tastier alternative proteins that can be…

Sep 30, 2022

NCFIL Collaborator Featured in Forbes: Milli Mylk

Milli Mylk, a long-time client of the NC Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL), was recently featured in the Forbes’ article Maacha Le Blanc Raised $5 Million For The First Freeze Dried Milk Milli Mylk. Nutritious and Convenient   Maacha Le Blanc has achieved an impressive milestone, raising $5 million for her business Milli Mylk. Described as sitting at the “intersection…

Aug 24, 2022

Memore Supports Brain Health

Brad and Erika Lepczyk, founders of Memore, wanted to create something to nourish the brain. Having witnessed the effects of dementia firsthand, they were inspired to embark on an entrepreneurial journey into the food industry. An acquaintance from NC State recommended reaching out to the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL) to get started. They connected…

Jul 6, 2022

NCFIL + Barvecue: Meant to Be

Lee Cooper, Founder and CEO of Barvecue, wanted to create a plant-based meat product that everyone could enjoy and a company that would make a positive impact on the world. Once he and co-founders Zack Werner and Jeni Cooper knew they had a winning concept, they began to build their business. The NC Food Innovation Lab…
2 men and a woman sitting at a counter writing on paper

Nov 10, 2021

Making Memore: NCFIL Featured in Salisbury Post

The NC Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL) was recently featured in “Making Memore: Entrepreneurs harness power of Kannapolis’ Food Innovation Lab” in the Salisbury Post, a long-running publication sharing news from Salisbury, NC. Perseverance Pays Off The article features NCFIL’s partnership with Erika and Brad Lepczyk, a Charlotte couple motivated to create a whole foods powdered beverage…

Feb 24, 2021

NCFIL Supports NC Mushroom Farmers

In our recent blog Rethinking Mushrooms, we sang the praises of the humble mushroom, noting the many varieties, the multitude of health benefits, and all the new mushroom products.  The North Carolina Food Innovation Lab has had the fortune of working closely with two North Carolina mushroom farmers in the past year, Haw River Mushrooms and Growing for Good. Let’s learn…

Dec 2, 2020

NCFIL Benefits Start-Ups + Mid- to Large-Sized Companies

Megatrends are redefining the Agricultural and Food Technology industries—trends like changing consumer habits, food safety and security, population crisis, proliferation of niche brands, volatile raw material pricing and an aging population with healthier diets all play a role.  Due to this shift, more money is being invested in these industries, and with that, more product…