Open Innovation – Eatable Adventures

Eatable Adventures joins forces with the German government to boost agri-food innovation in northwest Cambodia

Eatable Adventures une fuerzas con el Gobierno Alemán para impulsar la innovación del sector agroalimentario en el noroeste de Camboya

The Foodtech accelerator has been selected by the German Agency for International Cooperation to increase agri-food productivity and promote sustainable practices in the region.

ICONE, a project of GIZ (the German Agency for International Cooperation), which promotes sustainable and innovative business practices in Cambodia, has selected Eatable Adventures to drive innovation in the agri-food sector in the northwest of the country. This partnership seeks to integrate sustainable practices and develop innovative solutions to increase the agri-food productivity of local businesses, contributing to the country’s economic progress.

Agriculture stands as one of the foremost economic pillars of the country, contributing around 22% to its gross domestic product (GDP) and encompassing 30% of the nation’s total employment. Alas, a mere 10% to 13% of agricultural produce is subject to processing, resulting in the majority of exported items being in their raw form. It is noteworthy that a significant portion of these products undergoes value-added products in Thailand and Vietnam before being exported back to Cambodia (1). Therefore, there is a need for the country to focus on developing its processing and value-addition capabilities in the agricultural sector to improve its economic growth and competitiveness in the global market.

With this partnership, ICONE and Eatable Adventures will launch a two-year program that aims to analyze the current state of the agri-food industry in the northwest region of Cambodia, encourage investment in the sector’s businesses, and identify the best proposals through innovation challenges and incubation programs.
This initiative is crucial to boosting the agri-food industry on a global scale and responding to some of the sector’s most pressing challenges in terms of sustainability, efficiency, and food security. With the world’s population set to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the need for sustainable and innovative food solutions is more pressing than ever.
“We are excited to partner with Eatable Adventures to promote innovation in the agri-food sector,” said Dr. Stefan Hanselmann, ICONE Program Director. “Our goal is to identify and support the most promising innovations, embed innovative practices in companies, and help drive investment in this strategic sector.”

Eatable Adventures is recognized for its innovative approach applied to the sustainable transition of the global agri-food sector. “We are committed to building the food system of the future by promoting more innovative, sustainable, and efficient business models. This partnership with ICONE is a key milestone for us, as it is fully aligned with our mission to develop and democratize technologies in the agri-food sector, thus contributing to global food security,” said Paula Giser, Director of Corporate Programs at Eatable Adventures. With this same objective in mind, Eatable Adventures has already forged several strategic alliances with governments and international institutions in Colombia, Spain, and Italy.

Over the next two years, the two entities will work together with the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the northwest region of Cambodia to identify and promote the most promising innovations in the agri-food industry, offering a unique growth opportunity for companies seeking to address these pressing challenges and meet the growing demand for food in a responsible and ethical manner.

1. Fuente: FAO, 2021 & World Development Indicators 2021 (WDI) by the World Bank

11/04/2023/by Eatable Adventures

Ecosystem, open innovation, Open Innovation, Startups-article, Startups-blog

Eatable Adventures presents the data of its annual report “The State of Open Innovation in the Agrifood Industry”

Big companies are betting on open innovation to lead the transformation of the agrifood industry

78% of the companies consulted already use external sources to innovate, and 100% have invested in innovation in the last two years.
According to the study, most innovation efforts are concentrated on the Product area (92%), followed by Technologies (57%), Processes (53%), and Business Models (46%).
78% of companies identify the General Management as the main decision-maker, although the Innovation Departments with 57% and the Business Development and Marketing Departments with 28% in both cases are gaining more weight.
93% of surveyed companies prefer collaborating with technology centers, while 71% prefer co-developing with external entities as open innovation tools.

“Innovate or die” is the motto of almost every company today. Demographic and sustainability challenges, socioeconomic uncertainty and changing consumer trends are some of the key factors that have driven a major technological transformation in the agri-food sector. A transition that has become an opportunity to promote the competitiveness and progress of companies.

