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The first annual Food Innovation Challenge recently came to a conclusion August 11, 2016. Over 200 people gathered for a banquet at the Decatur Club to celebrate the announcement of the winner of the highly competitive challenge.
The competition was ADM's effort to assist small food entrepreneurs in expanding and improving their food product. There were fifty applicants that were narrowed down to ten semifinalists and then three finalists.
The Food Innovation Challenge enlisted local help from the Decatur community to establish the challenge and its innovators. Millikin University provided seven student interns who worked alongside the JTnet marketing team to promote the challenge. The Decatur SCORE Chapter also provided mentorship to the top ten semifinalists. For this service, SCORE has been listed as a supporting partner.
With business guidance from SCORE's Myung Kim, Kathy's Kitchen, from Virginia, Illinois, was able to achieve second place in the competition. Soozie's Doozies LLC of Union, Missouri, was the first place winner. They won $100,000 in goods and services from ADM, National Foodworks Services, and more.
All semifinalists, sponsors, and partners of the challenge celebrated a victory as well; an opportunity to establish Decatur as an inspiring home to innovation, competition, and of course food.
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