ORLANDO, FL — During the American Society of Baking (ASB)’s BakingTECH 2025 conference, held Feb. 15-19, the winner was announced for the 2025 Product Development Competition (PDC), sponsored by the National Honey Board.
Finalists were assessed by a panel of industry judges on key factors including product innovation, formulation, process scalability, food safety and market viability.
Madeline Murphy and Nicholle Tan, juniors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, took home first place and the top share of the $20,000 scholarship pot. Their entry, HoneyCrunch, utilized flavors including honey and lavender to put a creative spin on brownie brittle. Judges chose HoneyCrunch due to the product’s originality, innovation, creativity, quality and market potential.
“This was one of the most innovative products we’ve seen at any product development competition we’ve sponsored,” said Catherine Barry, VP of marketing for the National Honey Board. “Madeline and Nicholle nailed the innovation part of this competition, as well as the presentation. Everyone at BakingTECH came away impressed with HoneyCrunch and the team’s explanation of the technical and marketing aspects of the product.”
Cornell University took second place for prOATS!, a bite-sized cookie filled with peanuts, oats, honey and caffeine. Oregon State University rounded out the competition in third place with its entry of Graden Box Cookies, described as a crunchy cookie topped with a caramel honey drizzle.
This is the 11th iteration of the PDC, which is designed to grant food science students exposure to industry experts and offer an opportunity to showcase their innovation.