Eatable Adventures, one of the world’s leading accelerators, has today presented the data of its first study “The State of Open Innovation”, a report that dives into the need for companies in the food and beverage industry to innovate, as well as the keys to make this innovation as successful as possible.

When it comes to collaborating with external agents to create new products or services or transform existing ones, Mila Valcárcel, Managing Partner of Eatable Adventures, highlighted the change in mentality of companies. “We are in a changing and dynamic environment. Companies need to generate innovation at all levels to improve their competitiveness, but in many cases, they do not have the structure or capacity to do so efficiently internally. Collaborative environments with startups, R&D centers, or universities provide a great advantage, as they allow companies to innovate in a disruptive, agile, and efficient manner, with much more efficient risk management. From Eatable Adventures, we are witnessing how companies are adopting open innovation models more frequently, allowing them to take their productivity and efficiency to another level. The sector is undergoing a transformation process very similar to the one the technology industry went through.” This trend, according to the study, is being established among the Food and Beverage sector leaders in Spain such as Mahou, Pascual, or Europastry, but is also spreading in more emerging markets in the Latin America region, with companies that are leading the transformation of the sector, such as Sigma or Alianza Team.

Innovation is a strategic priority for companies

According to the study, 100% of the surveyed companies said they have invested in innovation in the last two years, during the analyzed period (2020- 2022). Positively, this indicates a great deal of maturity in this area, which makes it easier to establish win-win partnerships with external agents. This fact extends to all types of companies in the sector, regardless of their revenue volume and size, as well as their geographical area.

Among the areas of innovation that are prioritized, Products takes the lead (92%), followed by Technologies (57%), Processes (53%), and Business Models (46%).

Which department is responsible for the innovation decisions within your company?

78% of the surveyed companies identify General Management as the most responsible party when it comes to decision-making. However, 57% of surveyed companies cite the need for innovation and adaptation as the reason for creating Innovation Departments to handle these decisions. In terms of launching R&D projects, this is highly positive, since it confirms that organizations are changing their cultural mindsets. Finally, the Business Development and Marketing departments also have a very significant weight in establishing these decisions and coordinating innovation flows, making the correlation between innovation and the expansion potential of the companies evident.

2022, the year of open innovation

Open innovation is the process by which companies implement innovative opportunities to their existing business models through corporate partnerships with external agents, as well as the acquisition of social capital through investments. As the food sector faces enormous pressures and shoppers demand healthier, more functional, and more sustainably produced products, this sector presents a very favorable environment for the development of these valuable partnerships.

According to the survey, 89% of companies prioritize their internal resources for generating innovation. However, 78% of the surveyed companies state that they turn to external sources to transform their company, making collaboration a key way to generate synergies and new business opportunities.

From where does innovation in your company originate?

Respondent companies choose to collaborate with universities and technological centers (93%) first when it comes to choosing open innovation tools that meet their needs and level of innovation.

In these universities, the research is generally carried out in scientific parks equipped with the technology necessary to scale these solutions. Secondly, 71% of surveyed companies prefer to codevelop with external entities, which sometimes results in acceleration programs, industrial scaling, or venture building, among others entities , which often results in acceleration programs, industrial scaling, or venture building, among other results. Over 50% of companies conduct startup search programs such as showcases, scouting, and challenges to learn more about the ecosystem. With 25%, direct investment in startups comes in fourth place. Companies allocate certain amounts of financial resources to another company in order to capture value.

