Advancing Dairy- and Egg-Based Protein from Competition Prototypes to Scale-Up through Cornell EntrA

Moonshot Award

Cornell Institute for Food Systems Industry Partnership Program (CIFS-IPP)

Abstract

Consumers increasingly seek convenient, high-protein foods, yet many protein products remain concentrated in shakes, bars, and other functional formats. Whay! and Eggiyo take a different approach by delivering high-quality dairy and egg proteins through familiar, nostalgic foods people already love: potato chips and breakfast cereal.

Whay!, originally developed as Powhey, is a shelf-stable, high-protein chip that won second place and $11,000 at the 2025 IMPA Dairy Product Development Competition. A Summer 2026 Cornell Entrepreneurship Assistantship (EntrA) subsequently supported pilot-scale processing at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva and retail packaging development, helping move the concept toward commercial scale-up. Eggiyo, originally developed as Eggsential, aims to deliver whole-egg nutrition in a familiar cereal format and won first place at the American Egg Board’s 2025 Eggcelerator Lab. 

The project continues to be supported by the American Egg Board, while a newly awarded Summer 2027 Cornell Entrepreneurship Assistantship (EntrA) will support final-stage formulation optimization and pilot-scale extrusion at Cornell AgriTech. As both concepts advance beyond the competition stage, we are now seeking investment and industry partnerships to help bring these Cornell-developed products to market.