USA – Canada’s Agropur Dairy Cooperative is launching a dairy accelerator programme which it said is the first accelerator that seeks to boost dairy business in North America.
It is part of the company’s Inno Agropur programme launched in 2016 with an aim to support innovation of dairy products and development of the dairy sector in general.
The first Inno accelerator programme will involve five North American businesses and these are U Main, Sweetaly Dolceria, SaltiSweet Ice Cream Factory, Cheese Grotto and Peak Yogurt.
All five companies will spend four months in the Inno Accel programme, where they will receive each business will be supported by two mentors, an entrepreneur and a member of the Agropur executive.
“The global economic environment which are highly competitive, and the global economic context, including the AEUMC, require companies to constantly question their ways of doing things.
“Thus, innovation is a necessity, even a condition for survival for the entire dairy industry.
“For Agropur, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary and is resolutely turned towards the future, we absolutely have to develop new market opportunities and new alliances for dairy production with partners who are characterized by their inventiveness and agility,” said Robert Coallier, CEO of Agropur.
OSMO’s Patrick Gagné, Ambassador and Entrepreneur-in-Residence added: “With Inno Accel, we have a catalyst for that energy and the opportunity to work on projects in an industry that is new for us: the rich and stimulating world of dairy.”
The programme is undertaken with support from Inno Challenge, Agropur’s crowdsourcing platform for innovation.
The challenge seeks to give creative people from around the world a chance to make a meaningful, concrete contribution to the development of new products and innovative solutions.
In the first annual edition of Inno Challenge competition in 2016, the company received over 60 project submissions from eight countries.
In addition to financial support, the selected participants will receive access to its R&D expertise and to an accelerator program to bring innovative concepts on board.
