Devine Foods

By Peter Binzen
Inquirer Columnist
When the American Academy of Pediatrics warned last year that small children were drinking too much juice, Denise L. Devine read the report with more than passing interest.

"My motherly instincts were proven right," said the child nutrition advocate. "I knew there was a problem because I had witnessed it with my own kids. Clinical research bore it out."

Devine, chief executive of Devine Foods Inc., in Media, has been developing innovative products with nutritional value for children and adults.

And while none of them has hit the market in a big way yet, one of her products is a patented beverage that she believes answers pediatric concerns.

The doctors warned that while fruit juice is fine in moderation, too much of it can lead to obesity and other health problems because of its high sugar content and excessive calories.

They recommended no juice at all for infants under six months and restricted juice for all children and adolescents.

Devine's drink is an alternative to juice called Fruice. She said it is rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. When beverage companies squeeze fruit and vegetables into juice, they throw away the insoluble components. Fruice contains both the soluble and insoluble components of the whole food.

And the drink, Devine says, helps to facilitate bone and muscle growth in small children.

Devine asserts that in the "fast-foodization of American culture" little attention has been paid to the nutritional needs of children.

"The food companies make what's cheap," she said. "And what's cheap in drinks is sugar and water. Kids acquire a taste for it."

But she said that it's possible to influence children's eating habits by giving them different products when they are young.

That is what Devine is trying to do with her special drink. Also in the field of nutrition, she has invented fat-free frozen desserts that replace dairy ingredients with complex carbohydrates and grain/fruit nutrients.

Devine has taken out 17 national and international patents on various formulations not only for nutritional products but also for pharmaceutical ones, which she declines to discuss. Her holding company, Nutripharm Inc., holds the patents and will handle the licensing should it result.

In developing these products, Devine, 47, has received strong backing from the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Scientists at the International Food Network, in Ithaca, N.Y., helped her formulate the beverage. Using facilities of Cornell University, the network engages in research and development for the food industry. Most of its clients are major companies, but it took on the lone entrepreneur. And its scientists believe in Devine's concoction.
"She came with a patented idea and hired us to do the product development," said Rudy Nunez, project leader at the network.

What resulted was Fruice. "It's a good product," said Nunez. "Hopefully, it will triumph over the large food companies. It's very difficult to have a success in new food products because the field is so competitive. But she's been very persistent."
Her early work on a "nondairy frozen confection" caught the attention of research chemists at the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Wyndmoor.

They had been seeking to develop reduced-sugar milk shakes for school lunch programs. The decision was made to combine the technologies of Devine and the USDA to develop a nonfat milk shake that is low in sugar and high in fiber.
"I think it's a great product, but I'm prejudiced," said Rich Constance, a research chemical engineer at the USDA's Wyndmoor facility. He said it was about ready for marketing.

Devine said that 600 middle-school children who sampled the prototype shake found it not sweet enough. However, teachers and seniors in an assisted living facility in Media loved it, she said.

"We've tweaked it," Devine said.

In developing these products, Devine has received $250,000 over five years from the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership.

Steve Loevner, a consultant and portfolio manager for the technology partnership in Philadelphia, called Devine a "bright young star, a real player" whose intellectual property is extremely valuable.

"I think she's on the verge of a great deal of success," Loevner said.
The head of Devine Foods has won recognition for her business leadership. A member of the Forum of Executive Women and cofounder of the Women's Investment Network, she was named one of the 50 best businesswomen in Pennsylvania in 1999.

Earlier, she was elected to the board of directors of the American Institute of CPAs and served a term as chairwoman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy.
But her success now hinges on her ability to raise the money needed to market her products.

