GENEVA, N.Y. — An apple a day is supposed to keep the doctor away, but what about a grape a day — or grape skins?

Amber Adams learned about the nutritional benefits found in grape pomace, or the skin, from research at Cornell University. 

"It's the part of the grape that’s left over after juicing and winemaking. Liquid goes into the wine; the rest gets disposed of," said Adams.

She created GR8PE, a company that takes the leftover skins and turns them into a powder.

"It's made to be easy enough to put in your morning cup of coffee for a gut health boost," said Adams.

GR8PE works with vineyards across the state, taking products that aren’t used and turning them into a gut health supplement.

It’s that work that helped GR8PE be named as a finalist in the Grow-NY competition. It helps startups in the food and agriculture industry with mentoring. The 20 finalists also compete to win up to $1 million through a pitch process. It's money that would help grow their companies.

If they win the prize money, Adams and her team hope they’ll see more people reaching for GR8PE next time they need a health boost.

“It would be helpful to get the word out more and allow us to do manufacturing in-house," said Adams.

The Grow-NY pitch summit takes place Nov. 14 and 15 in Binghamton. Companies pitch their products before judges and a winner is announced after.