MORRISVILLE, NY—A beer produced by SUNY Morrisville agricultural business students is now on tap at the Copper Turret Restaurant & Brewhouse, in Morrisville, and three other student-made products are for sale at the Nelson Farms Country Store, on Route 20 in the Town of Nelson.
Altogether, six new products produced by agricultural business students made their debut this week, resulting from the collaboration of more than 30 students with three SUNY Morrisville enterprises — The Copper Turret Restaurant & Brewhouse, Nelson Farms and the on-campus Dairy Incubator.
The new lineup includes pancake mixes, cheese curds, a sour beer and wine salad dressing.
Product concepts were cooked up by students in SUNY Morrisville assistant professor Scott Colby’s Distribution and Marketing of Agricultural Products class, with assistance from associate professor Sheila Marshman, who developed and taught the popular class for many years.
Through the years, students have introduced more than 25 products to the Country Store, branching out this year to the Copper Turret, where on tap is Mo’Vegas Sour Power, a sour beer made in collaboration with the Copper Turret and its head brewer, Micheal Coons.
Available at Nelson Farms Country Store are two versions of pancake mix: Fall Wake-Up Call, a seasonal blend; and The Farmer’s Daughter, an apple cinnamon mix that celebrates women in agriculture; along with Nothin’ Fancy, a red wine salad dressing.
All were developed in the Nelson Farms kitchen with assistance from Amanda Hewitt, product development manager and 1988 graduate of Morrisville’s dietetic technician program. Nelson Farms is a unique combination of a business incubator and food product processing facility, operated by the Morrisville Auxiliary Corporation (MAC).
Other products Colby’s class produced this year are Freedom Curds, a barbecue-flavored cheese curd, and From the Herd, a pizza-flavored cheese curd, both produced at the college’s Dairy Incubator, with assistance from production plant supervisor, Patricia Witchley. The college’s Dairy Incubator produces and markets dairy food products.
Students in Colby’s class were involved with all aspects of product development from developing the recipe and selecting target markets, to distribution and pricing.
“We had to make the product, taste it and get feedback,” said agricultural business student Janet Hanehan, of Saratoga, who helped develop From the Herd. “It was very hands-on and enabled us to be involved with everything that goes into making a product.”
It tapped into their creativity, too. Students came up with labeling concepts, which were converted into professional labels by Amanda Taranto, MAC marketing manager.
“What I want students to take away from the class is a way of thinking that allows them to make market decisions in a creative, yet disciplined way,” Colby said. “The joy of creating a final food product that will be sold in stores with a well-supported analytical plan for their product's success motivates students to think in a new multi-threaded way.”
Meanwhile, the community reaps the rewards. In addition to the Country Store and the Copper Turret, some of Morrisville’s agricultural business products make their way to the Regional Market in Syracuse.
Popular student-made products Slather Sauce, Kraken Lemon Pepper Marinade, and Sweet and Spicy Apple Mustard are also sold at various New York State Thruway travel plazas and service stops, including Chittenango, Clifton Springs, Oneida Castle, Iroquois, Junius Pond, New Baltimore, Oneida, Pattersonville, Plattekill, Sloatsburg and Ulster.
SUNY Morrisville’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2019 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2019 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about SUNY Morrisville, visit www.morrisville.edu.