Statewide Resources. Industry-centered Thinking. Action-driven Academics.

Our interview with Sheri Cole, Director of Sustainable Food Manufacturing, Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University.

As part of the State of Oregon’s Innovation Plan, Centers for Innovation Excellence were created. As opposed to regional innovation hubs, these centers were built to be industry-specific and tackle acute problems within those industries through innovation.

Working alongside our team at SEDCOR, Sheri Cole is helping enhance innovative efforts in the state through the Oregon State University Food and Beverage Center for the Innovation Excellence.

Here is how OSU describes the program:

“The academic program integrates principles and concepts in the physical, biological, and engineering sciences, and applies them to the scientific and technological aspects of food and beverage processing. The role of the food scientist is to successfully integrate these disciplines to assure an abundant, high quality, and nutritious food supply.

“The program's goal is to serve as leaders in enabling changing our food systems to be more sustainable, resilient and equitable through evolution of Food Science and Technology's student education, strategic interdisciplinary research and highly engaged outreach efforts with industry in the Western US and beyond.”

We connected with Sheri to hear about the program she is heading, the current state of research and development, and her outlook on the future of innovation in food and beverage production.

SEDCOR: In your own words, give our readers the elevator pitch for the OSU Food and Beverage Center for Innovation Excellence.

Sheri Cole: This is a program operating within the College of Agriculture. As we found out during COVID, our food system is not working at its best. And it is certainly not indestructible. Oregon State University wanted to take a leading role in this space and find practical solutions to some major problems. How are we going to feed nine billion people? And how can we do it an equitable way? We think Oregon is in a great position to tackle these truly existential issues.

What is missing right now is a hub and a way to connect efforts. We want to enable conversations and accelerate projects with big potential, find those innovations within cities and counties and expand them to a statewide scale.

SEDCOR: What are some of the most exciting innovations and advancements in food and beverage?

Cole: One specific area where we feel we can make a difference is, again, acting as a connector. We see some significant progress in the creation of clusters. A primary focus for us is applied research and development. Unfortunately, in Oregon, the food and beverage industries have the lowest investments in applied R&D relative to other traded sector industries.

So we are looking at how we can encourage tech adoption in the small and medium-sized food and beverage businesses in the state, which, as you can image, there are many. This would include developing new products, processes, and innovative packaging; we want these developments to have adoption across Oregon.

The innovation we foster should ideally lower the barrier to entry for those small and medium food and beverage businesses and give them a better chance at scaling and create their product at volume and at a scale. By doing this, they’ll be able to compete with bigger businesses and find ways to break into those important retailers like Costco or New Seasons.

Lowering the barrier to enter new markets also means creating a more equal seat at the table and building access to capital.

Lastly, we are focused on fostering a robust talent pipeline for these industries. We believe the food and beverage industries are very exciting places to work. So, how are we training people to enter the workforce with more advanced skills to be able to work closely with robotics and artificial intelligence?

SEDCOR: What is your vision for the future?

Cole: I would like to see Oregon become an increasingly attractive place for investment in the food and beverage industries and increase the amount of investment relative to other traded sector industries. We’ll show Oregon to be a forward-looking and sustainable economy.

I envision creating important connections around the state and expand our impact outside the Willamette Valley to coastal communities, rural communities, and into Eastern and Southern

Introducing Katie Adams

Oregon. Again, the Center for Innovation Excellence is about connections and ultimately intelligently using public resources to build a comprehensive and statewide approach to innovation, as opposed to a fragmented one, which we believe will create better outcomes and more economic opportunities.

We are just one part of many in the innovation ecosystem. I spent a long time in the food industry so I have a good understanding of how different sectors can and should work together. There can be a tendency for industry and academia to have their heads down and work in silos. But innovation like we want to see cannot take place if either or both are trying to exist in isolation.

There is a smarter way. To see what will work in the future, we’ll be looking at what is working now and elevate those pilots and innovators. Again, it is about making connections.

Katie was raised on farm in the heart of the Willamette Valley where she learned the value of hard work and became passionate about the ag industry. After earning an agribusiness degree from West Texas A&M University she worked on cattle ranches across the Texas Panhandle, deepening her understanding of the agribusiness industry. Receiving her insurance license in 2011 and focusing on agribusiness insurance in Hereford Texas in 2019, she is not new to the insurance business. Now with Hagan Hamilton, she brings her experience and understanding of ag to better serve the Pacific Northwest. She is perfectly situated in our Salem office to provide excellent service to all the surrounding farms and ag related businesses.

Call Katie at 503-565-3323 katie.adams@haganhamilton.com haganhamilton.com