Cultivate.CAFLS

Hinson Family Farms

$2,000 - Agricultural Sciences

Team Member
Kinlyn Hinson, Agricultural Education

Hinson Family Farms is a six-generation grit farm operation. Grown, packaged, and shipped directly from the family farm, Hinson Family Farms aims to bridge the gap between agriculture education and the general public. As of 2022, Hinson Family Farms has sold 180,000 units and intends to utilize the opportunity Cultivate.CAFLS provides in order to purchase a travel trailer. With this trailer, the operation can become mobile and demonstrate what agriculture truly is to consumers everywhere. After all, without agriculture, where would we be?

Voney

$1,500 - Food, Nutrition and Packaging Science

Team Member
Javin Goodine, Food, Nutrition and Culinary Sciences
Brennan Lytle, Packaging Science
Luke Watrous, Packaging Science
Remy Schimick, Packaging Science
Emmery Sayers, Packaging Science
Brysen Nelson, Packaging Science 

Honey is one of the most versatile foods in the world. It is found in more places than just a plastic bear jar on a shelf. It is used in everything from breads, cured meats, cereal, condiments, pharmaceuticals and even skincare products. The annual consumption of honey is constantly increasing in the US, creating a demand too difficult for beekeepers to manage. As a result, the majority of honey is imported and adulterated, providing a product of lesser quality to consumers.

Additionally, veganism is on the rise. With a plethora of vegan alternatives for just about everything, honey is one product that has not been expanded upon. Look no further than Voney–a plant based alternative to honey made from apples, tea and sugar. Not only is it a healthier alternative thanks to antioxidants, it has a similar appearance and flavor profile to honey, meaning consumers receive all of the delicious taste and none of the adulteration!

Upgrain

$1,000 - Food, Nutrition and Packaging Science

Team Member
Toni Sharp, Food, Nutrition and Packaging Science
Sara Abbett Kirven, Packaging Science
DeAundre Cooley, Packaging Science
Kirsty McLaren, Packaging Science
Emily Stacy, Packaging Science

Many meal bars on grocery shelves have a negative environmental impact, be it non-recyclable or compostable metallized films or inefficient use of remaining ingredients. The smaller decision of purchasing an unsustainable meal bar plays into the larger global issue of around $1 trillion dollars worth of food waste and 10 million tons of plastic packaging landfilled in the US each year.

This is where Upgrain comes in. Upgrain is a delicious oat-based bar made with upcycled barley, also known as “spent grains.” Spent grains are the high fiber, high protein barley leftover after beer making that are then dried and ground into a flavorless powder. In addition, Upgrain meal bars use curbside recyclable packaging. This bar helps divert plastic pollution from landfills and eliminate food waste, creating a closed loop, sustainable food system. Upgrain is a bar that consumers can feel good about knowing snacking never did so much good!

Recheeseable

$500 - Food, Nutrition and Packaging Science

Team Member
Deb Hutchins, Food, Nutrition and Packaging Science
Riley DeKrafft, Graphic Communications
Copeland Reed, Packaging Science
Clare Sumners, Packaging Science
Sarah Dumont, Packaging Science 

When it comes to blocks of cheese, consumers are looking for resealable cheese packaging that easily opens and closes, while maintaining the freshness of the cheese within. Enter Recheesable: Specialized plastic cheese packaging with an easy-tear, air-tight seal prior to opening and an even easier to use reusable adhesive closure. Not only does this packaging technology eliminate the need for a zip-top plastic bag, it also maintains the correct conditions for prolonged storage. Ditch the extra bag so we can all say “Cheeeese!”

Blooms and Buds

Team Members
Mark Burns, Horticulture
Abigail Gibson, Ag Business
Weston Whitfield, Packaging Science

The floriculture industry has been a thriving segment of agribusiness across the globe with the advent of Floral Shops and services at the beginning of the industrial age in the late 1800s. A recent study by the Greenhouse Industry indicates that Gen Y consumers are significantly less likely to have a high appreciation of flowers, give flowers as gifts, and differentiate florists from other gift retailers and/or purchase mixed flowers. This data suggests that for floral businesses to expand their market share to younger populations, an effort to market flower purchases have meaning beyond the plant purchase is a possible method to attract younger consumers to become loyal floral customers. This project will explore a marketing approach that capitalizes on the concept of a sustainable and environmental beneficial plant and package to entice young consumers to give sustainable blooms and buds. This will be done in the production process of flowers and sustainable recyclable packaging to ship or share the flower purchase.

Biopack Kudzu Plastic

Team Members
Sneh Bangar, Food, Nutrition & Packaging Sciences
Cayden Gates Food, Nutrition & Packaging Sciences

In the past few decades, the production and application of plastic have escalated due to wide availability, cost-effectiveness, and excellent mechanical properties. However, plastic waste is low biodegradable and significantly contributes to environment pollution. Due to the highest consumption of plastic, packaging industries have become the primary source of plastic waste accumulation at an alarming rate. Therefore, there is an urgency to introduce environment-friendly packaging materials that are durable and cost-effective.

Natural polymers have been explored as potential alternatives to conventional packaging material. Among biopolymers, starch stands out as the future green biopolymer because of its abundant availability, renewability, eco-friendliness, and degree of functionality. However, poor processibility, restricted tensile strength, and high-water absorption capacity of starch films limit their practical applications. Recent research has shown that chemical modifications of starch and reinforcement with other polymers can improve the mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of starch films. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) extracted from plant tissues have shown promise to improve properties of natural polymers by improving crystallinity, mechanical strength, surface area, and active binding sites.

Kudzu is an invasive weed which has aggressively invaded over three million hectares in US. Kudzu is extremely bad for the ecosystems and infrastructure, including shading out native vegetation, altering soil chemistry, decreasing native biodiversity, and destroying power lines/ structures. It would be beneficial if kudzu is utilized to extract CNCs to reinforce starch-based films.

Therefore, developing starch-based films ovide commercial use of invasive weed but also offer a sustainable option for packaging industry.

Kerby’s Kritters

Team Member
Julia Kerber, Animal and Veterinary Sciences with a concentration in Agribusiness

I plan to advance my entrepreneurial project Kerby's Kritters. Kerby's Kritters is a pet boarding, grooming, and daycare service that will be located in South Carolina. We will specialize in dogs but welcome other household pets to board when owners are away on vacation. Daycare services will be offered on weekdays for dogs to socialize and exercise while owners are working or running errands. The dogs will be allowed to play in groups to enhance their social skills and playtime activities. We will offer grooming services with a certified groomer and boarding all year long for a variety of household pets. When boarding, there will be a variety of addons that owners can purchase to make each pet's stay memorable and enjoyable. There will also be a small store upfront with pet essentials and cute gifts for sale. Overall, I want to create a fun and safe experience for pets at a country styled kennel run by passionate and experienced staff. Kerby's Kritters will give pets time to socialize and exercise while at daycare and boarding, a secure and comfortable area at night, and beautifying makeovers in grooming.