- National Foodworks Services to leverage ADM’s investment, industry expertise and logistics to help get food innovations into commercial production
- Launch of Food Innovation Challenge incentivizes regional entrepreneurs to pitch new food ideas
DECATUR, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) today celebrated the grand
opening of the new headquarters of National Foodworks Services LLC, a
local food innovation center in Decatur, Ill., funded in part by ADM and
founded by local entrepreneurs Jim Milano and Tony Caccomo.
As a food-business incubator, NFS aims to usher in a new wave of
opportunity for entrepreneurs and the community-at-large. Working
together, ADM and NFS are able to offer resources, expertise and
facilities needed to help customers and third parties innovate to
address changing consumer preferences.
“ADM has one of the broadest ingredient portfolios in the food and
beverage industry, exceptional research and development capabilities,
deep experience in product commercialization, and an unparalleled
logistics network,” said ADM Chairman and CEO Juan Luciano. “Our friends
at NFS, meanwhile, are well-versed in helping smaller entrepreneurs
bring bold new ideas to market. Together, we can help make Central
Illinois a prominent new center for food innovation, in the process
spurring economic growth in our region.”
To that end, ADM announced the launch of the Food Innovation Challenge,
designed to inspire more entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize
their innovations in Decatur. The Food Innovation Challenge will help
connect entrepreneurs with industry experts and investors, and the First
Place Grand Prize Winner will receive $50,000 in seed funding and an
additional $50,000 of in-kind services from NFS for marketing,
production and commercialization assistance. Additional details are
available at www.foodinnovationchallenge.com.
ADM invested $2 million to help NFS develop a 40,000-square-foot
manufacturing complex at the former Brush College School in Decatur,
adjacent to ADM’s James R. Randall Research Center.
About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company
(NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve the vital
needs of a growing world. Today, we’re one of the world’s largest
agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with more than
32,300 employees serving customers in more than 160 countries. With a
global value chain that includes 428 crop procurement locations, 280
ingredient manufacturing facilities, 39 innovation centers and the
world’s premier crop transportation network, we connect the harvest to
the home, making products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy
uses. Learn more at www.adm.com.
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Media Relations
Jackie Anderson
312-634-8484
media@adm.com