The egg industry is ushering in the next generation of CPG startups that incorporate this timeless commodity in their products, and the incubator program was on full display earlier this month at the IFT FIRST show in Chicago.
The American Egg Board had a strong presence at the show, promoting its Eggcelerator Lab, an incubator for food and beverage products formulated with eggs, as well as its Founder Cohort program, which launched in January to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
The Eggcelerator Lab offers a variety of resources through partners such as JPG Resources, a food and beverage innovation platform. Its R&D arm, CuliNEX, operates as a product development consultancy.
The Founder Cohort is geared toward entrepreneurs seeking support beyond product development, such as building a brand positioned for growth, said Nate Hedtke, executive vice president of demand creation at the American Egg Board.
“It’s a program that we’ve had a tremendous initial reaction to, and we expect the program to continue in the coming years,” he said during a presentation of the Eggcelerator and Founder Cohort programs at IFT.
Eggs go full throttle
The American Egg Board has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs since the launch of the Eggcelerator Lab about three years ago, according to Nelson Serrano-Bahri, director of innovation at the American Egg Board.
Serrano-Bahri likened the program to business incubators like The Mista in San Francisco, The Hatchery in Chicago and Union Kitchen in Washington, DC.
Sarah Nathan, founder of Nooish, a startup that makes microwavable matzo ball soup, was first working with The Hatchery in Chicago before joining the Eggcelerator program.
“We did a project with her within the Eggcelerator Lab, and now she’s out of The Hatchery and selling. Sarah has done very well at growing her brand,” Serrano-Bahri said.
The AEB said in January that its Founders Cohort program, which included Nooish and 10 other brands, includes 12 bi-weekly, 90-minute education sessions covering key business topics, including:
- e-commerce
- marketing and branding
- sales channels
- PR and consumer relations
- R&D and packaging
- supply chain
- fundraising, quality assurance
- CPG legal fundamentals
The cohort program was developed by AEB partner JPG Resources.
“Founders are constantly navigating new territory as they scale,” Andrea Chan, associate director of innovation at AEB, said in January. “This partnership with JPG Resources enables us to offer them actionable guidance that empowers more egg-based innovations to reach consumers. Through this community of peers and access to experts we hope to demystify the path to growth and give entrepreneurs the confidence, skills and support they need to build enduring brands.”
Nooish on store shelves
Nathan spent roughly a decade in the food and beverage industry, most recently as a category manager at Chobani, and said she saw a white space in modern Jewish comfort food.
“I saw so many of my friends elevating their own culture’s food, and I looked around and I really saw that there was no one elevating Jewish food on a modern mass level outside of the kosher aisle, outside of Manischewitz,” she said.
She said the dumplings are made with matzo meal, egg and oil and come with carrots, onions and a base for broth.
“We use lots of eggs, and that’s how we actually make the texture super fluffy and super delicious,” she said, noting that the product took two years to develop.
AEB meets Nooish
The relationship between Nooish and AEB started a few years ago at an IFT FIRST show, where Nathan met Hedtke.
The Eggcelerator program’s hands-on approach helped Nathan with formulation and growth. Since launching in January 2025, Nooish has sold more than 50,000 cups and can now be found in more than 200 retail stores nationwide.
