Jenni Spinner: Could you please tell us the idea behind this program supporting founders of egg-centric food companies? 

Nelson Serrano-Bahri: This program is the ideal opportunity to connect the American Egg Board’s broader innovation strategy with the next generation of food entrepreneurs. We are highlighting and supporting real brands in action that perfectly demonstrate the indispensable role real eggs play as a key ingredient. By launching this first-ever egg-centric Founders Cohort, we’re investing in founders who are pushing boundaries with eggs across many different categories, while giving them the tools, expertise and community they need to scale. It’s about strengthening the future of food by supporting the innovators who are shaping it.

JS: How are folks considered? 

NSB: Founders are considered through a targeted outreach and application-based process designed to identify high-potential, egg-centric businesses that can benefit from structured support. Selection is based on factors like:

• Egg relevance and authenticity: Eggs play a meaningful role in the product’s formulation, function, nutrition, and/or brand story.
• Product-market potential: Clear consumer value proposition, differentiation, and growth runway within snack, bakery, or adjacent categories.
• Founder readiness: Demonstrated commitment, coachability, and willingness to apply feedback and show progress over the six-month program.
• Stage and traction: Typically early-to-growth stage brands where the cohort can materially accelerate key capabilities (e.g., margins, scale-up, distribution, e-comm).
• Operational viability: Basic ability to produce, comply, and scale responsibly (food safety mindset, realistic supply chain, regulatory awareness).
• Strategic fit: Alignment with the cohort’s goals, community dynamics, and the types of expert support available.

JS: What are the benefits of participating? 

NSB: Participants gain access to a six-month, business-school-style curriculum tailored to the real challenges founders can face, from marketing and e-commerce to R&D, supply chain, fundraising and legal fundamentals. In addition to the sessions, founders receive 1:1 advisory support, peer networking and direct access to industry experts from both JPG Resources and AEB. The result is practical guidance, stronger foundations for growth and a supportive community that helps founders move smarter and faster.

Cody Miller, founder of Warmly, Cookies

Courtesy of Warmly, Cookies

JS: Please describe your products and the ingredients.

Cody Miller: We make two products: our Signature Chocolate Chip Cookie with Sea Salt and a Gluten-Free version. The Warmly, Cookie is what we call a "hybrid" cookie. It sits between thin-crispy and thick-chewy, landing somewhere more indulgent than either extreme.

The cookie itself: A caramelized butter dough rich with vanilla and molasses. Real eggs and extra vanilla extract. Two different chocolate chip varieties for varied taste and texture in every bite. Finished with flaked sea salt to balance the sweetness and add dimension. It's designed as an evening treat, something decadent that makes ordinary moments feel special.

JS: How did your love of cookies and coziness inspire the company, and how did you get off the ground?

CM: There's something special to a warm chocolate chip cookie at the end of the day. Whether you're settling in for a movie, gathering around a board game, hanging out with your family, or having guests over. It's a dessert that feels more intimate than cake, more comforting than ice cream. Timeless, but also deeply personal.

We started with a simple concept: could we deliver that experience directly to people's doorsteps? We built a subscriber list and began delivering our warm cookies to customers' homes, almost like a modern-day milkman, but for treats. This let us test not just the cookie itself, but the entire experience: how the brand felt, how customers received it, whether our cookie held up against everyone's favorite family recipe.

And with chocolate chip cookies, everyone has a benchmark to compete with. We needed to create something that honored the quality of tradition while offering something distinct enough that you couldn't just make it yourself at home. Something worth the anticipation and the event.

JS: What consumer trends and interests does your product fit into?

CM: We see Warmly fitting into the broader self-care movement, although not in the traditional wellness sense. Our product isn't "healthy," but it does support healthful activities. It creates permission structures for the moments that matter.

When you pull a cookie dough ball from your freezer and slide it into the oven, you're not just making dessert. You're creating a small event. You're building in time to be present. So if that means finally watching that film, diving yourself in a book, or spending quality time with someone you care about. The cookie becomes the anchor for mindfulness and intentionality.

We're interested in how small indulgences can elevate ordinary evenings into something memorable. That's the trend we're following: people craving meaningful moments, and products that facilitate rather than complicate those experiences.

JS: What's next for Warmly, Cookies?

CM: We're currently refining our Ready-to-Bake frozen cookie product for nationwide shipping. The goal is to bring the Warmly, experience beyond our Columbus delivery zone and letting customers across the country create those same warm, intentional moments in their own homes, on their own time.

We're also exploring how Warmly can show up in corporate gifting and specialty retail partnerships with brands that share our ethos around thoughtful experiences. Our throughline remains the same, with a goal of creating small moments of warmth and connection, wherever people are.

Medina Krevans, founder of Lowtide Goods

Courtesy of LowtideJS: Could you please describe Lowtide—the product, and the ingredients?  

