Envee wins Bench Top Innovations annual bake-off

A thunderous applause filled the room as four University of Richmond seniors, dressed in shamrock green shirts and blue jeans, rushed to the stage. This year’s winner of the fourth annual Great Bake-Off is Envee. 

Envee, a pesto-caesar dressing, a creative combination of a fan favorite pasta sauce and salad dressing, will hit the shelves next year. With ingredients like organic basil, honey and garlic, the nut-free healthy-alternative dressing will receive funding for further development and production from the Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative. 

Bench Top Innovations is a year-long Robins School of Business program where seniors create, launch and run a food or beverage business. The course creates a “fertile environment for ideas to germinate,” said Dean of Robins School of Business Dr. Miguel Quiñones. 

In the first semester, students work with a food scientist to develop a practical food or beverage product. Envee co-founder and senior Lindsay Batten said the process was “a lot of trial and error.” 

“As we got into the kitchen we didn’t know if we were ever going to make something that tasted good, and turns out, it’s delicious," she said. 

The course is open to every area of study–not just the business school. 

“I love the fact that there are students from across the schools. It takes all different ways of thinking to create innovative and exciting ideas,” said Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Jennifer Cavenaugh.

Four groups competed in the competition, which included a taste-test of each product and a business pitch presented in front of a judge panel. This year’s judges were ECD of The Martin Agency Jerry Hoak, food influencer and author of “Sandwiches of History” Barry Enderwick, former Head of Consumer Insights for Red Bull Krista Greenberg and Executive Chief of Dining Services Tyler Betzhold. 

The theme for the 2024 bake-off was salad dressing and the three other products presented were Misoza, Hazzah, and Rumèlle. Misoza, an Asian fusion, sweet and tangy dressing focused on versatility, and included ingredients like white miso paste, honey, and balsamic vinegar. Hazzah was marketed as a “cult condiment,” combining global flavors, with harissa, a North African spice, as the main flavor. And Rumèlle, a bold raspberry vinaigrette with antioxidants and vitamins to support gut health. 

The event started with a public demonstration of each product. Envee offered a harvest bowl with kale, wild rice, goat cheese, apple and sweet potatoes and a marinated shrimp hors d'oeuvres, both topped with the pesto-caesar sauce. 

But the taste isn’t the only thing the groups are judged on. Each group also presented a pitch, which included the shelf price, target audience, ingredients, and sample marketing mock-ups created in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter. 

Senior Lain Grillo Penaloza and junior Genice Thomas enjoyed the humor, quirkiness and originality of the business pitches. 

“The energy was there. They had confidence and I feel like the humor really added to it,” Thomas said. 

Next semester, the 16 students in the class will work as one to launch Envee. They will elect leadership positions and start producing the product over winter break. Envee’s team said that each presentation was strong and is excited for the class to come together to bring Envee to the market. 

“We had one goal and we completed it,” Envee co-founder and senior Trey Creamer said.

Contact news editor Ava Humphries at ava.humphries@richmond.edu