Vancouver food business prevails in Binghamton business-plan competition

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — A company from Vancouver, British Columbia won the top prize in the 2025 Binghamton business-plan competition. Emkao Foods, Inc. plans to establish a manufacturing operation at 73 Griswold St. on Binghamton’s East Side. The annual competition awards a cash prize and administrative support to the contestant that submits the best plan for developing a business in the city of Binghamton. Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham on May 27 joined the Binghamton Local Development Corporation (BLDC) and SUNY Broome’s Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP) to announce the competition winner. Emkao Foods imports, manufactures, and supplies premium cocoa ingredients, sourcing its beans directly from smallholder farmers in Cameroon, the City of Binghamton said in its online announcement. The company’s vertically integrated business model eliminates middlemen to control quality, reduce costs, and support fair trade. Its mission “centers on redefining transparency in the chocolate industry, with a strong focus on sustainability and traceability,” per the announcement. “Emkao Foods, Inc. embodies the innovative spirit at the heart of this annual competition,” Kraham contended. “Now in its 15th year, the Binghamton Business Plan Competition has built a lasting legacy of celebrating and cultivating entrepreneurship, providing a springboard for local startups and helping small business owners grow their companies right here in our community. Emkao becomes the latest business to build on that legacy and help grow the local economy. I wish Emkao the best of luck and thank all this year’s finalists for their hard work.” Emkao will use its $7,000 in prize money to help renovate the industrial space on Griswold Street and expand its operations there. The new location is expected to create about five local jobs. Ayissi Nyemba, owner of Emkao Foods, Inc. called it an “incredible honor” to win first place in the business-plan competition. “We’re thrilled to expand our operations into Binghamton and become part of such a vibrant, supportive business community,” Nyemba said in the city’s announcement. “This opportunity allows us to bring our sustainable, transparent approach to chocolate manufacturing to the Southern Tier, create new jobs, and build meaningful partnerships with local organizations. We look forward to growing together and making a positive impact in Binghamton.” In addition to the cash award, the contest winner will also receive a range of administrative-support services to help grow their business locally, donated in-kind by Binghamton businesses and organizations. In addition to the cash award, the contest winner will also receive a range of administrative support services to help grow their business locally, donated in-kind by Binghamton businesses and organizations. The services include five hours of accounting services courtesy of Davidson, Fox & Co.; $500 of legal counsel courtesy of Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP; $500 in sign creation services courtesy of 3i Graphics & Signs; $500 in website services courtesy of Freshy; $500 in branding services courtesy of Idea-Kraft; one-year membership courtesy of the Triple Cities Makerspace; one-year membership in the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce; and a three-month co-working membership at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator, courtesy of Binghamton University’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships. The second-place winner of the 2025 Binghamton Business Plan Competition is BUZZHIVE, a startup offering an innovative “smart beehive” solution that uses advanced IoT technology and a mobile app to help beekeepers reduce colony losses, increase honey production, and manage hives more efficiently. Founded by Binghamton University graduates Mike Bronikowski and Luke Riddoch, BUZZHIVE is located at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator. The company received a $2,000 second-place prize. In third place, SAVOR Meals received a $1,000 prize. Founded by Binghamton University students Kai Chen and Jason Moeller, SAVOR Meals is a food-tech startup that aims to transform how college students eat by making clean, convenient, and personalized meals both accessible and affordable. The competition was judged by a volunteer panel of two active commercial loan officers and a representative from Empire State Development, the City of Binghamton said. The prize money for the annual competition comes from M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB), the annual budget of the BLDC’s Marketing & Outreach Plan funded by the BLDC’s Urban Development Action Grant, and the Binghamton University Koffman Southern Tier Incubator. Additional financial support was provided by Sall-Stearns and the Binghamton-Oneonta Building Trades Council, per the announcement.