For Bitter For Worse: Portland-based drink company wins $250K at New York competition

Published 10:59 am Tuesday, November 19, 2024

This time around, things were for the better, not the worse. 

Portland-based brand, For Bitter For Worse, won $250,000 at the 2024 Grow-NY Summit, a live, two-day pitch competition, in New York. 

A non-alcoholic cocktail company, CEO Shelley Elkovich pitched her heart out on the largest stage she had ever presented on, fighting to win the top prize of $1 million. 

“For Bitter For Worse is on a roll—we’re ready for bigger challenges and opportunities and the platform provided by Grow-NY will help us access them,” she said in a previous interview.

For Bitter For Worse is working to grow as a nationally recognized brand that provides fun, delicious, non-alcoholic drinks across the country. 

One of 20 finalists qualified to compete, the distillery was named one of seven winners by a panel of judges in the sixth annual competition. 

A combined $3 million in prize money was awarded to global food, beverage and agriculture startups, including the $1 million prize for Unibaio, of New York. 

In its sixth year, the competition attracted 312 applicants from 50 countries, including Canada, United Kingdom and Italy. 

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said in a release, “Congratulations to the Grow-NY winners, and to all of the teams that participated in round six of this unique agriculture-based business accelerator and competition.

“Grow-NY is rooted in Governor Hochul’s support of startups that are building entrepreneurial ecosystems and continues to nurture economic growth across the rich farming areas of the Finger Lakes, Central and Southern Tier regions.”

Awardees were judged on the viability of the startup’s business model; the diversity, quality, readiness and completeness of the startup team, the value that the startup offers customers; the agri-food innovation that the startup invented; and the job growth and opportunity potential that it can bring to the region. 

Each winning team will commit to operating in the region for at least one year, while also providing a modest equity stake to Cornell University, to fund future food and agriculture entrepreneurship programming.