In these universities, the research is generally carried out in scientific parks equipped with the technology necessary to scale these solutions. Secondly, 71% of surveyed companies prefer to codevelop with external entities, which sometimes results in acceleration programs, industrial scaling, or venture building, among others entities , which often results in acceleration programs, industrial scaling, or venture building, among other results

Collaboration with startups and creation of specialized investment vehicles: the areas with the greatest growth projection

Nearly all surveyed companies (93%) state that they plan to invest in innovation in the next 3 upcoming years. When considering which tools would best suit their needs, collaboration with universities and technology centers (78%) emerges again, followed by the desire to conduct pilot tests (75%), as well as co-development with external entities (75%) and boosting the innovation culture within the companies (75%), which once again reinforces the priority of innovation in the growth strategy of the companies. Startup search and incubation tools are also capturing growing interest from companies, with 46% and 42% respectively. A projection that is also supported by the comparison between current and desired tools. In addition, the desire for growth in the tool of specialized investment vehicles is also highlighted.

What type of open innovation tools would best suit your company?

Regarding the self-perception of the degree of innovation of the company, the average score of these companies is 7.46 out of 10, still room for improvement, especially considering that companies award a 9.4 to the importance of innovation for the growth of their company.

The companies’ self-perception of innovation scored 7.46 out of 10, still room for improvement, especially since most companies assign a 9.4 rating to innovation’s importance to their growth.

Finally, when talking about the projected investment in innovation during the next year, companies are clear, with over 85% betting on increasing investment in this area.

As the study highlights, it is evident that open innovation is gaining more and more weight as a model for attracting talent, technology, and new business models since it has the power to transform organizations in an agile and efficient way

Download the full report here.

21/02/2023/by Eatable Adventures

Ecosystem, Open Innovation, Partnership

Through the support of Mercamadrid, a new innovation hub has emerged in Spain

La innovación ya tiene sede en Mercamadrid

Spain’s largest platform for the distribution, commercialization, transformation, and logistics of fresh food, launches its first challenge to the entrepreneurial community in collaboration with Eatable Adventures.

Mercamadrid, the largest fresh food distribution, commercialization, processing and logistics platform in Spain, looks forward to the future with a strong commitment to innovation, which will allow companies in this industry to provide innovative and effective solutions to current challenges. Mercamadrid is now the home of innovation, thanks to a new space serving as a base and meeting place for innovative companies.

As part of its efforts to improve the competitiveness and quality of the food sector, or to digitalize the companies in the sector, the Mercamadrid Innovation Hub already works with entities such as the National Center for Food Technology and Safety and Orange. The Innovation Hub is born with the aspiration of becoming a stable collaboration platform for companies, startups, and professionals in search of innovative solutions to the challenges of the food sector, allowing them to improve competitiveness and drive activity. In addition, they have a coworking area where projects, presentations, and collaboration on innovative solutions can be developed.

With this company’s strategic bet on innovation, special importance is placed on the first initiative driven in collaboration with the accelerator Eatable Adventures: Smart Food Future Innovation Challenge. The first call to innovation, launched from the food unit, will allow to offer innovative answers to real challenges, previously posed by Mercamadrid companies in three strategic areas such as logistics, packaging, and upcycling. In this way, Mercamadrid will challenge the international innovation ecosystem to find solutions aimed at optimizing transportation routes in terms of sustainability and cost, as well as identifying traceability systems that allow the tracking of goods. As part of the packaging area, proposals will be selected that improve food preservation and extend its shelf life, taking into account the concept of sustainability. Finally, the challenge also aims to revalue food waste and residuals through their transformation into new products, including reusable containers.

Startups that develop solutions in these areas and want to collaborate with an international leader in fresh food management will find this program a great opportunity.

Start-ups wishing to present their proposals for some of the challenges posed can do so from today at www.smartfoodfuture.com.

This is the beginning of Mercamadrid’s future, coinciding with the commemoration of its 40 years of success, with its sights set on future solutions that will allow it to continue moving towards the forefront of commercial distribution in the world.

09/02/2023/by Eatable Adventures

Open Innovation, Partnership, Startups-article

Colombia Foodtech Acceleration Program boosts Latin American foodtech startups in its first cohort

First edition of Colombia Foodtech Acceleration Program kicks off, organised by Vertical-I, Colombia’s Center of Excellence in Innovation Systems, and Eatable Adventures, a food technology accelerator.

