PRESS RELEASE: Relish Works, Gordon Food Service, and 1871 Announce Second Cohort for the Food Foundry Accelerator Program

CHICAGO (August 16, 2019) -- The Food Foundry, a Chicago-based growth accelerator by Relish Works, in partnership with Gordon Food Service and 1871 to support, connect, and propel innovative startups who are reimagining the food industry, will be launching its second cohort in January of 2020; applications are now open. 

The Food Foundry program combines the resources of a national foodservice distributor with a premiere regional startup ecosystem and deep professional expertise in human-centered design and concept testing. The program supports startups by providing access to key foodservice resources such as supply chain, distribution, and stores, along with professional expertise, guidance, and connections to an extensive network of restaurant operators and entrepreneurs. 

“With The Food Foundry, we saw an opportunity to help companies that are leading the evolution of the food ecosystem, and our first cohort was a huge success. I’m looking forward to building upon that success with the passionate, creative, and driven people we’ll have the opportunity to work with this year." – Nick Florek, Director, The Food Foundry

Built on the successes of their first cohort - $4.5 million collectively raised by their startups, seven Gordon Food Service market tests, and three companies expanding to Chicago - The Food Foundry has further enhanced the accelerator’s approach for cohort two. The program is customized to the needs of startups, which includes one week of curriculum in Chicago each month, followed by three weeks focused on implementing those learnings. It will also provide:

• $75,000 in venture capital funding per startup
• Access to expertise from Gordon Food Service for mentorship and opportunities to assist growth
• Tailored curriculum, workshops, and mentorship from seasoned founders and advisors
• Membership to 1871 and its exclusive system of perks, workshops, mentors, and networking
• Dedicated office and meeting spaces
• Access to Relish Work's co-investor network to raise capital for scaling operations
• Ability to tap into and leverage Relish Work's experts in design, business operations, and branding

“It’s a privilege to partner once again with Relish Works and Gordon Food Service to further innovation in the food space. We exist to inspire, support, and equip founders to build great businesses, and we’re thrilled to continue that mission in the food distribution industry by sharing our resources, network, and expertise with this upcoming cohort." – Betsy Ziegler, CEO, 1871

In addition to 1871’s offerings, participants will gain access to the full resources and expertise of GordonFood Service’s wholesale food distribution and market-facing stores, including facilities for testing solutions, supplier relationships, industry experience, and access to design, business, and branding experts.

"Gordon Food Service is a company that was built on innovation, and pushing the boundaries of our industry is in our DNA. The first cohort of The Food Foundry enabled us to work with inspiring individuals who had new and fresh perspectives on problems we face everyday and they challenged us to think differently. I’m excited to continue supporting this program and our continued partnership with 1871 in doing so.” – Rich Wolowski, North American President and CEO, Gordon Food Service

Applications are open now through October 16 and the program will start in January 2020. The FoodFoundry team will have open office hours across North America throughout the fall to connect in-person with startups interested in applying--more information can be found here. Interested parties can apply to be a part of this cohort here.

To learn more about The Food Foundry’s second cohort, please contact Yun Tai at yun@1871.com or Laura Habegger at laura@relishworks.com.