FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Candice Conti
805-756-5171; clconti@calpoly.edu

Entrepreneurship in Food, Wine Industry the Focus of April 22 Forum at Cal Poly

SAN LUIS OBISPO — “Eat More Innovation: Food & Wine for Entrepreneurs” is the title of the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s spring forum set for 4:30 to 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, at Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly.

The forum will explore the dynamic world of food and wine and is designed for local business owners and young entrepreneurs exploring the food and wine industry. Participants will have an opportunity to interact with a panel of entrepreneurs who have aligned their passion for great taste with business practices, innovation and success.

“The food and wine sector is attracting new talent, technologies and capital,” said Jonathan York, professor in Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business and co-founder and faculty director of the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE). “Food innovation is bringing entrepreneurship, food culture and technology to the table, and we want to inspire the next generation of innovators to become the successful catalysts for tomorrow’s food solutions.”

The P.E.N. (Pitches, Exhibits, Networking) portion of the evening will feature an interactive exhibit of projects in the College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences. Attendees will have the chance to compete for prizes.

York and Christiane Schroeter, associate professor in the College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences, will moderate the panel portion of the evening. Panelists include Tonya Antle, principle of Tanimura & Antle Inc., a grower of premium fresh vegetables; Ed Horton, president & CEO of Urban Produce LLC, which touts a new method of vertical growing; Sabrina Muttillo, co-founder of VegThisWay LLC, a Cal Poly CIE startup producing nutritious, on-the-go dehydrated vegetable snacks; and a soon-to-be announced wine entrepreneur.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to network with local and national innovators, like-minded entrepreneurs, and learn more about CIE resources and services.

The forum is free and open to the public; however, advance registration is required. For more information and to register, go to https://aprilforum2015.eventbrite.com.

About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
The Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship manages and supports a wide variety of programs and activities to stimulate the entrepreneurial Learn by Doing spirit at Cal Poly and to assist entrepreneurs in following their dreams. For more information, go to cie.calpoly.edu.

# # #