Colombia Foodtech Acceleration Program has started its first edition led by Vertical-I, Centre of Excellence in Innovation Systems in Colombia, in alliance with Eatable Adventures, one of the world’s leading agrifood accelerators. This programme aims to develop and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the agri-food industry in Colombia, which is known as the “Innovation Hub of Latin America”. As a matter of fact, according to the Organisation for Economic Growth and Development (OECD), Colombia is the third most entrepreneurial country among its 34 members, behind only Chile and Korea, and is one of the few countries in Latin America with two unicorns.

Furthermore, the agri-food sector is a strategic vertical for Colombia, since this industry, led by the food and beverage area, is one of the main manufacturing sectors in Colombia and in the Department of Atlántico, accounting for 29.3% of the country’s gross production (EAM, 2021). These data reflects the market’s interest in promoting innovation and applying new technologies in the sector, creating a solid and competitive industry and entrepreneurial ecosystem on a global scale.

Mila Valcárcel, Managing Partner and co-founder of Eatable Adventures, has highlighted Colombia’s strategic position on the Latin American map to develop the agri-food industry globally. “Colombia is a strategic market to accelerate the transition of the food system, thanks to the strength of its agri-food industry, at the forefront of innovation. As part of our partnership with Vertical-i, we are launching an incubation and acceleration programme that adds to over 10 programmes that we have already developed for corporations, governments and our own. We believe it will be a great opportunity for startups in the country, and we are confident that this will be the engine of a new generation of Foodtech startups in Latin America that will help us drive the transition of the food system globally”.

Eatable Adventures is expanding its operations on four continents and creating a global ecosystem of more than 25,000 founders and entrepreneurs in order to consolidate its growth in the international market.

For his part, José Polo, CEO of Vertical-i “This disruptive and pioneering programme in Colombia will have an intensive work plan for 4 months. Upon completion of the first cohort, we intend to make a second version, so as to empower more startups with this Vertical-I initiative, which aims to provide an effective way of connecting entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who have a broad vision of business, growth, and innovation. Those who are constantly seeking to expand their products and services, as well as those who want to share their expertise or contribute to the growth of the sector, will be able to connect with us effectively”.

As part of the first cohort of this program, 5 startups specializing in developing new products with healthy properties will work in a high-impact program supported by the governmental entity Gobernación del Atlántico, Vertical-I, and the General System of Royalties. The following companies will work in a specialized high-impact program that will help them scale and gain investors and customers: Amande Cocina, Albesa de Colombia, Cron Foods, Mimi Día and Spiga Food.

More information at https://colombiafoodtech.com/

16/01/2023/by Eatable Adventures

Foodtech, Open Innovation, Partnership

Eatex Food Innovation Hub, the new collaborative innovation hub for the transfer and implementation of technology in the agri-food industry

A project promoted by CNTA (the Spanish National Centre for Food Technology and Safety) with the support of the Government of Navarra and collaboration of more than 10 R&D&I centers of the Navarre R&D&I System (SINAI)

Among the activities that will be developed in the hub there is the detection of needs between the stakeholders of the sector and the generation of new opportunities; developing, validating, and demonstrating solutions and accompanying in the scaling and the implementation of these solutions.

Innovation in the agri-food sector is unstoppable. In 2021 the Spanish national Foodtech ecosystem tripled its investments compared to last year, according to accelerator Eatable Adventure’s data, achieving excellent traction from national and international investors, managing to position Spain as the fifth European power in this vertical. This boom in innovation and solidity in intellectual property has boosted the creation of new models of collaboration between the principal agents of this ecosystem to accelerate the technology transfer.

In this context, CNTA (National Center for Food Technology and Safety) has created the Eatex Food Innovation Hub, the new collaborative innovation hub for the transfer and technology implementation in the agri-food industry. An ecosystem of open and applied innovation that addresses and solves today’s and future problems in the agri-food sector through a holistic focus based on the implementation of agile and advanced dynamics and research models.

