Chelsea Minor, corporate director of public affairs for West Sacramento, California-based Raley’s, spoke to SFA News Daily about the new Raley’s Food Lab and how the retailer will bring some of the foods developed there, in-store.
Tell me about the Raley’s Food Lab and how it came to be.
Raley’s Food Lab is a working food lab within nonprofit AgStart’s new, shared-use innovation incubator in Woodland, California, supporting innovators and startup companies in agriculture, food, and health. The Lab@AgStart will incubate companies and concepts like environmentally-friendly biocontrol products for agriculture, new drought-resistant crops, and new foods and food-as-medicine ingredients. Raley’s is invested in the greater Sacramento region’s agriculture and food production. Whenever possible, we support and buy products locally from all the communities we serve. The Raley’s Food Lab will provide an ideal location for food entrepreneurs to experiment and test new foods and food ingredients in a region renowned for its vibrant agriculture and food innovation ecosystem.
Can you tell me about the entrepreneurs who are using it? Is there a selection process that they must undergo?
Due to some construction delays, The Lab@AgStart is not open (just yet), but we do anticipate it in the coming weeks. Following Raley’s investment announcement, the interest from food entrepreneurs outpaced other companies for the greater lab. This affirms the need for a quality co-working and kitchen space in Sacramento.
The facility will be used for sampling, taste-testing, and small volume sales. Will Raley’s sell these products in-store?
Yes! Our hope is to provide food entrepreneurs support and connections to the Raley’s organization. It may not occur directly coming out of the lab, but our team is committed to considering and purchasing local food products.
Raley’s will provide entrepreneurs with mentorship and support to scale their business. Please tell me about the specific resources that will be available to entrepreneurs.
We are all committed to sourcing local products and supporting food entrepreneurship. We have offered Raley’s experts as mentors to food entrepreneurs. In our discussions with entrepreneurs, we know there is interest in topics from packaging to food safety to labeling to marketing.
Why is the co-location of the Raley’s Food Lab and the Yoca Dehe Lab, where entrepreneurs can assess the nutrient content of their foods, ideal?
Sacramento is the world’s Farm to Fork Capital. Our region is a powerhouse for agriculture and food production. The Lab@AgStart facility will be the largest shared-use wet-lab facility for startup companies in the entire Central Valley region. This lab is primed to expand our capacity to support science-based Food and Ag technology innovation. We are excited to see the innovations that come out of this new facility!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Raley’s is proud to support AgStart and agricultural innovation. Our investment is a unique public-private partnership that enhances our business community, education system and food production. We believe the Raley’s Food Lab will support food entrepreneurs, who will lead the way to a better food system.
Related: Raley's to Open O-N-E Market Store; Raley's Shares Safety, Sustainability Efforts.
Image: AgStart