October 23, 2018
According to a recent news release, 2018 Food Accelerator alum, OURgrain, a food tech social enterprise that repurposes spent grain from breweries, was selected as a Top 26 startup in the MassChallenge Boston accelerator. Following their completion of the Social Enterprise Greenhouse 2018 Food Accelerator program in May, the startup was selected from over 1,600 applicants across industries and regions around the world to participate in the 2018 MassChallenge program. Among the 128 startups that competed, OURgrain was selected as a top 26 startup for the summer. This gives the company access to the MassChallenge Boston co-working space for one year and also allows them to tap into MassChallenge resources and support indefinitely.
“The SE Greenhouse Food Accelerator has really helped our team come together and hone in on our purpose and social mission,” said Natasha Daniels, Co Founder, OURGrain. The company’s mission is to end food waste, and they’ve started with the beer and brewing industry. According to Jessie Pulling, CEO of OURgrain, leftover grain from brewing beer exceeds 10 million gallons per year just in New England. The company addresses this issue by transforming this leftover grain “into high fiber, high protein flour and baking mixes that can be used in both sweet and savory applications.”
Over the the summer, Pulling and her team leveraged expert mentorship, tailored programming, corporate engagement, and industry resources to launch and grow the company.
“Our ultimate goal is to repurpose grain waste of all kinds across the food industry, using it to produce paper, fuel, biodegradable products, and more,” said Pulling.
OURgrain is owned by a team of food scientists and product development chefs from Johnson & Wales University. The company embodies sustainability, constantly striving to reduce negative environmental impacts and redirect food waste from the landfill back into the food chain.
Crystal Rosatti, Communications and Water, Energy, & Environment Initiative Manager
Crystal Rosatti, a Florida native, graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Economics and Computer Music & Multimedia. Crystal’s experience in social enterprise began at WBRU FM, a non-profit educational workshop, where she interned as a Production Engineer and later became Production Director. This experience shaped Crystal’s understanding of businesses as a vehicle for social good, which ignited her desire to dedicate herself to work that has meaningful social impact. Crystal joined the SEG team in September 2015 and currently manages SEG’s Communications and Water, Energy and Environment Initiative. Given her optimistic nature, Crystal is inspired by creating a culture of environmental awareness through individual action and conversation. You can find her at the SEG Hub touting her reusable coffee mug and water bottle, and you will be able to easily distract her from her duties with a conversation about the outdoors and music.