Join our program for agricultural producers who want to make value added products from their commodities!
Agriculture Innovation Center
Welcome to the Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC)
Our mission is to provide the resources, opportunities, and knowledge necessary to enable and empower agricultural commodity producers in Indiana to create value-added food products.
If eligible, you will work with our Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute (FEMI) staff, faculty, and affiliates to explore the food industry and business development principles essential to creating a successful value-added product.
This program is applicable to all growers and producers, regardless of end target market, whether that be farmers market, retail, institutional sales, food service, etc.
We understand that you, and your value-added product, are unique. You are welcome to participate in the phases of the program that best suit your needs and can work at your own pace.
We look forward to working with you!
Contact Information
Please email our program manager Madison Mehringer at mmehrin@purdue.edu with your questions.
Please click below to access our program eligibility form.
Completed eligibility forms can be submitted to Madison Mehringer at mmehrin@purdue.edu for review and entry into the AIC program.
Program Sponsorship
USDA Agriculture Innovation Center Program - The purpose of this program is to establish and operate centers that provide technical and business development assistance to agricultural commodity producers seeking to engage in the development and marketing of value-added agricultural products.
Purdue's goal with the program is to lower barriers of entry into the food industry for producers of agricultural commodities. This will be accomplished through three program phases (listed in more detail below) of asynchronous, online courses, in-person workshops, and individualized product and business development support to enable and empower producers to bring novel food and beverage products to market.
What You Will Receive
- Enrollment in our three-phase programming that consists of self-paced online courses, an in-person workshop, and individualized product and business assistance.
- Free access to our six, self-paced online courses (valued at $1800). Three courses focus on food industry principles and three focus on business fundamentals. Each course is estimated to take three hours to complete.
- An opportunity to travel to Purdue's campus for our Food Product Life Cycle Workshop. We will explore the life cycle of value-added products from ideation, through formulation, production, business planning, and scaling-up.
- An invitation to pitch your product idea to join our individualized product assistance program. During this phase of the AIC program, you will work individually with our AIC personnel to tackle the challenges facing your product and/or business.
- Access to our network of resources ranging from our Board of Directors to Purdue, Indiana, and subject matter experts in product and business development, personalized assistance, and industry contacts.
What is a Value-Added product?
To be viewed as a value-added food or beverage, the product must meet at least one of the following requirements according to the USDA:
- Has undergone a change in physical state
- It was produced in a manner that enhances the value of the agricultural commodity
- Is physically segregated in a manner that results in the enhancement of the value of the agricultural commodity
- Is aggregated and marketed as a locally-produced agricultural food product
AIC Program Eligibility
If you are interested in applying for this program, please review the eligibility requirements below. Should you fulfill all requirements, please submit the below-linked eligibility form to FEMI's Business Development Administrator Madison Mehringer at mmehrin@purdue.edu for review and acceptance into the program.
Summary of AIC Grant Eligibility Requirements:
- Participant must live within the state of Indiana.
- Participant must grow/raise at least 51% by weight of the ingredients to be used in the final value-added product.
- The value-added product must be a food or beverage fit for human consumption.
- The value-added product cannot contain controlled substances, such as drugs or alcohol.
Click the tab below to review all of the AIC Eligibility Requirements.
All agricultural commodities produced by growers / producers or the entrepreneurship of growers / producers within the state of Indiana must fall within the below designated categories to be considered for grant funding use and eligibility.
- All products must be safe and regulated for human consumption and considered edible by local, state, and country law.
- The entrepreneur or producer of the agricultural commodity must self-produce at least 51% by weight or higher of the ingredients to be included in the final food product.
- The entire growing and food production operation of the grower / producer must be within the boundaries of the state of Indiana.
- Due to regulatory and production constraints, products eligible for Phase Three: Product Formulation and Development will fall into the following commodity categories: dairy*, vegetables, fruits, corn, soy, meat*, and nut products. All products not within the specified commodity categories are welcome to participate in the first two phases of the grant: Phase 1: Online Course Learning and Phase 2: Food Product Life Cycle Workshop.
