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Rutgers opens new food innovation facility
The state’s farmers will reap a bumper crop of support at Rutgers’ new Food Innovation Center (FIC), newly planted in Bridgeton, Cumberland County.
October 17 marked the formal opening of the $8 million facility, designed to serve as both business incubator and food-processing venue.
“In this new facility, we can assist farmers, startups, and established food companies through every aspect of their business process, literally from concept to commercialization,” said H. Louis Cooperhouse, FIC director, who hosted more than 300 visitors at the opening ceremonies.
The Garden State’s farmers, part of an industry that brings in $82 billion annually, have been economically stressed over the past few years in the face of increasing urbanization, competition from abroad, and soaring fuel and production costs.
The new center, a project of Rutgers’ New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), is designed to address some of these hardships. It provides business and technology expertise to small and midsized food and agribusinesses in the state, helping them to extend their reach nationwide – and, in some cases, globally.
Since 2001, the FIC has operated from rented office space in Bridgeton, where it stretched out a helping hand to more than 1,000 companies and entrepreneurs from each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Clients have included farmers and cooperatives, fledgling food companies, existing small and midsized food establishments, and retail and food service markets seeking to purchase products made and grown near their home bases
With its 23,000 square feet of space and its multitude of
kitchens, laboratories, storage areas, and offices, the new center is primed to
take full advantage of a growing national passion for locally grown fruits and
vegetables.
Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick and NJAES Executive Director Robert M. Goodman were hosts at the grand opening and ribbon cutting last month. Participants toured the incubator and processing facility and munched on products from many of the center’s clients.
They also admired the facility’s gleaming vats and stainless-steel sinks, part of the four processing and packaging areas available to clients. Amenities also include a library and conference room.
Guests at the festivities included U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J. Also on hand were Thomas C. Dorr, U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary, and Charles M. Kuperus, N.J. Department of Agriculture secretary.
Funding for the project and its operations comes from Rutgers NJAES, the federal Economic Development Administration and Department of Agriculture, the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the state Commission on Science and Technology and Department of Agriculture, the Cumberland Empowerment Zone, and the City of Bridgeton.
Since the FIC began offering services from a 4,000-square-foot temporary quarters seven years ago, Cooperhouse noted, the National Business Incubation Association has named it the 2007 “Incubator of the Year” in the services and manufacturing category. In addition, the USDA recognized the center as a national innovative program model.
The director noted that the new facility will enhance collaboration between Rutgers researchers and the food industry and will also offer new experiential opportunities for Rutgers’ students.