Fruice, which is made by a firm in Savannah, Ga., is in a few natural-food stores here, but none of the supermarkets in this area stock it. Genuardi's sold Fruice until the chain was acquired by Safeway; now it doesn't. However, the drink is available at Kings supermarkets in North Jersey and Food Emporium in New York City.
Devine figures she will need about $3 million for a solid marketing effort. "We're talking to companies about possible strategic alliances," she said. "Quite large ones. They seem interested, but it takes time. I think it's kind of a miracle that I'm even getting interest from these companies."

Although Devine Foods has just three employees and negligible revenue, it holds a one-third stake in a bottling plant in Western Pennsylvania that opened two years ago and is "going gangbusters," Devine said. She expects its revenue this year to reach $2.5 million.

Devine and her husband, Frank, have three children ranging in age from 5 to 18, and it was parenting that stirred her interest in children's nutrition.

A native of Lebanon, Pa., and the daughter of a toolmaker and diemaker for Bethlehem Steel, she earned an accounting degree at Villanova University in 1977 and a master's degree in taxation in 1981.

As a certified public accountant, she worked for Arthur Andersen in Philadelphia and put in two years as tax manager for a gas utility in Wilmington.

In 1983, the Campbell Soup Co. recruited her as manager of tax research and planning. Gordon McGovern was chief executive, and she liked the way he ran the place.

She won a promotion as Campbell's senior manager of finance and investment strategy. The company underwrote her subsequent study at the Wharton School for an MBA.

By 1989, she had two children and her husband was starting his own financial valuation firm in Philadelphia.

That's when she chose to leave Campbell Soup and embark on the work that has occupied her ever since.

"I was a frustrated consumer," she said. "I didn't see good nutrition for kids."
She painstakingly researched the field and soon concluded that problems lurked in seemingly healthy beverages.

Now she faces major obstacles in getting her products on supermarket shelves. But one should not underestimate the resolve of Denise Devine.
"I don't give up," she said. "I'll make it work one way or the other."

Contact Peter Binzen at 215-854-2456.