- *Dairy products utilizing milk as the initial ingredient will need to arrive pasteurized from an inspected facility ready for further value-added processing. No raw milk will be brought on-site or handled on-site at Purdue University.
- *No meat products will be slaughtered or butchered on-site at Purdue University. Meat products will need to arrive from an appropriately inspected facility ready for further value-added processing.
- Products containing controlled substances (including but not limited to alcohol and drugs) will not be accepted for services.
- Growers and entrepreneurial growers must fill out a form (provided on the first two pages of this document) designating and detailing eligibility of grant funding.
- The form must be submitted for review before services or access to resources are given.
- Every grower / producer is eligible for work on one Phase 3: Product Formulation and Development project at a time.
- Products not fit for human consumption and not within the product categories outlined above will not be considered for funding covered access to Agricultural Innovation Center resources and services.
- Any entrepreneurs, businesses, and/or proposed products that do not fit within the above guidelines may access the Phase 1 online courses through self-paid access and are encouraged to apply to the Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute (FEMI) for services relating to fit for human consumption food grade product development, research, and business planning services for the fees outlined by the Institute.
Program Details
Click through the tabs below to learn about the three phases of AIC programming.Phase 1 - Online Course Learning
Estimated time to complete: 3 hours per Course
Phase 1 of the AIC Program introduces participants to food formulation and production and business development principles through six self-paced online courses. These courses can be completed at the pace of the participant according to their availability. After completion of each course, a certificate of completion, asserting successful completion and learning of course objectives, will be awarded.
Once all six courses have been completed, submit the six certificates of completion to Madison Mehringer at mmehrin@purdue.edu to sign up for Phase 2 - Food Product Life Cycle Workshop. To register for Phase 1, please follow the instructions outlined at the bottom of this section.
Within the six courses, you will learn:
- Food and Beverage Focused Content
- Basics of Microbiology and Food Safety
- Fundamentals of Formulation - Terminology and Logistics
- Value-Added Product Development Principles
- Business Focused Content
- Competitive Analysis and Marketing Strategies
- Financing and Funding
- Fundamentals of a Business Plan and Product and Market Development
For more detailed information on what you will learn within each course, CLICK HERE
Phase 1 Registration Instructions:
Please read through the program requirements and submit the AIC eligibility form to Madison Mehringer at mmehrin@purdue.edu for review and acceptance into the AIC program.
Upon acceptance to the program, you will receive a fee waiver promo code to access the courses listed above.
Please email all grant eligibility and / or Phase 1 questions to Madison Mehringer at mmehrin@purdue.edu.
Phase 2 - Food Product Life Cycle Workshop
time to Complete: one day
Phase 2 of the AIC Program builds upon the safe food production, product formulation, and business planning principles learned in the Phase 1 self-paced online courses. This one-day workshop is held on Purdue University's campus and dives into the life cycle of a food product, from ideation to production, through business development, and scale-up.
More specifically, the workshop examines the ideation phase, recipe and regulatory readiness, safe production, testing metrics, and business development and expansion parameters used to assess the viability and safety of food businesses and products. The selected topics outline major considerations and milestones in the life cycle of creating a food product and are important to launching a successful product. This workshop will also serve as a networking opportunity with other entrepreneurs and food and beverage industry representatives.
Phase 2 workshops will be offered every other month. Please read the instructions below for workshop registration.
Workshop dates
Participation in only one of the below workshops is required for completion of Phase 2.
- September 16th, 2024 - Completed
- November 6th, 2024 - Completed
- January 24th, 2025 - Completed
- March 10th, 2025 - Completed
- May 7th, 2025 - Accepting Participant Registration
- July 18th, 2025
*Important note: Registration for workshops is limited to the first 24 registered participants! Please complete Phase 1 as soon as you can to best position yourself for a spot in one of these Phase 2 Workshops.
Phase 2 Workshop Registration Instructions
After completion of Phase 1, please send your certificates of completion for all six self-paced courses to Madison Mehringer at mmehrin@purdue.edu for access to register for Phase 2 - Food Product Life Cycle Workshop.
