Zoguri Takes Home $10,000 Prize in Dairy Innovation Competition!

We’ve been awarded $10,000 as a winner in the inaugural Midwest Dairy Future of Dairy Innovation Accelerator competition! This recognition validates our mission to make our L. reuteri probiotic supplement accessible to even more people seeking better gut health. We feel deeply honored that Midwest Dairy and VentureFuel selected us as one of four final innovators for this groundbreaking program. Representing 3,600 dairy farm families across 10 states, Midwest Dairy launched this accelerator to champion the next generation of dairy innovation, and we couldn’t be more grateful to be part of that vision.

Throughout the 8-week program, we had the privilege of learning from industry experts across the entire dairy value chain, and participated in transformative workshops, mentorship sessions, and roundtables. The future development of Zoguri will be shaped by the knowledge we gained for years to come. It came to fruition as we pitched alongside other inspiring entrepreneurs at The Hatchery in Chicago. As runner-up in the competition, we shared the stage with some incredible dairy innovators including Lorenzo’s Frozen Pudding, Sugarwitch, and Grand Prize winner RoseBud Ice Cream.

This recognition supports what we’ve believed all along, that our yogurt-based supplement with two keystone L. reuteri strains offers something genuinely different in the dairy and probiotic landscape. Unlike pills that can lose up to 90% of their probiotics before reaching your gut, our fermented approach ensures the beneficial bacteria arrive where they’re needed most. Our President and Founder Dan Rehal responded, “The prize money will help us revolutionize our packaging, helping us advance our goal of making Zoguri even more accessible to people everywhere.”

We are grateful to everyone who made this experience so extraordinary: 

• Midwest Dairy – for creating this incredible program and believing in dairy innovation. 
  
  
• VentureFuel – for their expert guidance, advice, and support in navigating the program.
  
  
• The Expert Educators – who led invaluable sessions and provided much needed resources. 
  
  
• The Distinguished Panel of Judges: Brigette Wolf (My/Mochi), Cameron Lee (Instacart), Jill Houk (Culinary Culture), Ross Vangalis (Queue Brand Communications), and Silvia Robles (Dairy Management Inc.) – Thank you for believing in 
  us! 
  
  
• The Amazing Support Staff – each of you made every moment of this journey worthwhile. Thank you for making us feel so welcome and supported! 
  
  
• Our Fellow Competitors – for sharing challenges and inspiring us with your passion and innovation!

Finally, THANK YOU to our incredible Zoguri community for your continued support. This win is for everyone who believes that better gut health leads to better living!