Eatex Food Innovation Hub was born as a gathering point, a space beyond a physical location, where science and businesses collaborate to make research and technology transfer successful. This project promoted by CNTA has the support of the Government of Navarre and the collaboration of more than 10 R&D&I centers of the Navarre R&D&I System (SINAI). The creation of this hub is part of the Complementary Plan AGROALNEXT, within the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience plan financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

Among its objectives is to improve and accelerate the technology transfer of valuable solutions from the R&D centers to the agri-food sector to increase the success rate of technology transfer and reduce the innovation risk. According to Silvia García de la Torre, Eatex Food Innovation Hub director, “the motivation to create this new hub comes from improving technology transfer, a very important tool with great potential for agri-food companies since it will allow them to open to new possibilities, ideas, and opportunities.”

This will be achieved through the implementation of agile and advanced research dynamics and models, based on collaboration and co-creation of solutions with a holistic vision of the entire value chain and with a focus on the final customer. In addition, providing funding for the development of solutions with agile management of projects oriented towards results and collaborating and creating synergies with other entities and initiatives.

Among the activities that will be developed in the hub, there will be the detection of needs in the sector and the generation of new opportunities; developing, validating, and demonstrating solutions while accompanying the scale and implementation of those solutions.

Eatex Food Innovation Hub will start its activity in mid-December with the ¨Program for the development of innovation and technology transfer” where it will address six research areas: promotion of agriculture and livestock of the future, search for new ingredients and production models, development of new food and beverage for healthy eating, implementation of the industry 4.0 and hyperconnected processes, innovation applied to food packaging and preservation systems and the application of circularity and appraisal of by-products and waste.

More info about Eatex Food Innovation Hub www.eatexfoodinnovationhub.com

12/12/2022/by Eatable Adventures

Open Innovation, Partnership

Alianza Team® launches it’s new Open Innovation Portal

A new platform to address the challenges in the food industry
Alianza Team® is one of the leading innovation companies in Colombia, thanks to the development of 21 patent families and the confidence placed in global startup investments in the foodtech sector for 3M USD.

Alianza Team®, a Colombian-based corporate group, expert in lipids and fats and leader in the food sector, has announced the creation of a new Open Innovation Portal to foster collaboration between startups and industry, thus responding to the most important challenges of the sector, especially in the field of sustainability. This portal is aligned with the company’s aim of “nourishing a better tomorrow” through the development of innovative products and solutions to respond to new market and consumer needs.

The new open innovation platform was created by Albora, with the support of Eatable Adventures, one of the three most important food technology accelerators in the world. Startups that collaborate with the platform could benefit from an investment plan, access to Alianza Team’s ® facilities that are equipped with the latest technologies, and its logistics network, as well as the know-how of the company’s R&D team of professionals.

This is a unique opportunity to develop their innovative ideas and reach the market quickly, from the hand of one of the leading companies in open innovation in the food and beverage sector in Colombia and one of the 10 most innovative companies in Colombia according to the ANDI (National Business Association of Colombia), the most representative economic guild in that country. Alianza Team® has obtained these recognitions thanks to the development of 21 families of patents and the trust placed in global startup investments in the foodtech sector for 3M USD.

Let’s Raise the Bar Challenge

The innovation platform will kick off with the Let’s Raise The Bar challenge. Its first challenge aims to find the most disruptive startups in the soap industry, in all sectors, to obtain a sustainable raw material that offers a good quality product for its consumers and whose production is friendly to the planet.

Entrepreneurs who participate in this challenge could be able to partner with Alianza Team® for the development of new soap lines for future projects, or have the company’s collaboration for the design and manufacture of a specific product, optimizing costs and scaling through access to the company’s technology. They could also be able to potentially access other markets and obtain an investment plan.

“Innovation is part of the DNA of our company, being a value that we seek to promote in all areas internally and in the development of the value chain externally. Our commitment with our Open Innovation Portal is to promote an innovative ecosystem that leverages the growth of all the actors that are part of the chain,” said Maria Paula Rios, Vice President of Innovation and Digital Transformation of Alianza Team®.

