More than 1,200 industry leaders from 90 countries gathered at Bühler Group’s headquarters in Uzwil to explore how to sustainably feed and move 10 billion people by 2050. Under the theme “Multiplying impact together,” the Bühler Networking Days 2025 showcased how innovation, collaboration, and bold leadership can drive the transformation needed across the global food system.

Held every three years, Networking Days has become a flagship event for the food, feed, and mobility sectors – bringing together decision-makers, researchers, and technology providers to exchange solutions and foster collective action. This year’s edition was the largest and most diverse to date, underscoring the event’s growing role as a platform for accelerating progress toward sustainable value chains.

Big change needs bold leadership

Speaking at the event, Bühler Group CEO Stefan Scheiber described the power of collaboration and cooperation to multiply the impact of innovation. “Every breakthrough, partnership, and bold decision has the potential to create ripples – spreading knowledge, inspiring action, and driving progress,” he said. “But their true power lies in the multiplier effect: when these ripples connect, they create waves of change. By working together, businesses and industries don’t just add incrementally to progress – they accelerate it by compounding their influence and scaling solutions far beyond what any single effort could achieve.”

Ian Roberts, Bühler Group CTO said: “It is so clear now that we must act with focus and collaboration to bring the impact necessary to preserve the healthy state of our planet. I am energized by the potential and willingness shown by our 1,200 guests – not to simply talk, but to build concrete actions and to share what they have already achieved to accelerate group learning and impact multiplication.”

The Networking Days 2025 was the fourth Bühler Group Networking Days event. The Swiss-based technology group has convened leaders from the industries it serves once every three years since 2016. Attendees at this year’s event traveled from 90 countries and six continents.

Sustainability: a business imperative

Throughout the event, speakers emphasized that sustainability is not just a responsibility – it’s a driver of resilience and competitiveness. Professor Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute and architect of the Planetary Boundaries framework, noted: “We must think of sustainability as central to competitiveness, security, stability, and health. When a decision improves your performance, attracts talent, opens new markets, or enhances resilience, communicate that clearly: show that sustainability is not a burden – it’s a competitive advantage.”

Bühler reported significant progress on its 2019 pledge to reduce energy, waste, and water in key value chains by 50% by 2025. Backed by nearly CHF 500 million in R&D investment, the company is delivering solutions that enable customers to reduce environmental footprint while boosting profitability. In some value chains, such as chocolate and aluminum, combined savings potential now exceeds 70%.

From digital process control to machine refurbishment and predictive maintenance, Bühler’s solutions offer practical paths toward more efficient, circular production systems that deliver measurable impact.

Driving transformation through circularity and innovation

Several sessions focused on how rethinking business models can unlock new value. Italian producer Andriani shared how circularity initiatives, supported by Bühler, enabled the company to turn side-streams into new product lines – from pet food to nutritional supplements. Similarly, illycaffè is now repurposing coffee byproducts for use in cosmetics and advancing regenerative practices with its growers.

IMD Professor Julia Binder encouraged businesses to approach circularity as a strategy for growth: “The circular economy is an ecosystem play – it’s very customer-centric, it’s extremely collaborative. The companies that really make money in the future will be those that use the license to innovate. I encourage you to start from the future back: envision one or two transformational innovations that could redefine your business, then define the steps you need to take to get there.”

Safe, healthy, affordable food that tastes good

A key discussion centered on the challenge of delivering nutritious, affordable, and appealing food to a growing global population. Mars Chief Science Officer Abigail Stevenson highlighted the rising importance of nutrient density, with more whole grains, legumes, and nuts appearing in packaged foods. She also emphasized the need for cross-sector collaboration: “Looking beyond our industry is critical for broadening perspectives and for really thinking differently.”

Florian Schattenmann, CTO at Cargill, underlined the complexity of balancing priorities: “Products need to offer the right taste, the right nutrition profile, the right sustainability profile, and the right cost – and of those, taste is king.”

The conversation also turned to building food systems in underserved regions. Naval Group CEO Simon Tecleab outlined his company’s journey in expanding food processing infrastructure across East Africa and building a new food park in Angola in partnership with Bühler. Mandla Nkomo, CEO of Partners in Food Solutions, stressed the importance of inclusive innovation: “Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity isn’t. Let’s build an opportunity superhighway, one factory at a time.”

