News Release Distributed 10/07/13

BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU Food Incubator has received a $20,500 grant from the Louisiana Economic Development Business Incubator Support Program.

LED, which provides funding to the Louisiana Business Incubator Association, allocated the funds to the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator to purchase commercial processing equipment in order to increase the capability of the incubator’s tenants, said Gaye Sandoz, director of the LSU AgCenter Food Incubator.

The funds will be used to buy a 150-gallon stainless steel tank and blender to increase production capabilities for the growing number of the incubator’s tenants, she said.

“Local companies have pitched in to make the incubator a fast-growing food entrepreneur hub,” Sandoz said. One of the tenants, Hanley’s Foods, is only eight months old, and its new sensation salad dressing “is flying off of the shelves,” she added.

Associated Grocers President J.H. Campbell Jr. donated two booth spaces to incubator clients at their semi-annual show, Sandoz said. Two of the participants, Elkarita and Hanley’s Foods, were able to make connections with a large number of stores at that one show.

Richard Hanley said he made so many connections with stores that he became an Associated Grocers supplier, with them fulfilling orders for his 50 customers.