D’Amore-McKim Showcases Student Startups at The Market
Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business (DMSB) recently published an article on The Market—“an indoor farmers market-style event” showcasing new food and drink ventures from Northeastern students, past and present.
DMSB seniors Johnny Fayad and Ali Kothari’s CoffeeBar answers the question, “Why can’t we eat our coffee?” The startup began as a simple solution to the duo’s morning time crunch: take a cup of coffee and infuse it with an all-natural energy bar. CoffeeBar took audience favorite at Northeastern’s Husky Startup Challenge ’13 and “received $10k in gap funding from IDEA, the university’s student-run venture accelerator.”
Speaking of morning brew, El Recreo Coffee is a “crop-to-cup” coffee operation run by engineering school alum Miriam Morales ’90. According to the article, El Recreo beans are sourced from “Morales’ family farm in Nicaragua, and they’re roasted and ground in the El Recreo facilities in Boston’s West Roxbury neighborhood. The proceeds from the coffee shop fund a school and clinic program Morales’ mother started on their farm in Nicaragua.”
MetroMBA has previously covered all-natural sports drink Hylux Sport, a “vitamin- and electrolyte-enhanced water” concocted by Lamar Letts (DMBS ’17) after a debilitating track injury. “When I was recovering, I found myself adding water to all my sports drinks because they were so sugary.” The drink boasts “less sugar than Gatorade, more electrolytes than Vitamin Water and more potassium than a banana.”
Sitting beside Letts at The Market was Northeastern alumna Kate Weiler, whose alternative sports drink DRINKMaple—“bottled pure maple sap”—is “gentler on the stomach and easier to digest before or after intense athletic events than typical sports drinks.”
Fancy Pants Baking Co. is the brainchild of former neuroscientist Maura Duggan (DMBS ’98) who dramatically changed course in 2004 to sell her “all-natural, nut-free cookies” full-time. “Everything in these, you could make with ingredients you have at home. There’s nothing we have that you wouldn’t have in your kitchen.”
Former hotel manager and Northeastern alum Elisa Coppelman’s Mystic, Connecticut–based tea and spice company Noank Nibbles took shape when a lavender tea she made to help her young daughter fall asleep suddenly became popular among her circle of friends. You can now find Noank Nibbles products in select Connecticut and Massachusetts grocery stores. According to the article, Coppelman’s proudest achievement is partnering with the Groton Public Schools special skills high school program, “where young adults ages 18 to 21 with special education needs help produce and package her goods.”
About the Author
Jonathan Pfeffer
Jonathan Pfeffer joined the Clear Admit and MetroMBA teams in 2015 after spending several years as an arts/culture writer, editor, and radio producer. In addition to his role as contributing writer at MetroMBA and contributing editor at Clear Admit, he is co-founder and lead producer of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. He holds a BA in Film/Video, Ethnomusicology, and Media Studies from Oberlin College.