Medina Krevans: Lowtide Goods is reimagining the meringue cookie with Dainties—bite-sized nut-meringues that are naturally gluten- and dairy-free. Dainties come in three flavors, all of which consist of high-quality nuts wrapped in an egg-white meringue coating. The best seller is the Brown Sugar Pecan meringue - people say it tastes like a praline, or a pecan pie, but with a crispy texture instead of something buttery and sticky. Based in Chicago, each Dainty is handmade and hand-packed using minimal, whole ingredients.

JS: Could you please talk about how your grandmother’s beloved recipe inspired the idea, and how did the company get started?

MK: My Grandma Patsy began making Dainties over 65 years ago when she adapted a meringue recipe by adding brown sugar and nuts. She was the consummate hostess, always having people over for dinners and parties, but she did not like making desserts. So she trained every one of her five children (and then her grandchildren) to churn these out for parties and special events. I grew up with Dainties at all of the special moments of my life—weddings, funerals, anniversaries. The company got started when I realized how unique this product was and how it naturally fit dietary restrictions and lifestyle preferences, with minimal ingredients, while still being shelf-stable. The recipe required no tweaking to be scalable, so I focused on developing and perfecting several additional flavors to round out the product line and bring it to the point of launch.

JS: What consumer trends and interests does your product fit into? 

MK: 

• Heritage/Nostalgic Food The 65-year family recipe and multi-generational story tap into consumers' desire for authentic, heritage foods with proven longevity. In an era of viral food trends and ever-changing fads, Dainties represent something a bit different: a recipe that has been tested and treasured across three generations, present at life's most meaningful moments, that celebrates the way that food brings people together.
• Clean Label/Minimal Ingredients Dainties have 6-7 ingredients total and require no artificial flavors, dyes, or preservatives. While they are still an indulgence, they allow people to savor and snack on something craveable while still eating something made from whole ingredients.
• Allergen-Friendly Being naturally gluten-free and dairy-free positions Dainties perfectly for the growing market of consumers with dietary restrictions or those choosing to avoid certain ingredients. Dainties also naturally fit these restrictions—they aren't made with alternative flours, fats, or ingredients, so they can be served, shared, and gifted to people with certain restrictions without being an "othered" product.

JS: What’s next for the company?

MK: For Lowtide Goods, 2026 is the year of retail. This year, we are launching in several stores in the Chicagoland area while continuing to sell online and at pop-up markets. We are looking to test how the product performs in the market and iterate on what messaging and actions help customers find and connect with us.

Anirudh Mamtora, founder of Ruani

Courtesy of RuaniJS: Could you please describe Ruani’s products, and the ingredients?

Anirudh Mamtora: Ruani says, 'Sayonara!' to 10-syllable ingredients and health-hazards disguised as treats to provide you with a delectable range of delicious, melt-in-your-mouth brownies. We use pure ingredients in our brownies, like almond flour, avocado oil, organic pasture-raised eggs, and unrefined coconut sugar. 

Free from gluten, dairy, refined sugar, GMOs, and harmful chemicals, the brand is based on a set of four simple principles:

• Uncompromising quality (because why settle for meh?)
• Clean, simple ingredients (easy-peasy, no funny business!)
• Catering to conscious consumers (high-fives for smart snackers!)
•  Gut-healing deliciousness in every bite (your tummy's new BFF!)

I’m thrilled to be able to present Ruani’s signature brownie range, actively bridging the gap between healthy eating and sinful snacking to allow individuals the opportunity to enjoy mindful munching without limitations. 

JS: Please talk about how your gut-health journey inspired the company, and how you got started.

AM: I started experimenting with the bold concept of a gut-healthy, delicious brownie, looking to turn one of my favorite treats into a bite-sized confection that's pure decadence. I relied on all-natural ingredients that packed a super-nourishing punch, using nutrient-rich components such as almond flour, avocado oil, organic pasture-raised eggs, and unrefined coconut sugar to create his masterpiece. After months of experiments and trials on tummies of all kinds (with lots of giggles and "yum" exclamations), I was finally ready to present Ruani's offerings. Brownie points for creativity! 

Combining my wife Ruchi’s name with my own, the word Ruani directly translates to "From the Soul". An apt name for a range that is quite literally made from the best that the earth has to offer.

JS: What consumer trends and interests does your product fit into?

AM: Clean-label and better-for-you.

JS: What’s next for the company?

AM: Ruani wants to focus on meaningful partnerships to cultivate relationships with independent grocers and small businesses. Being a small business ourselves, being part of the shelves on the big-name retailers is always a dream, but for us, it is very important to develop and cultivate meaningful relationships with smaller businesses, as they are the lifeline of the community. 

We are highly motivated and focused on starting more B2B partnerships, expanding into the vending machine segments, and food service. We are hopeful that making meaningful connections will help us create a more robust and stronger footing in 2026 with better growth throughout the year and into 2027, helping reach our goal of crossing 500 points of sale nationwide. 

Related: American Egg Board reveals student competition winners