NEW YORK, March 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- siggi's, the pioneer of lower sugar yogurt with simple ingredients, announced today the launch of siggi's starters, a grant program aimed at supporting nutrition professionals seeking to develop innovative programs to bolster community nutrition and wellness.
A recent survey conducted by siggi's found that lack of funding is the #1 reason that prevents nutrition professionals from starting their own venture. More than half of the registered dietitians polled have considered starting their own business, revealing a key gap in supporting nutrition professionals seeking to make an impact in their communities. siggi's will award $20,000 grants to three recipients to help a community nutrition idea get off the ground or support an existing community nutrition program. siggi's will also provide ongoing entrepreneurial mentorship that connects grant recipients to helpful resources and expertise as they execute their initiatives.
The siggi's starters grant program is based on the principle that a simple yet innovative idea can flourish and create positive change when paired with the right mentorship and support—similar to the founding principles that led siggi's founder Siggi Hilmarsson to create his signature skyr in 2005.
siggi's starters was inspired by the success of the Siggi Supports Entrepreneurs contest, which supported entrepreneurial registered dietitians over the past few years. Past winners from the Siggi Supports Entrepreneurs program include:
- • A program that provides virtual nutrition education to students in the Cleveland Public School District
- • A farm to table culinary nutrition class that connects New Mexico residents to local, healthy nourishing foods with the help of local farmers
- • An effort to educate active military families and children about healthy lifestyles, including nutrition
"It's so important to me to be able to give back to and support the nutrition community. We have loved having a meaningful partnership with registered dietitians since the inception of siggi's. This relationship has continued to grow as we have and the siggi's starters program reflects that," said siggi's Founder and Chairman Siggi Hilmarsson. "I'm truly excited to meet this class of nutrition innovators who are out there eager to improve the health of their communities."
"siggi's has always had a focus on health, wellness and nutrition, values we share with the registered dietitian community. While working with them over the past few years, we have seen the incredible ideas this group has to positively impact local communities and we are proud to support them to bring these ideas to life," said siggi's President and CEO Carlos Altschul.
siggi's starters winners will be announced in September 2020. For more information, please visit www.siggis.com/starters.
About siggi's
siggi's dairy began in 2005 when Siggi Hilmarsson felt homesick for a staple of his childhood diet, skyr, a thick, creamy, high-protein yogurt from his native Iceland. The yogurts he found on shelves in the U.S. were much too sweet and artificial tasting for his liking. His mother sent him a recipe, and with that, he began making skyr in his small New York City kitchen. Today, siggi's makes truly delicious yogurt products with simple ingredients and not a lot of sugar. True to Icelandic tradition, siggi's products do not contain any artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors or colors, and they are made with milk from family farms that do not use growth hormones such as rBST. For more information about siggi's and to find store locations, visit www.siggis.com.