In the words of Mila Valcárcel, Managing Partner of Eatable Adventures, “We are proud to launch this new innovation milestone with Alianza Team®, a leading company in the food industry and a pioneer in implementing innovative solutions to respond to and anticipate new market challenges. The collaboration between startups and industry offered by the open innovation model is key to develop and bring to market new products and proposals in a very fast and much more efficient way”.

For more information visit: www.albora.co/portal

12/12/2022/by Eatable Adventures

Open Innovation

The second edition of Baking the Future kicks off with four new startups

After the success of the first edition, Cereal, the Innovation Center of Europastry welcomes again four startups with revolutionary projects that will change the bakery sector.
The Israeli startup DouxMatok offers nutrition improvements through sugar reduction solutions; Spanish AgroSingularity develops vegetal-origin sustainable fibers that prolong the useful life of bread. Belgian Ajinomatrix digitizes the measurement of the senses of taste and smell through AI and Colombian Sacha Inchi develops products through innovative crops that satisfy the growing market of superfoods.

The startups selected will participate for six months in the Baking the Future program, a period where they will receive tutoring, advice, and business development.

Barcelona, November 30th, 2022.- After the success of the first edition of the acceleration program Baking the Future, Cereal, the Europastry Innovation Center welcomes again four startups with revolutionary projects that will change the bakery sector.

This year, applications from 11 different countries have been submitted, among which DouxMatok from Israel, Ajinomatrix from Belgium, AgroSingularity from Spain, and Sacha Inchi from Colombia, have been selected.

INNOVATION IN HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, AND BAKERY SUSTAINABILITY

The projects from the four startups give solutions to the challenges we set when we launch the second edition of the program: sustainability, health, improvement of the customer experience, and technologies aimed at seeking to improve production without losing quality.

DouxMatok, the Israeli startup, offers nutrition improvements through sugar reduction solutions. The perfect response to consumers’ preferences, for a tasteful experience and healthier food.
Belgian Ajinomatrix has digitized the measurement of the senses of taste and smell through AI. Which becomes an essential tool to obtain data that will allow companies in the food sector to take accurate and fast decisions.
AgroSingularity, the Spanish startup, has developed vegetal-origin sustainable fibers that prolong the useful life of bread. Additionally, it allows the preservation of the nutrients and functional attributes of the original plant of the ingredients.
Lastly, Sacha Inchi offers solutions to the needs of the growing superfood market through innovative crops of Latin American biodiversity.

SIX MONTHS TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE BAKERY INDUSTRY

The objective of Baking the Future is to build an open innovation model for Europastry. “We continue to bet on open innovation, a fundamental tool for collaboration with entrepreneurs and our R&D teams to design and escalate the future of the bakery industry” states Ana Thielen, International Marketing Manager at Europastry

Over the next six months the entrepreneurs of the four startups will have all the company resources: workspace, mentoring sessions with the teams of Cereal, Eatable Adventures, and Google. Access to the R&D&I department of Europastry to develop, test, and launch the product to check its viability in the market.

“Thanks to Baking the Future, we brought entrepreneurs from all over the world to Cereal, to respond to the current challenges of the Bakery sector. We are sure that thanks to the collaboration of Europasty and its I&D team these startups will be able to develop innovative solutions, capable of generating great impact in the sector and reach a global scale” affirms José Luis Cabañero Founder & CEO of Eatable Adventures.

After six months of preparation, during the celebration of Demo Day, the four startups will present their projects to a network of private investors and highly qualified experts.

01/12/2022/by Eatable Adventures

Ecosystem, Open Innovation, Partnership

Baking the Future seeks startups for its second edition

Baking the Future, Europastry’s startup acceleration program, begins the selection process for its second edition with Google Cloud and Eatable Adventures as collaborators.
Google Cloud, which recently landed in Barcelona, will collaborate hand in hand with Cereal and its accelerator Baking the Future, to boost the digital transformation of bakery startups.
The startups chosen for this second edition will enjoy a workspace, mentoring sessions, access to Europastry’s R&D department and will gain global impact through direct contact with the most relevant agents of the bakery industry value chain.

