2026-02-12 February Meeting

Fueling the Future: Protein, Sustainability & Entrepreneurship with MBOLD + PLUS Tour of SunOpta Labs

Unlocking Protein Innovation

Thursday, February 12, 2026 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

SunOpta Headquarters 7078 Shady Oak Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Directions

Join us for an exciting gathering designed to bring together Minnesota’s vibrant food science, technical, and innovation community with leaders driving protein sustainability and entrepreneurship! This unique event offers attendees a chance to dive deep into the evolving world of protein innovation, connect with industry experts, and explore real-world ingredient development in action.

Bonus: SunOpta Lab Tour!

Attendees will also enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the SunOpta R&D labs during the social hour — where plant-based beverages, ingredient bases like oat and soy, and sustainable food solutions are developed and scaled!

ABOUT MBOLD

MBOLD, an initiative of the GREATER MSP Partnership, mobilizes Minnesota’s globally leading concentration of food and agriculture leadership to develop practical solutions to global challenges facing the food and agriculture sectors. MBOLD’s coalition members include major companies operating across the food and agriculture supply chain as well as researchers, nonprofits and other partners helping drive the future of food. MBOLD recently launched the Protein Catalyst—a pre-competitive, collaborative effort designed to drive innovation and help sustainably address the world’s rapidly growing appetite for high-quality proteins. The Protein Catalyst will foster innovation through pre-competitive R&D for animal feed and plant-based proteins, mentorship for protein innovation start-ups, and personalized support for protein companies looking to engage in Minnesota’s vibrant protein ecosystem.

Speakers

Jason Robinson Business Development Director, Food AURI

Meet our Moderator!

As Business Development Director-Food with the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), a Minnesota-funded nonprofit corporation, Jason Robinson provides direct 1:1 technical and business development support to agricultural producers and entrepreneurs with their value-added food businesses. Jason is also a food ecosystem builder, highlighting needs and delivering solutions to fill those gaps for all food entrepreneurs. Jason has a chemical engineering degree and spent 19 years with General Mills R&D prior to joining AURI in 2018.

Shannon Schlecht Executive Director AURI

Shannon M. Schlecht, Executive Director of the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) is responsible for the overall strategic and operational oversight for the organization’s staff, programs and execution of its mission. AURI provides technical services to businesses, conducts applied research initiatives and convenes networking events to create value-added economic opportunities for the food and agriculture sector. AURI operates two laboratories and its dedicated staff assist industry participants on over 150 food and agricultural innovation projects each year to further the Institute’s mission of fostering long-term economic benefit for Minnesota through value-added agricultural products.

Schlecht most recently served as Vice President of Policy for U.S. Wheat Associates in Arlington, Virginia and held numerous roles within the trade association during his 14 years with the organization. Internationally, he conducted initiatives to develop U.S. wheat exports in over 40 countries. Shannon has extensive background in agriculture, policy, market development, international trade, strategic planning and management.

He is currently a director for the Ag Innovation Campus, an advisor to the University of Minnesota Food Science and Nutrition Department, represents AURI on the MBOLD Executive Council where he co-leads the Innovation and Entrepreneurship collaborative projects, is a mentor for the Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator, and is a trustee for the North Dakota State University Foundation.

He holds Bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees in Agricultural Economics from North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota.

Heidi Teoh Vice President of R&D SunOpta

Dr. Heidi Teoh is an accomplished R&D leader with a proven track record of delivering more than 100 successful product launches globally with large CPG and global supplier organizations across multiple customer channels in the food industry. With a strong background in food science and culinary training, Heidi creates lasting growth by combining culinary-inspired product design, food science principles and technology. Her innovative approach enables the development of differentiated new products and meaningful core renovation that delight both customers and consumers.

Heidi is a member of the University of Minnesota Plant Protein Innovation Center’s Executive Board, MBOLD Protein Catalyst Team, and a guest instructor and member of the Advisory Board for the VANTAGE Advanced Professional Studies Program.

Dr. Teoh holds a Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Illinois – Urbana.

Sara Rosene Associate Principle Scientist General Mills

Sara Rosene is an associate principal scientist for the protein arm of long-term research (Nutrition and Technology Solutions) at General Mills. In her role, she works across all the GMI business platforms for their protein functionality and fortification needs. Prior to General Mills, she worked in dairy protein ingredient development and applications. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and resides in New Hope, MN.

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