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 student contributors below!
Coming Soon: FEMI Asynchronous Online Courses
Registration will open in May 2024 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
FEMI Online Course Information
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!
Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC)
Water activity & pH TEsting
Food or beverage entrepreneur? Your local health department may require the water activity and pH to be tested. We can help!
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.
Contact Us
Department of Food Science
femi@purdue.edu
745 Agricultural Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47906
(765) 494-2766
Recent Headlines:
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) recently 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.
Purdue Ice Cream: Inaugural and Innovative Flavors
Our FEMI staff and student team worked hard to research and develop a new ice cream flavor for Purdue University at the request of Purdue President (and avid ice cream enthusiast) Dr. Mung Chiang. Read and watch more about the new Boiler Chips and One Giant Scoop flavors below.
Facilities & Resources
9,500 square feet of dedicated space
Hub of academic instruction
High level research
Extension workshops
Industry Engagement
Competitive industry and government research grants
FDA facility registration in near future
Services offered:
Commercial Kitchen Usage and Support
Hourly Usage for Internal and External Users
Skilled Support of Materials and Equipment
Skidmore Commercial Kitchen is available to external users for reservation. You can view our list of equipment available for use in the kitchen here: Skidmore equipment
To schedule a reservation:
Please contact Josh Martin at mart1543@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
Value-Added Product Development
Benchtop Trials
Analytical Testing, including pH and water activity
Gold Standard Creation
Pilot Plant Processing
Sensory Evaluation
Regulatory Assistance
Validation of Technology
Product Feasibility
Project Management
Student Support
Aseptic Processing
Fermentation
Size Reduction
Microthermics
Hot-Fill/Acidified Pasteurization
UHT/HTST
Microwave
Milling
High-Shear Mixing
Retort
Extrusion
Freeze Drying
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
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
Allison Brown
Entrepreneur Liasion | Food Science
Josh Martin
Research Technician | Food Science
Madison Mehringer
Business Development Administrator | Food Science
Renee Wiatt - FEMI Staff Affiliate
Family Business Management Specialist | Agricultural Economics
Dr. Subhashis Chakraborty
Regulatory Specialist | Food Science
Kassandra Julian - Technical Lead
Hometown: Martinsville, IN
Alexandra Neikirk - Technical Lead
Hometown: Lusby, MD
Nisa Abalioglu - Student Contributor
Hometown: Izmir, Turkey
Areeb Ahmed - Student Contributor
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Emelia Ashby - Student Contributor
Hometown: Elberfeld, IN
Kara Benbow - Student Contributor
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Carson Clymer - Agricultural Economics Contributor
Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN
Aidan Dibble - Student Contributor
Hometown: San Diego, CA
JC Douthit - Student Contributor
Hometown: Noblesville, Indiana
Ayushmann Ghosh - Student Contributor
Hometown: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Claudia Guillen - Student Contributor
Hometown: Hillsborough, NJ
Laura Harriss - Student Contributor
Hometown: Powder Springs, GA
Natalie Haynes - Student Contributor
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Anna Hicks - Student Contributor
Hometown: Okemos, MI
Lily Hough - Student Contributor
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Teresa King - Student Contributor
Hometown: Delaware, Ohio
Ashley Mohammed - Student Contributor
Hometown: Glendale Heights, IL
Barbara Montemayor Martinez - Student Contributor
Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico
Yukina Murata - Student Contributor
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Anika Murthy - Student Contributor
Hometown: Austin, TX
Natcha Ngaosuphanvongs - Student Contributor
Hometown: Pathum Thani, Thailand
Fernanda Pedroza-Altamirano - Student Contributor
Hometown: Lima, Peru
Ava Ralston - Student Contributor
Hometown: Batesville, IN
Nicolas Rosy - Student Contributor
Hometown: Glendale Heights, IL
Doriane-hans Sossou - Student Contributor
Hometown: Benin, West Africa
Ryan Stachler - Student Contributor
Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN
Charlie Steadham - Student Contributor
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Lillian Stone - Student Contributor
Hometown: Frankfort, IL
Thanh Vo - Student Contributor
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Lauren Vollmer - Student Contributor
Hometown: Pewaukee, WI
Stephen Wong - Student Contributor
Hometown: Stamford, Connecticut
Rong Yang - Student Contributor
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan