Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture

Push. Pull. Grow.

The Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech serves as a hub connecting businesses and entrepreneurs with the services they need to succeed. The Center of Excellence works with partners across the state to increase the size and scope of the food and agriculture economy in New York by fostering the growth of new companies, new products, and existing businesses. Our Center focuses on:

Pushing entrepreneurs and startups to launch their businesses in New York and commercialize products and services
Pulling companies into the state by connecting them with innovation resources and economic development partners
Growing existing food, beverage and agriculture-related companies from across New York State through business mentoring, technical assistance, research, business-to-business partnerships, supply chains and the myriad resources they need to succeed and thrive.

Services

Cornell Food, Beverage and Agriculture research
Business mentorship
Incubator and accelerator
access
Training and education
Product development, testing and validation
Business-to-Business connections and Supply Chain Asset Resources
Supply chain asset resources such as processors, manufacturers,
production facilities, co-packers, warehouses, distribution, retail,
marketing
State, federal and local economic development funding connections

Jumpstarting the farm and food economy

The Center of Excellence connects the dots between new and existing businesses and the tools they need to thrive.

Resources and partners

The Center of Excellence maintains partnerships with a wealth of programs and resources primed to support food and agriculture companies grow and thrive. Contact our team to get connected to valuable resources like these:

Incubators and accelerators
Training and education partners
Testing and validation services
Trade association support
Business-to-business (B2B) relationships
Supply chain assets [feedstock and packaging suppliers, processors and manufacturers, production facilities, co-packers, warehousing, distribution, retail and marketplace]
State, federal and local economic development incentive programs
Capital resources
Marketing resources

What People are Saying

“Working with the Center of Excellence has been a unique and wonderful experience; I’ve never seen this amount of effort and help from just an idea.”—Chris LaCorata, Empire State Brands

“Upstate New York offers a unique triage for food and ag startups, with the research of Cornell University, business impact of companies like Wegmans, and the Center of Excellence offering businesses and startups unparalleled support and connections to funding sources in the region. It is a trifecta unlike any other part of the country.”—Aaron Gobin, AgVoice

“I wish we had been working with the Center of Excellence when we first started. . . It’s been so valuable having their resources, expertise and the connections that come with [the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences] – one of the most successful and well-regarded agriculture schools in the world. They helped us connect with the right people and resources on our path toward market traction with some of the largest food retailers in the U.S., and have fast-tracked our progress tremendously.”—George Zheng, Leep Foods

“The Center of Excellence has introduced us to so many opportunities and events in the region. I think the reason we’re in Wegmans right now is because the Center of Excellence brought us to last year’s Future of Food Summit, where we were able to connect with the right people.”—Jason Goodman, Antithesis

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Success Stories

Empowering Businesses

Learn how the Center of Excellence has supported and empowered businesses to grow and thrive:

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