In far northwest Washington, just a few miles below Canada, rural Lynden, Wash., produces approximately 90% of the nation’s annual frozen red raspberry crop. Geographically, it’s a world away from downtown Chicago—the striking contrast of Mount Baker towering over green farm fields to Chicago skyscrapers towering over a broad metropolitan area.

Those worlds collided in mid-November when the Washington Red Raspberry Commission (WRRC) hosted its second annual Food Product Innovation Student Competition involving 22 students and their mentors from Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). Hosting the event was Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations (CBCI) on the city’s near north side.

Liquid Engineering
For its second annual event, WRRC challenged 22 IIT students to incorporate frozen red raspberry puree into beverage prototypes. Starting in September, each of six teams had about two and a half months to research, develop, document and create their products. On the final competition evening they presented:

* three raspberry-based drinks with added health benefits (probiotics, fiber, high protein, )
*a better-for-you raspberry soda-style beverage with seltzer base
* a sweet-heat (“swicy”) raspberry mixer for cocktails, mocktails and other applications
* a raspberry syrup designed for use in at-home dessert kits

In the finals, each student team had 15 minutes to share product samples while they also presented and defended product concepts—with attention to everything from consumer insights, labeling and marketing to R&D details, production, packaging and sourcing. 

This year’s winning four-person “Razzle Lab” team created “Razz Fiber Flex,” a better-for-you beverage with inspiration from a South Korean drink. Each first place honoree earned a check for $250.00 and will receive complimentary registration to the 2025 Institute of Food Technologists annual expo. The students’ Razz Fiber Flex product also will be profiled in the IFT Posters & Research section on the show floor.

I was one of six judges. Others included Valeria Acquarone, PhD, Illinois Tech adjunct professor, food product development; Shehzad Hoosein, MBA, senior vice president of R&D and Innovation, Imbibe; Julie Luby, Illinois Tech adjunct professor (retired), food product development; and Chef Leah Sarris, director of culinary marketing and education at Wild Hive (WRRC’s marketing representative). Also judging was our host Charlie Baggs, president and chief executive, Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations.

“They did a great job of making Washington red raspberries the star! They’re so naturally bright and tart sweet, and the students were careful to accentuate the flavors and color in their formulations,” said Sarris. “I also appreciated the Gen Z-take on beverages along with international flair. They incorporated interesting textures such as boba and jelly, as well as nuts and flavors from around the world. Moreover, they also tapped relevant nutrition trends involving probiotics, high protein and fiber.”

Zal Taleyarkhan is a corporate research chef at Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations.

“What worked really well about the WRRC competition was to see how frozen raspberries inspired students to think creatively and push boundaries,” he said. “The IIT students approached their beverage prototypes with such energy and originality and it was clear that the competition had sparked their innovation.”

“For me, the real value of this competition was how it showcase of the potential of frozen raspberries to transform ideas into marketable concepts,” Taleyarkhan added. “This was well put together by the work put in by the winning team. From functional drinks to cocktail mixers, the versatility of frozen raspberries stood out. They are not just a flavorful ingredient; they are a reliable, high-quality tool for innovation. Their year-round availability, consistent quality, and nutritional benefits make them a perfect fit for the types of products consumers are asking for today, and that was demonstrated by using the platform of a beverage.”

Dr. Britt Burton-Freeman is IIT’s Food Science and Nutrition program chair and director for IIT’s Center for Nutrition Research.

“Let me first say how proud I am of our students and their dedication, creativity, and hard work on their beverages,” she said. “The innovative approaches they brought to the competition demonstrate their technical skills but also their passion for their chosen field of food science. Our students set a high standard for their peers at other universities and exemplified the values we strive to nurture in our department.”

Burton-Freeman concluded, “I thought all the beverage innovations were interesting. I particularly enjoyed seeing how the students incorporated international flavors and experiences into their products. Each one offered a unique 'wow' factor that engaged the senses and kept me eagerly anticipating the next team’s beverage experience. The modern consumer is in for a real treat with these future product developers."

Discover more resources:

The Washington Red Raspberry Commission
Illinois Tech’s Food Science & Nutrition Program
Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations