Foodhub NRW

🌍 Climate neutrality is teamwork: we will only be able to achieve the climate targets together. Our TransformERN project, which we are implementing together with Ernährung NRW and Food-Processing Initiative e. V., therefore supports start-ups and SMEs in the agriculture and food industry in finding their way to climate neutrality. Last Monday, our project partner Svea Dr. Pacyna-Schürheck had the opportunity to present the project to the awardees of the "Landesehrenpreis für Lebensmittel NRW" by Ministerium für Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen.  Her message: climate targets are not a burden, but a real opportunity for innovation and future viability. The topic of sustainability has already arrived in the food industry in NRW, as reflected by the fact that over 60% of the award winners have established sustainability initiatives, from biodiversity to water conservation.  ✨ Other highlights of the event were the keynote speeches:   👉 FoodTracks: artificial intelligence in the food industry.   👉 Deutscher Ernährungsindustrie e.V.: Trends, innovations and sustainability in the food industry.   👉 Food - Made in Germany: International market development as a competitive factor for SMEs.  An inspiring day that showed how much the industry in NRW has already achieved - and how we can work together to further advance sustainability and climate neutrality! ✨ #Klimaneutralität #Lebensmittelindustrie #Landwirtschaft #Nachhaltigkeit #NRW

Congratulations to Simon Debade for winning Food ingredients Europe‘s Start-Up Challenge in the category „sustainable innovation“. Simon is the co-founder of Akoua Juice, a start-up upcycling the cashew apple - the fruit that is discarded in the production of cashew kernels. Consider that 10kg of cashew apples are trashed for the production of 1kg of cashews - turning those apples into juice and concentrate as an alternative sweetener is a big deal. For the environment, as we are making better use of the resources already produced. For the cashew farmers, which can generate more income. For cashew growing countries, which can develop new value chains. And now the jury of Europe‘s most important food ingredient show is convinced that Akoua should be considered as a sweetening agent in food & bev. Which leads us to the question: which food or beverage product manufacturer should give Akoua concentrate a try? Tag them in the comments ⬇️

Can we combat climate change with Agri-Photovoltaics? In the face of climate challenges, solutions like Agri-Photovoltaics (Agri-PV) are emerging as game-changers. This innovative technology combines solar energy generation with productive agricultural use of land. A win-win for sustainability and farm efficiency! ✅ Agri-PV reduces plant water demand while generating clean energy. ✅ Diversifies income streams for farmers, providing resilience against changing weather and rising energy costs. 🚧 High installation costs and complex approval procedures make scaling difficult. One example in NRW is the Agri-Food-Energy-Park Bürgewald by BioökonomieREVIER that showcases Agri-PV’s potential. It delivers up to 1.2 MW/ha solar power while cultivating crops like berries beneath. This project underlines Agri-PV’s role in transforming agriculture. Technologies like AI could further optimize Agri-PV, making it a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture. Check our current article on our website for more insights: https://lnkd.in/e3ExUG93 What’s your take on Agri-PV? #Sustainability #AgriTech #RenewableEnergy

Looking for curated news on agrifood innovation and the NRW ecosystem? Don't look any further! Our monthly newsletter delivers what you need to know straight into your inbox 📈 global trends that shape agriculture and food 📣 updates from NRW based start-ups and corporates 💰 new funding programs 🏆 calls by accelerators & start-up competitions 🌱 support for your own climate-neutrality and sustainability journey job openings events you should not miss This month's newsletter drops on Thursday. Sign up here if you have not yet: https://lnkd.in/epQhij_P

Two years after emerging from BASF's Chemovator, Corbiota failed to overcome insolvency and had to close its doors for good last week, as unforeseen developments halted the planned expansion to the US. The start-up, co-founded by Julia Katrin Rohde, Pascal Heithorn and Thorsten Kuehn, focused on pioneering solutions in microbiome research for sustainable livestock farming. Corbiota developed innovative solutions aimed at enhancing the health and resilience of poultry and pigs through a natural approach. By feeding live worms to these young livestock, the start-up strengthened the animals' eubiosis – the natural balance of microorganisms in their gut and immune systems. This method also activated the animals' natural instincts, promoting healthier, stronger growth and greater resistance to diseases. We are sad to see another pioneering start-up bite the dust. While their insolvency puts a screeching halt to their pilot plant and projects, the impact their approach and research will have on the future of livestock farmer is undisputed. Julia & Pascal – Thank you for being such an integral part of our community. We are sending you much strength for the upcoming weeks.

