Non-dairy ice cream maker earns top spot in competition; three make bootcamp

Dauphin County-based Honey Bear Kitchen won first place and $20,000 to help grow its non-dairy ice cream business.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners (Ben Franklin) selected Honey Bear Kitchen, owned by Natalie Wallace, during its virtual pitch event for its Food and Beverage TechCelerator March 28.

Honey Bear Kitchen produces non-dairy ice cream, free from six of the eight major food allergens using a proprietary mix of 14% plant-based fat churned with a low overrun, which gives it the mouthfeel and creaminess of dairy based ice cream, according to the company.

Three other southcentral Pennsylvania startup companies were among eight finalists in Ben Franklin”s Spring TechCelerator Business Bootcamp.

Ben Franklin said the finalists are all developing new products, processes, and solutions that are innovative and scalable.

Among the finalists are:

· Advance Tooling, owned by Jason White and Larry Zinn, Cumberland County, which is creating a universal die platform with two modules that have the ability to run a variety of different gauge and width materials, and different complexities of parts. The customer would only have to purchase internal tooling that is distinct to their part.

· Nuclear Applications, owned by Eric Schwarz, Lancaster County, which constructs and operates a new Flow Loop at Penn State’s reactor. NuclearATC would contract Radiation Science & Engineering Center (RSEC) to operate the reactor to irradiate the samples and handle all other operation and maintenance of the Loop.

· Del Sol Designs, owned by Tammy del Sol, Dauphin County utilizes an instrument that eliminates the culprit, in this case the pinch grip, to slow down and possibly eliminate the musculoskeletal disorders issues that millions of practitioners around the world suffer from daily.

The TechCelerator program is a 10-week virtual business “boot camp” designed to assist inventors and very early-stage entrepreneurs in converting their business ideas into operating ventures.