Real California Milk Excelerator features 'herd' of game-changers in dairy

For three months, the program participants worked with mentors, including other successful founders, investors and experts, to build their businesses and brands before pitching their products to a panel of judges in San Ramon, Calif., where they were joined by program alum and other industry stakeholders at the “Future of Dairy Expo.”

Only four of the herd walked away as finalists with $30,000 each, exclusive access to retailers and investors and a chance to compete for a $100,000 grand prize to be awarded next year to the participant with the highest sales tracked in 12 months following the live pitch event.

The four finalists from this year's cohort are Smearcase​, Projo*​, Drink Todo​ and Pluff​, all of which will use the prize money to further build their business, either by finalizing their formulation, launching new products, driving consumer trial and ultimately expanding distribution.

Finalists span frozen dessert to shelf stable smoothies​

Smearcase is a frozen cottage cheese with half the fat, half the calories and more protein per pint than most other frozen desserts, Founder and CEO Joe Rotondo told FoodNavigator-USA at the pitch event and expo.

“It is incredibly humbling to be a finalist. I am very grateful. Winning is validating that we are doing something meaningful in the market,” he said.

He explained that the California Milk Advisory Board through the Excelerator program fueled by VentureFuel is a “great partner” in Smearcase’s mission to help consumers live healthier lives and to become “a top dog in the freezer aisle” because it represents one of the biggest milk producers in the US and can help the company scale through partnerships across the supply chain.

Projo* is a high protein coffee made with organic coffee, marine collagen, a digestive enzyme blend and 100% real whole milk sourced from California dairies, company Founder and CEO Charbel Mawad told FoodNavigator-USA.

He explained that as a California native he wanted to partner with CMAB and the Excelerator because he wants to support his local economy and the California dairy economy.

The $30,000 prize money will help the company finalize the formula for its ready-to-drink coffee, launch in February and commercialize the business.

Pluff is a “unique high protein treat made from Greek yogurt, heavy cream and whey protein whipped together” to create a unique texture that is “unlike anything on the market,” Founder Dylan Paul told FoodNavigator-USA.

“I learned so much over the course of the last three months, whether it was about manufacturing, dairy, manufacturing, marketing, retail, co-packing, like all of those things were taught over the course of just a three month period, and it was super intensive, but super informative. And I now feel like I have the knowledge and skills needed for me to go into this industry with more confidence in myself and my business" -- Dylan Paul, Founder of Pluff

“Our goal is to make nutrition enjoyable, one spoonful at a time,” by offering a product that tastes decadent but has 22 grams of protein, only 4 grams of sugar and less than 200 calories per serving, he said.

“The pitch money and being able to work with the CMAB team direction ensures [we can find] the right manufacturing partner, and ensures that we secure the [Real California Dairy] seal, which will give us the branding and recognition we need to scale,” he added.

The last finalist – Drink Todo – is a shelf stable smoothie with 45 grams of protein from milk, which ensures it “tastes silky smooth,” said Founder Niket Soni. He explained it also has 6 grams of fiber, fruit and vegetable blends and oat fiber and coconut milk powders.

“We are big fans of milk in general and milk protein. Milk protein is a complete protein. We also know that it tastes really, really good. Oftentimes, plant-based proteins there is a bit of an aftertaste, and it is also not a complete protein. … So, choosing California milk to make our product with was a very, very easy decision,” he said.

With the prize money, Soni said, the company will launch three new flavors – vanilla, chocolate and espresso – in the first quarter of next year, which will meet consumer demand for variety and help build brand blocking on shelf at retail for a more impactful presence.

More than money​

For each of the finalists, the real California milk accelerator was about more than the money. It was about learning from each other and the program's 16 mentors who provided game changing advice that led to multiple aha moments.

“[We] said from the beginning that even if we do not win, we feel like we have gotten a ton of value. The monetary prize is kind of icing on the cake. The network and the weekly sessions by function and being with team is great to have a soundboard of people that are going through this and then this infrastructure of the CMAB and VentureFuel who have done it a 1,000 times,” Smearcase Founder and COO Drew Dispirito said.

“I learned so much over the course of the last three months, whether it was about manufacturing, dairy, manufacturing, marketing, retail, co-packing, like all of those things were taught over the course of just a three month period, and it was super intensive, but super informative. And I now feel like I have the knowledge and skills needed for me to go into this industry with more confidence in myself and my business,” added Paul.

Petit Pot wins grand prize for 5^th​ cohort​

Petit Pot, which makes a elevated and sustainably packaged, refrigerated desserts, earned the grand prize of $100,000 for RCME fifth cohort in recognition of its strong sales over the past year.

“Petit Pot is a French pudding company that is based in California. We make delicious French desserts that are potted in little cups and glass jars and made with California dairy. It's a traditional French pot of crème, which is like a fancy pudding, and it is made with organic milk, cream, sugar, and it is distributed all across the US,” Founder Maxime Puvreau told FoodNavigator-USA.

He said the grand prize money would support the company’s retail distribution and marketing.

Like participants in the sixth cohort, Puvreau said the experience of the Excelerator program was more impactful than the money.

“The real takeaway for me is being able to connect with all the various people at the CMAB. They brought a lot to the table. We were able to do a lot of tradeshows with them and they had so many resources to help us grow with various retailers,” he said. “So, it is really the relationship that I was able to build throughout the program, throughout the year that really helped us take the companies to the next level.”