BOSTON \u2014 A Harvard Grad student with an interest in mitigating food waste comes up with a solution to one of his own problems. With the help of a local business owner and mentor, he created a product that he hopes others will not only enjoy\u2014but also share his mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cI eat a lot of hummus,\u201d said Brian Youngblood, creator of Prest. <\/p>\n
Brian Youngblood loves to indulge in the dip, but more often than not, he would end up throwing out whatever he didn\u2019t finish because after about a week, the leftover hummus was spoiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s a lot of waste of food, it\u2019s a lot of money, and so I thought, maybe there\u2019s another way I can make this product where it\u2019s easier to make on demand only when you want it, it lasts a lot longer, and it\u2019s even higher quality than the store-bought stuff because you\u2019re making it fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Harvard Business School student bought equipment and started testing recipes in his dorm room.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I was soaking chickpeas, boiling, dehydrating, and grinding them into a flour, and then mixing all the components,\u201d said Youngblood. <\/p>\n
But Harvard found out about Brian\u2019s cooking equipment and informed him he couldn\u2019t be using it in his dorm. That\u2019s where Peter Gladstone stepped in to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a perfectly good kitchen for students to use,\u201d said owner of Masshole Donuts Peter Gladstone. \u201cAnd as long as they leave it the way they found it, we\u2019re happy to let them sort of work out of here and work on their creations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The owner of Masshole Donuts in Somerville is also part of Harvard\u2019s Innovation Lab, helping students interested in entrepreneurship. The innovation lab provides free resources to students, and in Brian\u2019s case, the use of Peter\u2019s kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis entrepreneurial journey, there\u2019s so many ups and downs, and if you don\u2019t have a good support system and you\u2019re not tough enough to fight through those lows, you\u2019re never going to make it,\u201d said Gladstone. <\/p>\n
After a lot of trial and error\u2014and taste testing\u2014Brian came up with Prest: a resealable pouch filled with ready-to-use chickpea powder. When water and olive oil are added to whatever amount is desired, fresh hummus is instantly created.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt lasts over two years in the package before you make it, and you can make it in the exact quantities you want to eat at any given time,\u201d said Youngblood. \u201cBeyond that, you\u2019re reducing food waste, you\u2019re saving money, and supporting a small brand.\u201d<\/p>\n
From one small business to another, Peter says 90% of entrepreneurs fail, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s made it his mission to help students succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a four-person company, and we\u2019re the big company helping the little company of one person,\u201d said Gladstone. \u201cThat\u2019s how entrepreneurship works. That\u2019s how small businesses work\u2014we support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very lonely pursuit building a business, especially one that\u2019s one person,\u201d said Youngblood. \u201cSo having others who have done it before behind you, helping you through it, is super critical.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brian worked with a graduate student from the BU School of Design to create the packaging. He launched Prest this spring and plans to spend the summer talking to other businesses and getting his product out there to share both his creation and his mission of reducing food waste.<\/p>\n
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. <\/p>\n
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