Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute
What We Do
Our mission is to fuel economic growth in the region and beyond by enabling food and beverage companies to ideate, develop, and commercialize novel improved, and sustainable products; to provide learning experiences in innovation and entrepreneurship for students in the College of Agriculture; and to contribute to the land-grant research and Extension missions of Purdue University.
Meet one of our students below!
Entrepreneur Quick Links
Register below to ask our experts your food industry and business questions.
Your local health department may require water activity and pH testing. We can help!
Contact Us
Department of Food Science
femi@purdue.edu
745 Agricultural Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47906
(765) 494-2766
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New Programs
FEMI Asynchronous Online Courses
Registration is now open for FEMI's new asynchronous online courses! This content provides foundational and real-world applicable information on topics surrounding food and beverage product development and business planning essentials.
Click below to learn more about FEMI's online courses and to register.
Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC)
Calling all Indiana-based producers of agricultural commodities! FEMI has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the USDA. The purpose of this opportunity is to provide producers of agricultural commodities with food and beverage product creation and essential business developmental resources to create novel food products and take those products to market.
Click below to visit the AIC Website where you can: view grant eligibility, apply, and learn more!
Facilities & Resources
9,500 square feet of dedicated space
For more information on specific equipment and Pilot Plant specifications, please visit our website:
Services offered:
Commercial Kitchen Usage and Support
Hourly Usage for Internal and External Users
Skilled Support of Materials and Equipment
You can view our list of equipment available for use here: Skidmore equipment
To schedule a reservation:
Please contact our FEMI Staff at: FEMI@purdue.edu
Center for Food and Agricultural Business Consumer Corner
Purdue Institute for Family Business Strategic Business Planning
Center for Food Demand Analysis & Sustainability Consumer Food Insights
WHAT WE OFFER
Analytical Testing, including pH and water activity
What is water activity? Water activity (Aw) is a measure of the amount of water in a substance that is available for things like microbial growth. Water activity of a product is between 0 and 1, with pure water having a water activity value of 1. The lower the number, the less likely for microbial growth. A value of 0.85 or below indicates the product is not habitable for microbial activity.
What is pH? pH measures how acidic or basic a solution or substance is. pH can range from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic) with 7 being neutral. pH between 0 and 4.6 is not suitable for microbial growth.
Benchtop Trials
Pilot Plant Processing
Product Feasibility
Regulatory Assistance
Shelf Life Studies
Student Support
Training Sessions & Short Courses
Validation of Technology
Value-Added Product Development
Disclaimer - All equipment processes are for research purposes only and not fit for human consumption.
Aseptic Processing
Extrusion
Fermentation
Freeze Drying
High-Shear Mixing
Hot-Fill/Acidified Pasteurization
Microthermics
Microwave
Milling
Retort
Size Reduction
UHT/HTST
Ultra Filtration
Food Safety - Discuss with us which processes are the right fit for you. Which regulatory agency do you need to use for guidelines? If you want to scale up, what equipment options are right for you?
- Food safety plan creation
- Product specific HAACP
- USDA/FDA guidelines
- Allergen training
- Process specific safety: process authority, specification setting etc.
Food labeling & Packaging - What goes on a label? How do I set the best if used by date? What do I need to consider when purchasing packaging? What do I need to be true for me to label my product gluten-free or kosher?
- Shelf-life testing, how to execute & set best if used by date, considerations and what you’re committing to with a best if used by date
- Label consultation
- Organic/All Natural/ Gluten-free regulations
- Types of packaging/ label interaction
- What to look for in a co-manufacturer
Co-Manufacturer Readiness - What documentation do I need to have in place to approach a co-manufacturer? How do I find a co-manufacturer? How much should I budget for starting up at a co-manufacturer?
- Walk through a sample trial plan
- Learn the lingo for talking to a co-manufacturer
- Learn more opportunities for finding co-manufactures
- Incorporate trial time and product start up into your business plan
- Create a professional trial plan with us for your first trial or start up
- Create specifications and how to communicate them with the manufacturer
Consumer Learning and Empathy - Do you have trouble detaching your emotions from learning about how others view your product? Let us help you design surveys and interview questions to best learn about your product in an unbiased manner.
- Personalized consumer interview questions and surveys
- Help with designing packaging mockups
- Student employees can do flavor testing and focus groups
Product and process development - You know your product better than we do! But do you need some help troubleshooting as you run into new issues in the scale-up process? We're here to help!
- Troubleshooting formula as you learn to scale
- Solution options for industry scale problems
- Contacts within industrial ingredient companies
- Access professor’s industry knowledge through FEMI
Gap Identification - Do you feel like you just don't know what you don't know? We are happy to talk through the things you might need to prepare for in the next step of business development.
- Walk through typical timelines
- Explore the questions that need to be answered to scale up to co-manufacturing through a sample trial plan
- Help prepare for a sales pitch or co-manufacturer meeting
- Listen to ideas and contribute to problem solving
Recent Headlines
FEMI Popcorn Seasoning: Elephant Ear Express and Black Pepper and Golden Cheddar
In honor of popcorn being Indiana's official state snack, our FEMI summer students developed two new popcorn seasoning flavors. These flavors include the sweet Elephant Ear Express and the savory Black Pepper and Golden Cheddar flavors. Purchase your own at the links below!
Black Pepper and Golden Cheddar
Boilermaker Hot Sauce Development: Sauces and Pickles Class
Led by professors Allie Kingery (FEMI Managing Director), Dr. Amanda Deering, and Dr. Steve Hallett, Purdue students in the new Sauces and Pickles class (FS 491) learned how to take local produce and turn it into a viable, value-added food product. The class was tasked with creating two fermented hot sauces. From research into processing and market development, through production and final product packaging, students proved just how much can be accomplished in only one semester. Click the button below to read more about their journey and learn about the process of developing the Boilermaker Black Edition and Boilermaker Gold Edition Hot Sauces.
Interested in purchasing the Boilermaker Black Edition and Boilermaker Gold Edition Hot Sauces? Click on the links below to place your order now!
WHO WE ARE
FEMI Faculty and Faculty Affiliates
Dr. Dharmendra Mishra
FEMI Director | Food Science
Dr. Kenneth Foster
FEMI Assistant Director | Agricultural Economics
Dr. Christian Butzke
FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Food Science
Dr. Amanda Deering
FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Food Science
Dr. Brenna Ellison
FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Agricultural Economics
Dr. Maria Marshall
FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Agricultural Economics
Dr. Senay Simsek
FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Food Science
FEMI Staff and Staff Affiliates
Allison Kingery
FEMI Managing Director | Food Science
Kelsey Budreau
Pilot Plant Manager | Food Science
Dr. Subhashis Chakraborty
Regulatory Specialist | Food Science
Madison Mehringer
Business Development Administrator | Food Science
Dr. Hansel A. Mina
Extension Outreach Specialist and Research Associate | Food Science
Patrick Nycz
Food Business and Marketing Program Advisor | Agricultural Economics
Dr. Athira Syamala
Senior Research Associate I Food Science
asyamal@purdue.edu
Renee Wiatt
Family Business Management Specialist | Agricultural Economics
Welcome to FEMI's Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 Student Contributor Team!
Pictured above are some of our FEMI Student Contributors at their onboarding training.
Welcome students! We are excited for a great year with you all!
Interested in working together?
FEMI project request
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