Baking the Future, Europastry’s startup acceleration program, opens the selection process for its second edition, which aims to find the next startups that will revolutionize the bakery sector.

After the success of the first program’s edition, we have teamed up with two collaborators that will bring a lot of value: Google Cloud and Eatable Adventures.

Google landed this June in Barcelona with a team of business consultants and experts in digital and cloud marketing to support and boost the digital transformation of companies by working and collaborating hand-in-hand with projects such as Baking the Future.

Google Cloud will be close to the startups in the program, offering mentoring sessions, and providing support on its Cloud services. In addition to being part of the jury that will decide which startups will be with us in this second edition.

On the other hand, Eatable Adventures, the leading company in detecting and promoting the world’s most innovative and disruptive food startups, will offer entrepreneurship and business plan sessions.

“We are proud to continue driving open innovation models with a leading global company like Europastry. Our collaboration started in 2019 with Baking the Future Challenge, a competition to improve processes and operations through the most disruptive startups in the industry and has derived into a more ambitious project with the accelerator program. Being able to activate a collaboration with Europastry, accessing an R&D center like Cereal, is a unique opportunity for any startup whose innovations and technologies apply to the bakery sector.” – Says José Luis Cabañero, Founder & CEO of Eatable Adventures.

SECOND EDITION OF THE BAKING THE FUTURE PROGRAM

The selected startups will enjoy:

A workspace in the Cereal, Europastry’s Innovation Center, equipped with the latest technology.
Mentoring sessions with highly qualified Cereal professionals from the R&D, commercial and marketing teams and the EaTable Adventures and Google Cloud teams.
Access to Europastry’s R&D department to develop, test and launch the product using the latest technologies to move from lab scale to pilot scale at Cereal’s facilities.
Global and direct project presentation with all the bakery’s industry value chain agents.

The drivers for these startups will be sustainability, improved customer experience, health and technologies aimed to improve production without losing sight of product quality.

Those interested in being part of the project can apply from today on the Baking the Future website.

INNOVATION AND EUROPASTRY

Innovation is part of our DNA. The company itself was born from an idea that revolutionized the bakery sector and since then, Europastry has always sought to be at the forefront of the sector, anticipating new trends and offering its customers the most disruptive products. “If you stop innovating you end up losing competitiveness and capacity for growth. That is why it is very important to keep reinventing yourself and never think that what you have is for life,” said Jordi Gallés.

Europastry currently invests 60 million euros a year in innovation and has one of the most avant-garde and pioneering R&D centers: Cereal.

“We have been part of the Baking the Future program and this is the result: a bread made with the flour of beer waste,” explains to us Aviaja, co-founder and CEO of Agrain, one of the startups accelerated in the first edition that came with a project that bet strongly on a more sustainable future of the food industry and that today already has a niche in the market. “Being part of Europastry has been a very good experience. We have met very astute and intelligent people who are passionate about the bakery sector.”

12/07/2022/by Eatable Adventures

Challenge, Ecosystem, Foodtech, Open Innovation

Mahou San Miguel launches a new challenge addressed to the entrepreneurial community seeking to find the beverage of the future

The brewery along with the accelerator Eatable Adventures, are calling for startups from all over the world to participate in a new innovation challenge for the beverage sector.
The selected entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to develop a product test together with Mahou San Miguel’s team of experts.

Mahou San Miguel, a 100% Spanish family-owned beverage company and leader in the beer sector in Spain, launches the Rethink Your Drink Challenge, a new challenge to discover the drink of the future. As part of its Barlab Ventures project, along with Eatable Adventures, one of the three leading global food technology accelerators, the brewery wants to offer an open innovation platform for the entire food and beverage sector.

