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→ Anjan Contractor

The brains behind BeeHex

Jim Grote’s partnership with BeeHex helped the Gahanna-based tech company reach new heights

By Sarah Sole / Photos by James D. Decamp

It’s fitting that pizza was what connected Anjan Contractor to Donatos founder Jim Grote. Contractor, who co-founded food manufacturing supply company BeeHex with Benjamin Feltner in 2015, said that in its infancy, the start-up company was focusing on 3-D printing pizza for parties, to capitalize on the novelty.

Grote saw the demonstration for himself. BeeHex’s 3-D printer produced fresh, 3-D printed dough. The pizza had sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, and Grote was ultimately swayed.

“That was pretty impressive,” he said. Contractor was looking for investors, and that’s when Grote jumped on board.

“That’s when we formed a 50-50 partnership,” he said.

While Grote’s partnership with BeeHex began with pizza, the relationship has ultimately led to so much more. Headquartered in Gahanna, BeeHex is one of many businesses that call the EDGE Innovation Hub home. Grote founded the EDGE in 2019 with his son, Tom, and Craig Turner, who serves as Executive Director.

The campus was founded to supply research and development, and counts Donatos among its eight partners, as well as Grote’s food processing equipment business, the Grote Company.

The common thread, Grote said, is that the partners focus on the latest technology.

“Really, we’re about the future of food,” Grote said. It was the future of food that spurred Contractor on a path that ultimately led to the founding of BeeHex.

Contractor previously worked for a NASA subcontractor, partnering with another scientist on a grant-funded mission to personalize astronaut nutrition using 3-D printing technology. The first phase covered—you guessed it—3-D printed pizza.

But after the second phase didn’t receive funding, Contractor decided to go his own way, using $45,000 of his own personal funds to launch BeeHex.

As part of Grote’s investment in 2017, BeeHex was provided an office space in Gahanna, and eventually became part of the EDGE Innovation Hub when it was later founded in 2019. →

"Really, we're about the future of food"

↓ Jim Grote

Dontatos founder

And while 3-D printing pizza was a way for BeeHex to get some media attention as a start-up, the company ultimately branched out.

And it was Grote who helped provide the connections for that diversification.

“Jim is a very interesting individual,” Contractor said. “He’s a dreamer; he’s very passionate about new technology.”

Grote helped him connect with other engineers to help shape BeeHex, Contractor said. BeeHex worked with Donatos and Grote executives to explore what products BeeHex could produce to meet the market demands.

A conversation with Cheryl’s Cookies about the limitations involved with cookie decoration proved to be a pivotal one, as it led to more conversations with other dessert decorating companies. The result? BeeHex built 3-D decorating equipment and is now selling it to bakeries worldwide.

Contractor hasn’t abandoned his nutrition endeavor first begun with NASA, either. BeeHex is currently working with the U.S. Army to design a product line of machinery that produces personalized nutrition bars for soldiers.

The business also briefly pivoted because of the pandemic, producing plastic face shields from March to May of last year.

Contractor said the ecosystem at EDGE has definitely aided in BeeHex’s growth, connecting the business with food producing and food equipment experts easily.

“It’s a food ecosystem,” Contractor said. The EDGE campus, he said, has tremendous potential. “This is just the start,” Contractor said. ♦