Education, leadership, and bold decisions

The event concluded with a powerful reminder: technology alone is not enough. As Ranjay Gulati of Harvard Business School put it, “The currency to survive in an era of uncertainty is courage.” Guests were urged to act boldly, invest in leadership, and accelerate implementation of proven solutions.

CEO Stefan Scheiber closed the event by urging attendees to act boldly: “We need the courage to take decisive action – action that accelerates growth and drives the sustainable transformation of businesses, value chains, and entire industries. By doing this, we will shape a better future for our businesses and our societies, and truly multiply impact together.”

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

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Eager to embark on a journey in the Swiss food innovation ecosystem, but worried about getting lost in the mountains?

Switzerland boasts a wealth of foodtech startups, research institutions, accelerators, and industry leaders. While this diversity fosters innovation, it can also be challenging for newcomers to know how to connect with the right stakeholders. 

Guiding innovators through the Swiss food ecosystem

The SFNV Navigator is an interactive, user-friendly digital tool that guides international innovators through Switzerland’s dynamic food innovation ecosystem. It connects them with a multitude of resources, partners, and opportunities – so they can get where they’re headed faster. 

Whether you’re a startup looking for funding, a researcher seeking collaboration, or a company aiming to expand in Europe, the Navigator will help you to identify and connect with the most relevant partners and resources.

Key features include:

• Comprehensive listings: Learn more about Swiss food ecosystem players
• Search feature: Filter and search based on your specific needs, whether that’s  funding opportunities, research collaborations, or market growth.
• Targeted filters: Find resources by location and company stage.
  

Addressing real-world challenges

The Navigator is a response to the real challenges faced by innovators entering the Swiss market.

Cedric Verstraeten, CEO of revyve, explains: “Switzerland’s reputation as a hub for cutting-edge technology and forward-thinking business practices perfectly complements our mission at revyve. Our partnership with Swiss food and ingredients manufacturers allows us to enhance our ability to deliver natural, animal-free, and high-performing texturising ingredients to consumers worldwide. For companies like ours, understanding and navigating this environment quickly and efficiently is vital to building meaningful collaborations and scaling innovations.”

Diana Sabrain, CEO and co-founder at Valley partner OneAgrix AG added: “Switzerland’s role as a European gateway has become increasingly strategic as companies navigate AI-driven market transformations and evolving trade policies. Its proactive approach to emerging technologies and neutral trade status offer the infrastructure to adopt AI while preserving operational flexibility. For new entrants, navigating Switzerland’s diverse landscape of AI innovators and established industry leaders is key to seizing opportunities created by technological advances and the demand for tariff-resilient supply chains.”

Whether you’re in the early stages of your venture or looking to expand your existing operations, the SFNV Navigator can help understand what support is available.

Get the most out of the Swiss food ecosystem

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Want an example of successful collaboration between Valley Partners? Look no further than Luya and the ZFV Group. Find out why the ZFV Group selected Luya as an ingredient for their vegan dishes, how the partnership is progressing, and what makes this foodtech start-up so special in terms of innovation. 

A different kind of vegan alternative

Let’s start with two questions. Do vegan alternatives always have a long list of ingredients? And why are they still called “nuggets” or similar, as if they’re meat? These are two questions that Valley food service partner ZFV can answer easily thanks to Luya. 

In answer to the first question: No, they don’t. There are just six ingredients on Luya’s product list – 98% of its contents are chickpeas and okara. And additives? Zero.The foodtech start-up’s motto is back to nature and natural ingredients, a return to traditional production methods. It’s this that so impressed ZFV’s kitchen teams and why Luya regularly features on vegan menus across their 200 locations. But what exactly makes Luya so special?

Okara – a valuable by-product

Cutting-edge fermentation cabinets are busy whirring away at Luya’s production facility, located in a former chocolate factory. This traditional production method, familiar to many from their mother or grandmother’s kitchen, is being brought into the modern age. To further develop this method, Luya has invested heavily in research and technology. It’s not just about using natural ingredients and traditional techniques, but also about fighting food waste. Luya uses okara, a by-product of tofu production. Rich in nutrients and valuable components, okara is usually processed into biogas – quite literally burned. At Luya, it now enjoys a second life as a star ingredient. And this is just the beginning – many similar by-products still suffer the same fate. Co-founder Nina Schaller says the Luya team already has several new ideas in the pipeline. We’re very curious to see what else might end up on our plates in the future. Which raises the question…

Why are vegan products still called “stroganoff”, “nuggets”, and the like? 

