Framingham State To Host Food And Beverage Entrepreneurship Summit

FRAMINGHAM, MA — In the spirit of Alumnae Ruth Wakefield, inventor of the Chocolate Chip Cookie, the Entrepreneur Innovation Center (EIC) at Framingham State University (FSU) will host FSU’s first Food Entrepreneurship Summit to be held at the EIC’s building at 860 Worcester Rd.

The event will feature food industry experts and entrepreneurs for a series of workshops and lectures for aspiring food entrepreneurs in the MetroWest region, and interested students from FSU and other local universities.

The EIC is a Center within Framingham State’s College of Business, and is partnering with FSU’s Department of Nutrition and Health Studies on this special summit.

“The mission of the event is to catalyze a local food entrepreneurship community here in Framingham and the MetroWest region, where knowledge can be shared, inspiration found, and connections made,” says Michael Clouser, Director of the EIC. “On one level, food innovation is related to quality of life, and thus an economic force in and of itself. Take, for example, Lima, Peru, which is globally recognized as a city with great food. This innovation was driven by the various immigrant populations that settled there and started businesses, including restaurants, and the result was fusion of cultural food traditions that created something of new value to the population of residents and visitors to the city.”

Clouser says that FSU’s highly regarded nutrition and food programs provide a unique opportunity to leverage expertise to benefit students and local entrepreneurs interested in the food industry.

“The components of a food entrepreneurship ecosystem are all here in the greater MetroWest region, they just need to be brought together, and a community built that welcomes people of all sorts, and entrepreneurs at all stages to get involved,” Clouser says.

Speakers and workshop leaders will include FSU faculty, local food entrepreneurs from Boston, Worcester, and Framingham, including:

• Dr. Vinay Mannam, Associate Professor, FSU will talk on “Food Product Development: Common Challenges and Practical Solutions.”
• Heather Santoro of Cane’s Framingham will provide insights into the Raising Canes entry and growth in the wider region. “The Story of Cane’s Brand, and Expansion into the Northeast”
• Evan Reseka from the Boston Honey Company will speak about his experiences and growth of the brand and operation.
• Framingham local Marina Andreazi will hold a workshop on her experience at Xua, a Brazilian energy beverage product.
• Former EIC member and local franchisee Guy Trembley of Kona Ice will lead a seminar on franchising food concepts. Kona Ice is a national food truck brand with over 40 franchisees and 1800 shaved ice trucks.
• Neelu Mohaghegh of Worcester’s Fuel America Coffee House & Grove Village Market will share her experience and knowledge of starting and growing a community-embedded coffee house and food market.