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!

Contact Us

Department of Food Science
femi@purdue.edu 
745 Agricultural Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47906
(765) 494-2766

Workshops

ONLINE COURSES

FOOD SCIENCE VIRTUAL TOUR

 

 Water Activity and PH Testing

Food or beverage entrepreneur? Your local health department may require the water activity and pH to be tested.  We can help!

 WATER ACTIVITY & PH TESTING 

The Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute at Purdue University fuels economic growth in Indiana and beyond by enabling food and beverage ideation, development, and commercialization of novel improved and sustainable products through supporting farmers, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and large corporations.
 
Innovation and collaboration are essential pillars to the success of FEMI. Click below to view more information about our Partners and Donors who help make this possible.
 

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.

FEMI Online Course Information

FEMI COURSE DIRECTORY

FEMI COURSE REGISTRATION

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)

Facilities & Resources

9,500 square feet of dedicated space

 

For more information on specific equipment and Pilot Plant specifications, please visit our website:

Purdue Food Science Pilot Plant

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 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

Innovation to Market cycle

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

Business Planning

Consultation

 

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

Purchase Consultation Hours

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. 

Boilermaker Hot Sauce

 

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.

The Inside Scoop          WTHR Interview          FOX 59 Interview

WHO WE ARE

FEMI Faculty and Faculty Affiliates

Dr. Dharmendra Mishra 

Dr. Dharmendra Mishra 

FEMI Director | Food Science

mishra67@purdue.edu 

Dr. Ken Foster

Dr. Kenneth Foster 

FEMI Assistant Director | Agricultural Economics

kfoster@purdue.edu 

Dr. Christian Butzke

Dr. Christian Butzke 

FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Food Science

cbutzke@purdue.edu 

Dr. Amanda Deering

Dr. Amanda Deering 

FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Food Science

adeering@purdue.edu 

Dr. Brenna Ellison

Dr. Brenna Ellison 

FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Agricultural Economics

bdelliso@purdue.edu 

Maria Marshall

Dr. Maria Marshall 

FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Agricultural Economics

mimarsha@purdue.edu 

Dr. Senay Simsek

Dr. Senay Simsek 

FEMI Faculty Affiliate | Food Science

ssimsek@purdue.edu 

 

FEMI Staff and Staff Affiliates

Allie Kingery

Allison Kingery 

FEMI Managing Director | Food Science

allie@purdue.edu  

Allison Brown

Allison Brown 

Entrepreneur Liaison | Food Science

brow2497@purdue.edu 

Kelsey Budreau

Kelsey Budreau 

Pilot Plant Manager | Food Science

budreaukj@purdue.edu

Dr. Subhashis Chakraborty

Dr. Subhashis Chakraborty 

Regulatory Specialist | Food Science

chakr103@purdue.edu 

 Madison Mehringer

Madison Mehringer 

Business Development Administrator | Food Science

mmehrin@purdue.edu 

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Patrick Nycz 

Food Business and Marketing Program Advisor | Agricultural Economics

pnycz@purdue.edu 

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Dr. Athira Syamala

Senior Research Associate I Food Science
asyamal@purdue.edu 

Renee Wiatt

Renee Wiatt 

Family Business Management Specialist | Agricultural Economics

reneewiatt@purdue.edu

 

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Areeb Ahmed 
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

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Grace Alleman 

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Raneem Amr 

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Emelia Ashby
Hometown: Elberfeld, IN

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Kara Benbow 
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

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Hannah Conklin 
Hometown: 
Lafayette, IN

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Aidan Dibble 
Hometown: San Diego, CA

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Anna Fisher 

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Ayushmann Ghosh 
Hometown: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

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Claudia Guillen 
Hometown: Hillsborough, NJ

laura-harriss-powder-springs-ga.jpeg
Laura Harriss 
Hometown: Powder Springs, GA

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Natalie Haynes 
Hometown: Memphis, TN

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Anna Hicks 
Hometown: Okemos, MI

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Teresa King 
Hometown: Delaware, Ohio

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Catherine Kruger 

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William Meyer 

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Ashley Mohammed 
Hometown: Glendale Heights, IL

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Natcha Ngaosuphanvongs
Hometown: Pathum Thani, Thailand

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Chris Panzera
Hometown: 
Moorestown, NJ

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William Petrusson 

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Nicolas Rosy 
Hometown: Glendale Heights, IL

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Lillian Stone
Hometown: Frankfort, IL

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Melissa Suarez
Hometown: 
Panama City, Panama

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Emma Urick
Hometown: Carmel, IN

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Thanh Vo 
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

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Lauren Vollmer 
Hometown: Pewaukee, WI

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Stephen Wong 
Hometown: Stamford, Connecticut

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Rong Yang 
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan

Interested in working together?

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