It's time again to come together in Osnabrück to innovate! On Nov. 20 & 21 our friends from Seedhouse are opening the doors to their annual flagship event for the agrifood innovation ecosystem: the innovate! convention. This year, the event offers a new, two-day, format: Day 1: 🚌 guided study tours 🏆 start-up pitches in the categories "Food Innovation" and "Ag Innovation" 💃 networking party Day 2: 💬 conference 🔎 exhibition floor ...and of course ample opportunities to discuss ideas and network! We are pumped to be presenting three of our members at our booth at the exhibition floor: Koa Switzerland & Ghana, Omnivore Recycling and NUNOS. Their solutions are ✅ contributing to a more efficient use of our natural resources ✅ making an impact by strengthening climate friendly supply chains ✅ creating value in the Global South. Want to join us? Hit us up for a 25% discount code. Just leave a note in the comments. Looking forward to seeing you in Osnabrück!

⏰ Last call to apply to the Grüne Woche Start-up Days pitch competition: application phase closes November 15! ⏰ For a period of ten days in January, Grüne Woche in Berlin is the showcase for German agriculture and food sectors, presenting the best of food & farming: from food artisans and farmstead foods to foodtech start-ups and agtech solutions. It's a great stage for your start-up's innovation! Our association will also be present with a booth in the NRW pavilion, presenting twelve of our start-ups at our booth! 🚀 For the application link for Start-up Competition, check the comments.

Nov 13, 5:15pm: Another opportunity to meet fellow agrifood innovators at EuroTier

Is there anything more motivating than if you can observe tangible results from your work? It's been two months since our Ideenfutter Expo. We pour months of blood, sweat and tears into organizing this annual event for our community, and we're excited to hear about first results: connections made, products listed, investment talks proceeding. A special shout out to Fabian Eekhoff and Yannik Busch at Aramark who already organized a tasting of the products they scouted at Ideenfutter for all the chefs and operations managers of their district. We are thankful for partners like these, who help us bring innovative food products onto the plates of consumers: 🌱 Edamame grown in NRW by Benedikt Sprenker 🐟 Fish alternatives by Vegan Visboer | Vegan Fisherman 🐥 Poultry alternatives by Rival Foods 🍫 Juices, concentrates and more of the cocoa fruit by Koa Switzerland & Ghana 🍺 Center-plate items upcycled from spent grain by Brew Bites ☕ Functional snack balls by nutriz Last but not least, a heartfelt "thank you" to Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf for hosting the event in their restaurant. Your support is much appreciated! #foodinnovation #nrw #horeca

Heading to EuroTier? We have compiled the most important to dos and to sees for start-ups and innovators on our website and below. Over 30 start-ups from 15 countries are expected as exhibitors in Hanover – and more on panels and in pitch sessions. Some of our members are among them – make sure to visit BioCV GmbH at their booth to learn more about how their bluetooth sensor ear tags for farm animals allows for efficient and accurate monitoring of the animals. And stop by aarnt bioworks, who are creating new business opportunities for livestock farmers wanting to turn stables into indoor farms for cannabis. Stallgrün is another start-up of our community reclaiming empty pigpens for indoor farming. They will be on stage at the Inhouse Farming on Nov. 15. DAG Deutsche Algen Genossenschaft eG will be part of a panel discussing marketing as a success factor for indoor farming products on Nov. 13. We will be in Hanover for the Start-up Showcase Day on Nov. 14 – if you want to join, let us know. We do have complimentary tickets for our members. Did we miss anything? Who else should we visit at the show? Comment below!