Natural, vegan, and free from additives – Luya products bring variety to plant-based cuisine. But why do they still carry names like “burger”, “stroganoff” or “nuggets”? The answer is a simple one: we buy, cook, and eat what we know. When someone reads “stroganoff” – even if it’s made from okara and chickpeas instead of meat – they already have an idea of how to prepare it and what might go well with it. Luya’s goal is to inspire as many people as possible to try healthy, plant-based products. That’s easier to achieve if people feel confident enough to give it a go. So the naming can be seen as a kind of “user manual”.

Nina Schaller, Luya co-founder, explains: “We deliberately sought out natural, nutrient-rich products and analysed by-product streams. We didn’t shy away from research or the development of technical solutions and processes. One thing became clear: the system needs to change so that by-products don’t just end up in the bin for the sake of convenience. There’s still a lot of potential, and we’ll keep working on it.”

Luya x ZFV – two Valley Partners join forces

Reto Zuberbühler, F&B developer in product management at ZFV, has been busy creating dishes with Luya – for example, the “Luya Korma” with a side of tomato-coconut chutney. The spicy South Asian curry was part of the Veganuary 2025 menu. The ZFV team had their eye on Luya for some time and were all the more excited to finally get it into the pan and onto the plate. With Reto a big fan of fermentation and natural ingredients, he was just as impressed by the ingredients list as he was by the taste.

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

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Valley partner Planted has opened a new state of the art facility for producing its plant-based whole-muscle meat in Memmingen, southern Germany. The Swiss FoodTech pioneer is already regarded as a trailblazer in the field of clean meat and the new premises mark a major milestone in the expansion of its production capabilities. 

A home for Planted’ s whole-muscle platform

The focus of the new production facility in Memmingen will be on scaling and further developing the group of products that relies on Planted’s proprietary complete meat muscle. The muscle grows through proprietary fermentation processes and can be further processed into a variety of meat cuts. The planted.steak based on this advanced technology was launched in 2024 and has triggered strong demand from consumers and restaurants – demonstrating the potential of alternative proteins in terms of flavour, health benefits and sustainability. The opening in Memmingen was announced in late 2024 as an answer to this increased demand. 

Doubled production capacity 

The new plant in Memmingen marks itself out as Europe’s most modern production facility for biostructured proteins and will make it possible to produce over 20 tonnes per day in the mid-term, the same amount as the current capacity of the site in Kemptthal, Switzerland – therefore doubling the company’s overall capacity. 

The facility will produce products for sale in Germany as well as other European markets, including the UK – creating over 50 new jobs in the medium term. Lukas Böni, co-founder and member of the management board of Planted, told us: ‘With an export share of 75% and Germany as our biggest export country, expansion into our largest EU market was an obvious choice. The new proximity to key target markets, combined with a state-of-the-art production facility, allows for more sustainable and efficient logistics and production, helping Planted meet growing demand and stay closer to our international customers. The Kemptthal site remains a central pillar of our production for the Swiss market.’

Sustainability as a central element

Sustainability is a guiding principle at the new production facility, as you would expect from the B-Corp certified company. Together with the local Alois Muller Group, an expert in sustainable energy concepts, the plant has been designed to be environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, so that it can work towards CO2 neutrality. Planted relies on groundwater cooling and the heat supply is provided by a sustainable energy system. The production of a planted.steak causes 97% less CO2 emissions and requires 81% less water compared to conventional beef. 

In a further achievement for the planted.steak, further significant national retail listings have been made at REWE and Kaufland in Germany, Tesco in the UK, Carrefour in France, Albert Heijn in Holland and Migros in Switzerland in recent weeks. To coincide with the BBQ season, Planted has also newly expanded its range with a paprika flavour way produced using the same innovative fermentation technology. Further products in the steak group are also under development and set to launch later this year.

‘Our biotechnological expertise enables us to bring new innovative products to market faster and more efficiently – and even closer to our customers in the retail and gastronomy sectors,’ explains Judith Wemmer, co-founder of Planted and operational lead for both production sites. The company is convinced that alternative proteins will surpass animal meat in terms of flavour, sustainability, health, productivity and price in future as the demand for environmentally friendly food continues to grow.  

Never miss a Swiss food innovation morsel.

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