Four food and beverage startups are vying for the top prize at this year’s Oregon Angel Food competition.
The companies will pitch Sept. 17 in the OregonAF Grand Finale & Marketplace. The virtual competition is organized by the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. In addition to the pitches and prizes the event will showcase other food and beverage companies from around Oregon and southwest Washington and viewers will be able to purchase products through the event platform.
The online finale will be from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and will happen on the Brandlive platform. There will be a live after party at Freeland Spirits.
The online portion is a homecoming of sorts. Brandlive itself was the winner of Angel Oregon in 2013, an OEN competition that is the precursor of OregonAF. Brandlive has gone on to see huge growth in the last year as its virtual events platform took off during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Here’s the finalists who are all looking to expand their businesses:
- Young Mountain Tea, based in Springfield, works with Himalayan tea farmers to get their teas to American consumers and help those communities build viable businesses. Founder Raj Vable first connected with these farmers while a Fulbright Scholar working in that region.
- Face Rock Creamery, based in Bandon, is a specialty cheese producer. The company sources its milk from across southern Oregon. Products are available Costco, Kroger, Safeway and Whole Foods.
- Sweet Apricity, based in Vancouver, makes sweet treats such as caramels and marshmallows designed for auto-immune protocol (AIP) and paleo diets. Pronounced ah-priss'-i-tee, the company derives its name from the Latin apricitas, meaning warmth of the sun in winter.
- Puffworks, based in Portland, makes organic peanut butter puffs for infants and children for healthy snacks and food allergy prevention. The puffs are designed for parents to introduce peanuts to babies and as a plant-based protein snack for all ages.
The four startups are competing for a $200,000 angel investment.
Taster’s Tickets to the event go on sale Aug. 13 and include a box of local food and beverage samples to taste while watching the event.
“The normalization of online education and investor pitches brought on by the pandemic has resulted in this year’s OregonAF makers joining from Bandon, Hood River, Bend, Salem, Eugene/Springfield and beyond,” said OEN Executive Director Amanda Oborne, in a written statement. “Peer-to-peer connections among makers are made much richer by virtue of this geographic diversity, and we’re excited to help eater and investors meet new brands from across the region.”
Last year's winner was Take Two Foods, which makes plant-based dairy products using spent barley protein from the beer brewing process.