Philadelphia Inquirer - Mon, July 1, 2002

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	Sweetness is not a weakness for this food entrepreneur
	By Peter Binzen Inquirer Columnist When the American Academy of Pediatrics warned last year that small children were drinking too much juice, Denise L. Devine read the report with more than passing interest. "My motherly instincts were proven right," said the child nutrition advocate. "I knew there was a problem because I had witnessed it with my own kids. Clinical research bore it out." Devine, chief executive of Devine Foods Inc., in Media, has been developing innovative products with nutritional value for children and adults. And while none of them has hit the market in a big way yet, one of her products is a patented beverage that she believes answers pediatric concerns. The doctors warned that while fruit juice is fine in moderation, too much of it can lead to obesity and other health problems because of its high sugar content and excessive calories. They recommended no juice at all for infants under six months and restricted juice for all children and adolescents. Devine's drink is an alternative to juice called Fruice. She said it is rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. When beverage companies squeeze fruit and vegetables into juice, they throw away the insoluble components. Fruice contains both the soluble and insoluble components of the whole food. And the drink, Devine says, helps to facilitate bone and muscle growth in small children. Devine asserts that in the "fast-foodization of American culture" little attention has been paid to the nutritional needs of children. "The food companies make what's cheap," she said. "And what's cheap in drinks is sugar and water. Kids acquire a taste for it." But she said that it's possible to influence children's eating habits by giving them different products when they are young. That is what Devine is trying to do with her special drink. Also in the field of nutrition, she has invented fat-free frozen desserts that replace dairy ingredients with complex carbohydrates and grain/fruit nutrients. Devine has taken out 17 national and international patents on various formulations not only for nutritional products but also for pharmaceutical ones, which she declines to discuss. Her holding company, Nutripharm Inc., holds the patents and will handle the licensing should it result. In developing these products, Devine, 47, has received strong backing from the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Scientists at the International Food Network, in Ithaca, N.Y., helped her formulate the beverage. Using facilities of Cornell University, the network engages in research and development for the food industry. Most of its clients are major companies, but it took on the lone entrepreneur. And its scientists believe in Devine's concoction. "She came with a patented idea and hired us to do the product development," said Rudy Nunez, project leader at the network. What resulted was Fruice. "It's a good product," said Nunez. "Hopefully, it will triumph over the large food companies. It's very difficult to have a success in new food products because the field is so competitive. But she's been very persistent." Her early work on a "nondairy frozen confection" caught the attention of research chemists at the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Wyndmoor. They had been seeking to develop reduced-sugar milk shakes for school lunch programs. The decision was made to combine the technologies of Devine and the USDA to develop a nonfat milk shake that is low in sugar and high in fiber. "I think it's a great product, but I'm prejudiced," said Rich Constance, a research chemical engineer at the USDA's Wyndmoor facility. He said it was about ready for marketing. Devine said that 600 middle-school children who sampled the prototype shake found it not sweet enough. However, teachers and seniors in an assisted living facility in Media loved it, she said. "We've tweaked it," Devine said. In developing these products, Devine has received $250,000 over five years from the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership. Steve Loevner, a consultant and portfolio manager for the technology partnership in Philadelphia, called Devine a "bright young star, a real player" whose intellectual property is extremely valuable. "I think she's on the verge of a great deal of success," Loevner said. The head of Devine Foods has won recognition for her business leadership. A member of the Forum of Executive Women and cofounder of the Women's Investment Network, she was named one of the 50 best businesswomen in Pennsylvania in 1999. Earlier, she was elected to the board of directors of the American Institute of CPAs and served a term as chairwoman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy. But her success now hinges on her ability to raise the money needed to market her products. Fruice, which is made by a firm in Savannah, Ga., is in a few natural-food stores here, but none of the supermarkets in this area stock it. Genuardi's sold Fruice until the chain was acquired by Safeway; now it doesn't. However, the drink is available at Kings supermarkets in North Jersey and Food Emporium in New York City. Devine figures she will need about $3 million for a solid marketing effort. "We're talking to companies about possible strategic alliances," she said. "Quite large ones. They seem interested, but it takes time. I think it's kind of a miracle that I'm even getting interest from these companies." Although Devine Foods has just three employees and negligible revenue, it holds a one-third stake in a bottling plant in Western Pennsylvania that opened two years ago and is "going gangbusters," Devine said. She expects its revenue this year to reach $2.5 million. Devine and her husband, Frank, have three children ranging in age from 5 to 18, and it was parenting that stirred her interest in children's nutrition. A native of Lebanon, Pa., and the daughter of a toolmaker and diemaker for Bethlehem Steel, she earned an accounting degree at Villanova University in 1977 and a master's degree in taxation in 1981. As a certified public accountant, she worked for Arthur Andersen in Philadelphia and put in two years as tax manager for a gas utility in Wilmington. In 1983, the Campbell Soup Co. recruited her as manager of tax research and planning. Gordon McGovern was chief executive, and she liked the way he ran the place. She won a promotion as Campbell's senior manager of finance and investment strategy. The company underwrote her subsequent study at the Wharton School for an MBA. By 1989, she had two children and her husband was starting his own financial valuation firm in Philadelphia. That's when she chose to leave Campbell Soup and embark on the work that has occupied her ever since. "I was a frustrated consumer," she said. "I didn't see good nutrition for kids." She painstakingly researched the field and soon concluded that problems lurked in seemingly healthy beverages. Now she faces major obstacles in getting her products on supermarket shelves. But one should not underestimate the resolve of Denise Devine. "I don't give up," she said. "I'll make it work one way or the other." Contact Peter Binzen at 215-854-2456. Philadelphia Inquirer - Mon, July 1, 2002 Click here to close article	ROBERT O. WILLIAMS/Inquirer Denise L. Devine wants to improve the nutrition of children’s food. “The food companies make what’s cheap,” she said. “And what’s cheap in drinks is sugar and water. Kids acquire a taste for it.”