ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Tech Food and Beverage Accelerator (GT.FBA) is on a winning streak. Not only has the program — one of the Enterprise Innovations Institute’s (EI2) newest — have one successful cohort under its belt, but GT.FBA alums have earned top marks at the annual Flavor of Georgia event two years in a row.
UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) has been hosting Flavor of Georgia in Athens since 2007 to showcase innovation and entrepreneurship statewide. In 2025, four GT.FBA participants entered the contest, three made it to the finals, and two came away with wins, one of which was the Grand Prize.
2026 Flavor of Georgia Winners from the GT.FBA
This year GT.FBA had three program alums enter the contest: Khelsey and Micheal Daniels, of Dorothy’s Desserts cheesecakes; Evan Summers, owner of Now Schmear This!, a line of premium cream cheese and butter; and Sarah Dubale, whose Culture Sweet Tea products blend flavors of the African diaspora and the American South. Sweet Potato Cheesecake from Dorothy’s Desserts won the Cakes category, and Now Schmear This! won the Dairy category with Honey Peach Pecan Cream Cheese.
Why Flavor of Georgia is a Launchpad for Food Entrepreneurs
“I was very pleased with our strong showing this year,” said Aubrey Lenyard, who co-leads Georgia Tech’s Food and Beverage programming with Brandy Nagel. Lenyard is himself a food entrepreneur, with a small-batch condiment line called AubSauce. In 2019, he took home the Flavor of Georgia People’s Choice Award for his Spicy Peach Barbecue Sauce, and in 2020, his Strawberry Balsamic and Rosemary Sauce won the Barbecue Sauce category. “That win absolutely propelled my business,” he said. “Flavor of Georgia really supports food founders, and that’s something I’ve experienced personally.”
Because he knows the value of the venue, Lenyard strongly encourages the GT.FBA community to apply to Flavor of Georgia each year. As he put it, “This is one of the best ways to launch a product in Georgia, because all the movers and shakers in the food and beverage industry are in one room.” That room includes buyers, distributors, industry partners, and statewide organizations like Georgia Grown, which provides winners with a free one-year membership.
How the Georgia Tech Food and Beverage Accelerator Prepares Founders to Compete
Taking home a prize at Flavor of Georgia is about more than just having an outstanding product. It’s also important for entrants to be strategic about messaging and positioning. Said Lenyard, “If you can’t explain to the judges why your product represents Georgia, it doesn’t matter how good it tastes. It’s not going to make it through.”
Supporting Georgia’s Food and Beverage Ecosystem
He made sure that GT. FBA entrants could do exactly that. Whether it was the peaches, pecans, and honey in Summers’ spread celebrating Georgia’s agricultural strengths, Daniels’ cheesecake that elevates the homey and familiar sweet potato, or Dubale’s creative multicultural take on Southern sweet tea, the program deliberately emphasizes not only storytelling and economic impact but also sourcing. Said Nagel, “We encourage founders to buy ingredients from Georgia growers and makers whenever possible. That’s how we support the state and grow our food and beverage ecosystem.”
She also noted that EI2 colleague Wendy White, industry manager for food and beverage at the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), who attended the awards, played an early role in offering classes that predated the formal launch of GT.FBA. White continues to lead training programs, such as the Food Safety Cohort, which helps small food manufacturers — both new and established — build a food safety plan in six weeks. “Many of our founders met Wendy before we officially started the program,” said Nagle. “Getting her perspective really helped.”
Founder Perspectives: The Impact of GT.FBA
Each of the three Flavor of Georgia entrants this year experienced the results of GT. FBA’s multifaceted approach firsthand.
For Summers, it was a laser focus on messaging that made a difference. “After being a runner-up last year with our Honey Garlic Jalapeño Cream Cheese, I knew that we could uplevel our offer and wow the judges. GT.FBA gave me great insight into creating and presenting my product pitch,” he said. “I felt better prepared to be able to answer the judges’ questions with confidence.”
Khelsey Daniels, also a repeat entrant (whose desserts can be found at the Georgia Tech Community Market Fair) agreed and underscored some additional benefits of the program. “Understanding my market and price points were something else that assisted me well in the Flavor of Georgia contest,” she said. “The mentorship that we still receive even after the cohort ended is invaluable.”
For Dubale, who attended Flavor of Georgia for the first time in 2026, involvement with GT.FBA resulted in “a deeper understanding of my market and competition, bringing clarity to what makes Culture Sweet Tea truly unique and sharpening my ability to communicate that story.”
Building Momentum for Georgia’s Food Entrepreneurs
As GT.FBA continues to support entrepreneurs across the state, the program’s presence at Flavor of Georgia is demonstrating that when founders are given practical guidance, real-world connections, and an understanding of place, their chances of winning go way up.
“I’m really proud of all our founders,” said Lenyard. “Seeing them grow, return stronger, and succeed on a stage like Flavor of Georgia is exactly why we do this.”