From today until September 5, startups from around the world with a differential, sustainable and innovative proposal that generates a transformative impact on the traditional beverage industry can submit their applications through the website www.barlabventures.com.

In the words of Miguel Ángel Miguel, General Manager of Transformation at Mahou San Miguel, “BarLab Ventures allows us to unite two of our main commitments: to leverage the possibilities that technology offers in order to provide innovative solutions to new challenges of the beverage sector, as well as strengthening collaboration with other organizations to drive their transformation”. Miguel Ángel, also points out that “we are convinced that through this project we will be able to share with entrepreneurs a common perspective to make bars, restaurants, distributors and the rest of our value chain strengthen their collaboration towards generating wealth, based on aspects such as excellence, innovation, and sustainability”.

José Luis Cabañero, CEO and founder of Eatable Adventures, commented “we are delighted to launch this initiative hand in hand with Mahou San Miguel, a company that is clearly committed to innovation and entrepreneurship”. He also assures that “the beverage sector offers many opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups who seek to offer alternatives and innovative solutions to consumers, responding to the current reality but, above all, to the challenges of the future”.

Supporting entrepreneurs

The startups will have to present their innovative solutions in one of the following categories: innovative non-alcoholic alternatives, low alcoholic beverages (4º-7º), traditional categories reinvented, and beverages of the future.

Mahou San Miguel will offer the opportunity to develop a product test with its team of experts to accelerate the success of the winning proposals. In addition, the brewery will make available to the startups its distribution network, support in managing their territorial licenses, as well as in the field of financing, among other services.

30/06/2022/by Eatable Adventures

Ecosystem, Foodtech, Open Innovation

Mylkcubator, the global incubation program for cellular agriculture technologies in the dairy industry, kicks off its second cohort

The incubator will help the selected startups in their business and R&D advancement strategies, preparing them for growth and investment rounds.

Pascual, a leading Spanish manufacturer of dairy products and beverages, has launched Mylkcubator 2.0, the second edition of the global incubation program for cellular agriculture technologies in the dairy industry. The initiative has been launched from the group’s Corporate Venture unit, Pascual Innoventures, in collaboration with Eatable Adventures, one of the top three global foodtech accelerators. The first edition of the program had recently been completed by four disruptive startups worldwide.

Mylkcubator 2.0 will last 6 months, from selection to the demo day. The goal is to enroll a new cohort of up to 5 startups or scientific projects, with innovative solutions in the cellular agriculture spectrum for the dairy industry within the following technologies: molecular farming, fermentation based, cell based, and applied technologies in this field. All the details about the program are available on the official website mylkcubator.com.

Pascual Innoventures has flexible venturing models that build, collaborate and support Foodtech startups in its early stages. The incubator will help the selected startups in their business and R&D advancement strategies, preparing them for growth and investment rounds.

In the words of Gabriel Pascual, director of Pascual Innoventures “The quality of the startups selected in the first edition has been amazing and shows us that this is, clearly, the way to go. The visibility of these projects as well as the investment rounds that they are receiving is a sign that the industry is prepared for this technological transition. Pascual has been a pioneer in shaping the path of innovation and non-conformism. An attitude that has been hatched generation after generation from my grandfather until our generation”.

On the other hand, José Luis Cabañero, CEO and founder of Eatable Adventures, has remarked “Mylkcubator has attracted the attention of companies, technology centers and professional investors from all over the world demonstrating that there is a great opportunity in the market to implement scalable technological solutions to future proof the dairy industry”. Proof of this is that investment in the dairy segment has tripled in 2021, compared with 2020, according to Dealroom data analyzed by Eatable Adventures.

The production of dairy products using cell cultures and fermentation techniques, that are complementary within the dairy industry, demonstrate industrial and commercial viability and presents a huge opportunity for the sector from both an economic and environmental point of view.

Mylkcubator website: mylkcubator.com

22/06/2022/by Eatable Adventures

Tag Archive for: Open Innovation