Welcome to the AURI Contract Manufacturing Toolkit Scaling your food product manufacturing with a contract manufacturer can accelerate growth, but it also introduces important responsibilities and risks that every brand…
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) is pleased to present The Biogas Opportunity for Minnesota Farmers: A Business Guide for On-farm Anaerobic Digestion. The objective of this guide is to introduce the…
AURI’s Virtual Assistant, AVA, makes food expertise available to everyone. Try AVA now!
Starting or growing a food business can be overwhelming, but clear, focused guidance can make all the difference. That’s why the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) created its Food Team…
AURI, in partnership with the Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District (SCSWCD), advanced efforts to develop Kernza value chains for both food and non-food uses.
AURI and the Artisan Grains Collaborative have created a library of 50 downloadable nutrition facts panels in PDF form and a downloadable spreadsheet “calculator” that can generate weight percent-based nutrition facts.
Below you will find a downloadable spreadsheet “calculator” that can generate weight percent-based nutrition facts on more complex finished product blends (customizable up to 5 grain ingredients). To identify individual…
Below you will find a library of 50 downloadable nutrition facts panels in PDF form based on AGC member products and generated using the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food…
This self-guided module seeks to demystify e-commerce and digital marketing for Minnesota’s food businesses, providing both fundamental information and considerations for the scaling food business as they consider how to build their brand’s online presence.
Run Time: 82 minutes Presentation slides available below video.
This guide provides a number of samples and examples of commercially available biobased materials and services. For more information, contact AURI’s biobased materials team. Overview of Available Biobased Materials and…
AURI and the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council created a list of biobased construction materials manufacturers for the general public. You can view the list here.
As food businesses scale from local to regional or national distribution, decisions around packaging, formulation and production are inevitable as each affects a product’s shelf life. Addressing a product’s shelf life is a common stumbling block for food businesses. The following guide helps food businesses understand the basics of product shelf life, impacting factors, an introduction to testing and business implications of shelf life decisions.
This new guide from AURI is a resource designed to help entrepreneurs and food businesses navigate these considerations and make the best decisions for their individual situations. To learn more, download the full guide and view the accompanying video.
In an effort to help food entrepreneurs overcome challenges and successfully bring their products to market, AURI now offers a Pricing and Go-to-Market Guide for food Products. This guide can help entrepreneur struggling with the best way to set a price point for their product in a clear, concise and strategic way.
AURI has produced a free Clean Label Guide that provides important information to help small- and medium-sized Minnesota food producers make the transition to product ingredients that make for a “clean label.”
The topic of safety in the production process is of the utmost importance to any entrepreneur or business that is developing food for commercial sales. Foodborne illnesses are a preventable, underreported public health problem, which place a burden on consumers while negatively affecting a company’s sales and brand.
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) offers the following resources to help avoid common food safety issues:
The increased cost of petroleum-based energy is leading many Minnesotans to seek alternative fuel sources that will serve their heat and energy needs economically, while reducing negative impacts on the environment. One increasingly important alternative fuel is biomass. Corn, wood, straw, grasses, and other forms of biomass are all being burned as viable sources of heat and energy.
In 2011, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) solicited proposals to develop a Biomass Heating Feasibility Guide “for the replacement of high-cost heating fuels, such as propane and fuel oil, with biomass combustion heating systems.” The contract, awarded to DLF Consulting, resulted in this report, which will assist turkey producers and greenhouse operators in rural areas to understand the feasibility of using biomass for heating. The report provides an overview of the elements involved in a biomass heating system – fuels and technologies – and provides information regarding what is required to set up and operate such a system.
The Crop Residue Valuation Template tool allows individuals to calculate the fertilizer replacement value of crop residue removal along with projected residue yields for corn stover and wheat straw. AURI does not recommend utilizing soybean straw for biomass needs due to sustainability questions associated with soybean straw removal.
Welcome to the AURI renewable energy template. This document contains instructions and data for estimating the renewable energy potential and energy demand for a county or region. The primary intent of the template is to provide a “how to” manual for inventorying biomass resources and determining local and/or regional markets for renewable energy.
Trying to enter the market with ag-based biomass pellets isn’t for the uninformed. An AURI-sponsored evaluation examined the challenges and competitive disadvantages that entrepreneurs and new businesses marketing ag-based biomass pellets could face.
