Dairy Farmers of America selects start-ups for latest accelerator

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) has chosen seven start-ups to join its 2019 accelerator programme as it aims to help drive consumer demand for dairy.

Companies in two areas — ag tech and dairy food products — will work with leaders from DFA, CoBank, Sprint Accelerator and industry experts and mentors to create strategic partnerships.

Brands selected for the 90-day programme will receive mentorship, connections and resources to help accelerate growth. They will also have access to workspace facilities at Sprint Accelerator in Kansas City.  

The accelerator finalists in full:

• Bezoar Laboratories (Bryan, Texas) – developer of a patent-pending probiotic for cattle that, when paired with nitrate, decreases their methane production by 50%.
• Cattle Care (San Francisco) – uses video analytics for dairy farm operations.
• Healthy Cow (Toronto, Canada) – helps dairy farmers to produce more natural and nutritious milk while reducing their dependence on antibiotics and hormones.
• Labby (Boston) – creator of an artificial intelligence-powered smartphone platform for food analytics.
• Brooklyn Buttery (New York) – aims to reimagine butter for the 21st century as a fun, convenient product for home cooks.
• Numa (Bridgewater, New Jersey) – manufacturer of sweet, chewy milk treats with six natural ingredients.
• RifRaf (New York) – makes creamy ricotta cups that are one part cheese and one part flavour.

Monica Massey, executive vice president and chief of staff at DFA, said: “It has been rewarding to help mentor these entrepreneurs, and we’re thrilled to get started with another class for this year’s DFA accelerator. Plus, we’ve found that we learn along the way too.

“By working and collaborating with ag tech and dairy food start-up companies, we’re helping develop solutions that will not only provide value for our farm families and their operations, but will also help drive consumer demand for dairy.”

Participants in last year’s DFA accelerator included MoPro Nutrition, a producer of Greek yogurt infused with whey protein isolate that secured funding from DFA after the programme had concluded.