St. Paul, Minn.—A Minnesota company producing unique food colorants and ingredients from purple corn has been awarded the 2010 Ag Innovator of the Year award. The award was presented to Suntava at a luncheon in St. Paul on June 17.
Suntava produces natural colorants for food items such as soft drinks, vitamin waters, confections, snacks, dairy foods, condiments, cereal and even cosmetics. They also produce flour for food items such as corn chips and tortillas as well as nutraceutical ingredients. The products originate from Suntava’s own non-GMO hybrid purple corn in southwestern Minnesota.
“We are working on something that is beneficial,” says Suntava CEO Bill Petrich. “We are working on something that creates jobs and we take that very seriously.”
The Ag Innovator of the Year award is presented annually by the Minnesota Food Innovators Network Event.