How this multinational food producer found a new home at Cornell AgriTech

When ODR Foods Corporation, a multinational food manufacturer with operations in Canada, Asia and the Middle East, wanted to further expand into the United States, they turned to Cornell AgriTech.

“We wanted to take things to the next level,” said Shehzad Raza, president of ODR Foods.

Raza first connected with the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture (COE) and Cornell Food Venture Center (CFVC) earlier this year. So impressed by what Cornell AgriTech had to offer, Raza decided to license office space at both the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park (Tech Farm) – a New York State Certified Business Incubator – and at the Food Research Laboratory building on the Cornell AgriTech campus in Geneva.

Raza singled out CFVC Director Olga Padilla-Zakour, CFVC Associate Director Bruno Xavier, CFVC Pilot Plant Manager Roger Morse, and COE Executive Director Cathy Young for their work helping ODR Foods.

“These are the right people to work with,” he said. “Together, we can make wonders.”

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ODR Foods, which started in 2009 as a food consulting company before expanding into its own manufacturing operation, boasts a portfolio of seven brands and dozens of different products – from multi-grain pastas and cereals to cheese powders, seasonings, sauces and condiments. Short for “original, delicious, refreshing,” ODR’s goal is to produce high-quality, convenient foods, Raza said.

Prior to his time at ODR Foods, Raza worked in operations and facility management for several large food companies, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Coca-Cola and Unilever.

ODR Foods’ North American operation is based in the Toronto area, but Raza said the company plans to make Geneva its home. The COE is working with ODR Foods to set up a manufacturing facility in the Geneva area, with an eye on using ingredients sourced from around the Finger Lakes, including apples, grapes and buckwheat, and partnering with other Tech Farm tenants to bring business to the area.

At the CFVC Pilot Plant, Raza and a team of Cornell experts are working to revalidate and scale up ODR Foods’ powdered hummus mix, one of several new products ODR Foods and Cornell are working together to develop. 

ODR Foods’ goal, Raza said, is to support local producers, hire local people and in turn, showcase the capabilities of Cornell AgriTech, the COE and its member companies.

“If I’m bringing in business, that business is not just for me,” Raza said. “It’s for the whole ecosystem here.”

Jacob Pucci is the marketing and communications coordinator for the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech.