We provide comprehensive assistance to new and established food entrepreneurs, promoting sustainable economic development.
The Cornell Food Venture Center (CFVC) helps food businesses large and small introduce new food products into the marketplace. We provide product safety evaluation, process development, and guidance in local, state and federal regulatory compliance. We also provide educational materials, workshops, training programs, and referrals for business assistance, local suppliers and service providers.
Located in Geneva, NY at the Cornell AgriTech campus, the CFVC is strategically located in close proximity to world-class food and agricultural science facilities and experts. Geneva is also home to the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park, an incubator space for small food and agricultural businesses, and the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture connecting food entrepreneurs to all aspects of business development in NYS.
In recognition of the 75-year relationship between Seneca Foods and Cornell AgriTech, the Seneca Foods Foundation has announced a $10 million gift to the Cornell Food Venture Center (CFVC), the largest gift in Cornell AgriTech history. The gift will further support the CFVC's work to help food entrepreneurs and producers of all sizes bring their products to market and grow the food economy in New York state and beyond.
Half of the gift will endow the CFVC and its state-of-the-art pilot plant, now named the Seneca Foods Foundation Pilot Plant. The other half will endow the Seneca Foods Foundation Professor and Director of the Food Venture Center, a role currently held by Olga Padilla-Zakour.
Seneca Foods was founded by Arthur Wolcott '49 in Dundee, N.Y. months after graduating from Cornell. Now a $1.5 billion publicly traded company headquartered in Fairport, N.Y., Seneca Foods is a leading producer of packaged fruits and vegetables, sourcing produce from over 1,600 American farms.
Training & News
Collaborating Facilities
Through the center, entrepreneurs have access, for a fee, to additional established Cornell AgriTech facilities.
High pressure processing (HPP) — also known as high hydrostatic pressure — is a non-thermal alternative to thermal pasteurization, which is gaining popularity as consumers continue to demand foods that maintain their freshness, offer a clean label, and deliver superior sensory and nutritional characteristics compared to heat-treated products.
The Vinification and Brewing Laboratory offers analysis services for an array of craft beverage products including wine, cider, beer and distilled products. Additionally, the laboratory researches and troubleshoots craft beverages products in order to support the growth of the New York state craft beverage industry.
The Seneca Foods Foundation Pilot Plant in Geneva, NY, is a unique processing facility designed for food businesses of all sizes to facilitate product development and scale up new or optimized food products. The Pilot Plant provides the facilities and experience our clients need to develop product formulations that scale, create robust production methods and ensure long-term food safety.
Our experts
Cynthia James
- (315) 787-2622
- csj55 [at] cornell.edu
Shannon Prozeller
- (315) 787-2283
- snp47 [at] cornell.edu
Elizabeth Sullivan
- (315) 787-2282
- esk15 [at] cornell.edu
Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center
Cornell AgriTech
Senior Extension Associate
Food Science
Bruno Xavier
- (315) 787-2280
- bmx2 [at] cornell.edu
Seneca Foods Foundation Professor and Director of the Food Venture Center
Cornell AgriTech
Director of the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University
Cornell AgriTech
Professor
Food Science
Olga Padilla-Zakour
- (315) 787-2259
- oip1 [at] cornell.edu