Renewal Mills among Grow-NY 2025 finalists

BACK TO ALL NEWS

Renewal Mills among Grow-NY 2025 finalists

2 Sep 2025

Annie Hollon

Annie Hollon is a journalist, copywriter and social media strategist from the Dallas, Texas area. She found a love for magazine writing during her time at the University of Alabama where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in public relations and English. Beyond writing, you can find her expanding her library, attempting to teach herself the guitar and trying new hobbies.

ROCHESTER, NY — Renewal Mill, a Canandaigua, NY-based producer of upcycled snacks and baking ingredients, is one of 20 finalists in the seventh edition of Grow-NY, a food and agriculture business competition awarding $3 million in prize money annually.

The competition is supported by Empire State Development (ESD) and Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, with funding stemming from ESD’s division of science technology and innovation and New York’s Upstate Revitalization Initiatives.

“Each year, the Grow-NY food and agriculture competition attracts top-quality startups and talent from around the world to upstate New York,” said Hope Knight, president, CEO and commissioner of ESD. “Through continued support from New York State, these Grow-NY innovators will create jobs and generate new investments that will drive economic growth in central New York, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier for years to come.”

Renewal Mill was selected from an applicant pool of 270 startups by a panel of 40 judges.

Finalists now move onto a 10-week business development accelerator program, where they’ll receive tailored mentorship, business development support, industry connections and more.

The competition will conclude with live pitches held during the Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit, set for Nov. 12-13 in Canandaigua.

“The Grow-NY competition operates at the intersection of innovation, agriculture and economic development,” said Jenn Smith, program director of Grow-NY. “Our team spends months searching for novel food and ag startups making valuable changes to our food systems that could thrive and create opportunity in upstate New York. We’re excited to facilitate their deep connections in the region over the next couple of months and look forward to sharing their pitches with the public in November.”

Grow-NY will award $1 million to the top finalist, $500,000 to two more and $250,000 to four additional participants.

Advertisement

BACK TO ALL NEWS