Phase 3 - Product Formulation and Development
Estimated time to complete: 6 - 8 months
To prepare program participants for future product pitches, entry into Phase 3 of the AIC Program occurs following a successful product pitch to a panel of judges. The participants who have completed Phases 1 and 2 will be provided the opportunity to pitch their value-added product or product idea to our panel of judges. You only need to attend one product pitch date to pitch your product.
Product Pitch Dates
- December 9, 2024 - Completed
- April 21, 2025 - Accepting Participant Registration
- August 11, 2025
Upon approval, participants will receive individualized support in product production and business planning and development areas such as product feasibility, building a business plan, product formulation and scaling, marketing development, funding strategies, etc. Our AIC affiliates from the Purdue Agricultural Economics Department and the Purdue Food Science Department will provide expertise, insights, and assistance in each step of the process.
Please read below for application instructions for entry into Phase 3. 
Phase 3 Registration Instructions
Phases 1 and 2 of the AIC program must be completed prior to pitching your value-added product or product idea for entry into Phase 3.
Submit your Phase 2 workshop certificate of completion to Madison Mehringer at mmehrin@purdue.edu for access to apply to pitch your value-added product or product idea for entry to Phase 3.
Important Notes:
At this point in time, Purdue does not offer nutritional analysis or co-manufacturing capabilities.
Due to individualized project timelines, participants interested in Phase 3 must be prepared to enter Phase 3 by August 2025 to participate.
FAQ
Do I need to complete the three phases in order? Yes
Are travel expenses to Purdue covered? No
Are pet treats eligible? No, because regulations for human and pet consumption are different and the grant information will only cover materials applicable to food for human consumption.
I have a business partner, do we both need to complete Phases 1 and 2 individually? You are both welcome to do Phases 1 and 2 individually, but it is not required.
What do you consider to be certain controlled substances? Why aren't they allowed in Phase 3? Controlled substances would include alcohol and drugs (we are including THC-containing ingredients such as hemp in this). They are not allowed in Phase 3 because that phase includes having the product on Purdue campus property and it is against university regulations.
Do I have to complete all of the phases? Yes and No. If you wish to have access to resources and materials provided in later phases, then yes, you must complete the phases before the one you wish to access. However, if all of your questions or assistance needs are fulfilled before you complete all three phases there is no requirement to continue to the next phase.
Are expenses for Phase Three covered under the grant? Services are covered by the grant. However, travel would not be covered.
Who should I contact with questions? Madison Mehringer mmehrin@purdue.edu
AIC Staff and Faculty Affiliates
Food Science Department
Dr. Dharmendra Mishra
Food Science Faculty - FEMI Director
Allison Kingery
Food Science Staff - FEMI Managing Director
Madison Mehringer
Food Science Staff - AIC Grant and Program Manager
Dr. Christian Butzke
Food Science Faculty
Dr. Amanda Deering
Food Science Faculty
Dr. Senay Simsek
Food Science Faculty
Allison Brown
Food Science Staff
Agricultural Economics Department
Dr. Brenna Ellison
Agricultural Economics Faculty
Dr. Kenneth Foster
Agricultural Economics Faculty - FEMI Assistant Director
Dr. Maria Marshall
Agricultural Economics Faculty
Patrick Nycz
Agricultural Economics Staff
Renee Wiatt
Agricultural Economics Staff
If you have difficulty understanding English or have a disability, free language assistance or other aids and services are available upon request. Please contact: Maria Poynter, Office of Institutional Equity, 765-494-7255, poynterm@purdue.edu
Si tiene dificultades para entender la lengua inglesa o presenta una discapacidad, puede solicitar asistencia lingüística y otros tipos de ayuda y servicios sin coste alguno. Llame al siguiente número de teléfono: Maria Poynter, Office of Institutional Equity, 765-494-7255, poynterm@purdue.edu
Purdue University prohibits discrimination against any member of the University community on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or status as a veteran. If you are in need of accommodations to attend any of these programs, please contact Madison Mehringer by emailing mmehrin@purdue.edu prior to the program. If you need an interpreter or translator, please contact Madison Mehringer prior to the program.