A collage of images showcasing the work of the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture.

Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture

at Cornell AgriTech

Push. Pull. Grow.

The New York State 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.

Resources and Services

We offer access to:

  • Cornell food, beverage and agriculture research.
  • Business mentorship.
  • Incubators and accelerators.
  • Training and education.
  • Product development, testing and validation.
  • Business-to-business partnerships and supply chain asset resources.
  • Connections to processors, manufacturers, production facilities, co-packers, warehouses, distribution, retail and marketing services.
  • State, federal and local economic development resources.
  • Co-working, lab and manufacturing spaces.
  • Aerial drones, robots and other digital agriculture tools. 

Jumpstarting the farm and food economy

Contact us!

Are you looking to start or grow a food or agriculture business in New York? Let us help. 

What People are Saying

Play COE video

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

“Cornell helped shape every decision that we made. Literally every single aspect of this has been touched and improved by the amazing, brilliant minds at Cornell.”— Tracy Luckow, Whipnotic

"We saw the tremendous potential at the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park to collaborate with other producers. It seemed like it was really electric." — John Zuccarello, Siena Development Group

“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

“Cornell has been fantastic. The professors don't just know their stuff, they know farmers, they have real-world connections. It's been a hugely rewarding symbiotic relationship.”— Chris Wightman, VM Agritech

“The CoE has been extremely supportive. I feel like it’d be an impossible journey without Cornell.” — Leslie Woodward, Edenesque

Four cans of Whipnotic whipped cream in a row.
A bottle of alcohol-free rum, with "Seir Hill" written on front.
A collection of mushrooms
Chocolate covered chickpeas crushed up on a white table
Hop leaf infected with powdery mildew being inspected in a lab.
A woman wearing a white lab coat and hair net holding two bottles of milk.

News + Events

A man posing next to an A-frame chalkboard sign on the street.

Field Note

Cornell Food Spark program gives bone broth startup a boost
Edlin Choi was tired of seeing animal bones, fat and other byproducts of the meat industry go to waste. His solution? Korean bone broth.
  • Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Food Venture Center
Headshot of Melissa Hegarty

Field Note

Meet the CoE: Melissa Hegarty
Melissa Hegarty joined the CoE team at the end of this summer as our administrative assistant, bringing with her years of experience in higher education and community organizations in Geneva, N.Y. Learn more about Melissa: Describe your role at...
  • Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture
  • Cornell AgriTech
A man using a mechanical pipette inside a lab.

News

Fermentation Farming Lab opens at Cornell AgriTech

  • Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Food Venture Center
Hazelnuts growing on a tree

News

Cornell AgriTech helping grow New York’s tree nut industry
Utilizing hybrid cultivars bred to thrive in the Northeast, the New York Tree Crops Alliance is working to establish a commercial market for New York-grown tree nuts. Formed in 2019, the New York Tree Crops Alliance is a cooperative of 10...
  • Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Food Venture Center
A woman wearing a white lab coat and hair net holding two bottles of milk.

Spotlight

How Cornell is helping grow Edenesque's plant-based milk empire
Leslie Woodward founded Edenesque with the same mantra she followed during her two-decade career as a chef in some of New York’s finest restaurants – source ingredients locally and make high-quality foods that are delicious and good for you...
  • Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture
  • Cornell AgriTech
  • Cornell Food Venture Center

Ready to start and grow your business? Let the CoE help.