Vokashi kitchen waste solution

January 14, 2009 – Brooklyn, NY – Sponsored by Citi Foundation and the Brooklyn Public Library, the 2009 PowerUp! Business Plan Competition came to a conclusion on January 12 at 7:00 pm when the winners were announced.

Vokashi, the startup composting service, received one of the two Excellence Awards. “Anyone who completes a @#%# business plan is brilliant,” declared Vandra Thorburn, founder of Vokashi. “And, with due respect to our sponsor, we all know there are a bunch bankers out there who have yet to write a business plan!”

“This is a thrill and an honor,” Vandra Thorburn continued, “and there are many people to thank, but my main praise goes to the Japanese Professor who began the EM (effective microorganisms) network twenty years ago. This simple and natural application is happening across Asia, Latin America, Europe and England. It is time for EM to come to the United States!”

2009 POWERUP! FINALISTS

GRAND PRIZE WINNER ($15,000):

Inside Out Tours, Stacey Toussaint & Sheila Collins (Prospect Heights 11238)

As Borough President Marty Markowitz says, “112 is the zip that’s hip.”  Inside Out Tours will offer “off the beaten path” cultural walking and bus tours of Brooklyn designed to give visitors an intimate look at the artistic, social and cultural diversity of the borough. The Company’s mission is to bring tourist dollars to local communities, as well as to introduce visitors and residents alike to history and vitality of Brooklyn.

SECOND PLACE WINNERS ($5,000 each):

Vokashi – kitchen waste solution, Vandra Thorburn (Clinton Hill 11238)

A simple, natural solution to disposing of kitchen refuse, this firm will give residential households and small catering companies the tools to recycle their food waste. Using innovative technology, the business creates a product that quickly ferments discarded food and distributes it to composting sites where it becomes organic soil.  The process is natural and easy and sure to appeal to Brooklyn’s eco-friendly residents. 

Organic Bed-Stuy, Evelyn Oliver & Darell Brown (Bed-Stuy 11216)

Organic Bed-Stuy will be an organic grocery store located in Bedford Stuyvesant that will offer quality food at affordable prices to a neighborhood that lacks enough healthy food choices.  Through an agreement with a farm in New Jersey, the store will offer appealing fresh and local produce and will focus on the cultural make up of Bed-Stuy, offering recipes and dietary information.  Supported by an advisory board of food consultants committed to making healthy food an option, this venture is sure to become a much needed fixture in the neighborhood.

ADDITIONAL POWERUP! WINNERS

Merit Award Winners ($750 each)

1. 86 List, Gregory Fanslau and Laura Werts (Park Slope, 11215)

Networking and job posting website for the NYC restaurant business.

2. Pop Up Plus, Camille Newman (Canarsie, 11236)

Pop-up stores for plus size women.

3. NCS Enterprises, Inc., Simeon Doytchinov (Marine Park, 11229)

A software company which offers a multi-dimensional reporting application.

Honorable Mentions ($500 each)

1. Brooklyn-Based Coconut Expressions, Bridget Goldsmith (Flatbush, 11225)

Coconut milk based ice cream products made with all natural ingredients.

2. Mama’s Boys Café and Collectibles, Patrick Guglielmo and Eric J Snyder (Clinton Holl, 11238)

A neighborhood café that will offer a place to relax in a comfortable setting filled with vintage antique collectibles that are not only decorative, they are for sale!   Currently looking for space on Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill.  

3. KinderKALENDARS, Emily Morgan (Beorum Hill, 11217)