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Yumame Foods and Le Patron partner for a delicious, plant-based future of food
Valley partner Yumame Foods and the long-established food company Patron are announcing their strategic collaboration. Their shared goal is to create plant-based foods that taste outstanding while contributing to healthier diets and greater sustainability. This...
What the food industry can learn from GDI’s Major Shifts model
The future is coming faster than many companies can keep pace with. This is especially true for actors in the food industry, as developments in STEM and climate change continue at speed. And nobody knows that better than the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI). This...
Meet the finalists of the Igeho Rising Star Award for 2025
Many startups applied. 15 made it to the public vote. Now just five remain. The 2025 Igeho Rising Star Award is designed to provide emerging companies in hospitality with an opportunity to showcase their businesses, raise awareness of their innovations, and connect...
Nestlé and IBM leverage AI and deep tech to unlock new packaging innovations
Valley partner, Nestlé R&D has teamed up with IBM Research to develop new tools that leverage the power of Artificial Intelligence and deep tech to bring breakthrough innovations to life. This research collaboration has led to the development of a generative AI...
GoNina secures new funding from the Migros Pioneer Fund in its mission to reduce food waste
Swiss foodtech startup GoNina has secured support from the Migros Pioneer Fund, marking a major new milestone in its mission to reduce food waste in Switzerland. Thanks to this partnership, GoNina will be able to further develop its AI-powered forecasting solution and...
Bühler Scale-Up Day accelerates industry and start-up collaboration
Valley partner Bühler is making strides in bridging industrial challenges with innovation through Scale-Up Day, held during the company’s Networking Days. On June 25 in Uzwil, the Scale-Up Day brought together 21 carefully selected, high-impact scale-ups – mature...
What if talent – not tech – is the missing ingredient in building food system resilience?
What if talent – not tech – is the missing ingredient in building food system resilience?By Christina Senn-Jakobsen, CEO, Swiss Food & Nutrition ValleyRethinking resilience through the lens of talent If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s this: food...
Bühler Networking Days 2025: Scaling sustainable food solutions through collaboration
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...
Discover Switzerland’s food innovation ecosystem with the SFNV Navigator
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,...
Impact Digest | Nutrition & Mental Health
As the global population ages, the role of nutrition in promoting longer, healthier lives has never been more vital. And yet it’s not just our physical health that is impacted by what we eat: increasingly, the role of diet and its links to mental wellbeing are coming...
Plating up something new with Luya
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...
Planted opens cutting-edge production facility for plant-based meat in southern Germany
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...
Bühler launches state-of-the-art Milling Academy
Valley partner Bühler has opened a new, state-of-the-art Milling Academy – a 1,800-square-meter training center for food and feed millers – at the heart of its headquarters in Switzerland. Designed to meet the evolving needs of the industry, the facility combines...
Valley partner Nestlé’s Nescafé surpasses 2025 regenerative agriculture goal
Nescafé, Valley partner Nestlé's largest coffee brand, sourced 32% of its coffee from farmers implementing regenerative agriculture practices in 2024. This achievement surpasses Nescafé's 2025 goal of 20%, reflecting the strong traction that regenerative agriculture...
Bühler opens puffing technology center to bolster product development capabilities
Swiss tech leader Bühler has opened its new Puffing Application Center in Uzwil, Switzerland, providing food and feed producers industrial-scale capabilities to develop innovative, plant-based, and affordable products. The center strengthens Bühler’s network of...
Igeho Rising Star 2025: five finalists announced
The results are in: The Swiss food and hospitality ecosystem has made its selection of the five start-ups for the final of the Igeho Rising Star Award 2025. Catchfree, Circunis, Foodflows, GoNina, and Yumame Foods are the five innovators selected to showcase their...
New Roots founders launch a new plant-based protein, Yellow Sunshine
The cofounders of Valley partner New Roots, Alice Fauconnet and Freddy Hunziker, have developed a new plant-based brand integrating fermented functional proteins based on the versatile lupin legume. Leading with lupin Announcing the launch of Yellow Sunshine - named...
Swiss startup honored for sustainable innovation in St.Gallen: UpGrain wins Startfeld Diamant 2025
Food made from brewery byproducts: the Swiss startup UpGrain has been awarded the prestigious Startfeld Diamant 2025 in St.Gallen. The prize, presented by the St.Galler Kantonalbank, recognizes outstanding companies from Eastern Switzerland that demonstrate...
5 questions for Anna – the Valley’s new COO
We’re thrilled to welcome Anna Mucha to the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley team as our new Chief Operating Officer. With deep roots in both corporate supply chains and agile entrepreneurship, Anna brings a rare blend of operational depth, systems thinking and...
Impact Digest | Sustainable Packaging
Well designed and well implemented packaging solutions have a crucial role to play in shaping more sustainable food systems. From reducing food loss and waste to ensuring that 10 billion people have access to safe and nutritious food, how we transport and store our...
Nestlé to strengthen its capabilities in bio tech and deep tech, enabled by leaner, more agile R&D organization
Nestlé today announced the strengthening of its R&D expertise in biotechnology and the creation of a new center for deep tech, to boost its innovation pipeline and increase efficiency in research, innovation and operations. Laurent Freixe, CEO of Nestlé S.A. said:...
Bühler integrates NapaRoast technology to add pasteurization for safe food processing
Swiss tech leader Bühler Group has integrated NapaRoast’s advanced steam vacuum pasteurization technology into its nut processing portfolio, enhancing food safety, efficiency, and sustainability. This strategic move positions Bühler as a comprehensive solution...
Bühler launches OptiBake, the world’s first inductively heated wafer oven
Bühler Group’s new OptiBake oven revolutionizes industrial baking with inductive heating technology that delivers precise temperature control, superior wafer quality, and up to 50% energy savings. As the first of its kind, it sets a new sustainability standard by...
House of Lab Science launches food and biotech hub in the Valley
House of Lab Science has launched its newest location at The Valley in Kemptthal, strengthening its mission to deliver flexible, affordable and fully serviced lab spaces to Switzerland’s thriving biotech, foodtech and life sciences communities. Dynamic and promising...
Impact Digest | Nutrition & Longevity: Striving for longer, healthier lives
As the global population ages, the role of nutrition in elongating our healthy years has never been more vital. And it’s not just about living for longer: increasingly, scientific advancements, sustainable food solutions, and personalised nutrition strategies are...
Valley partner CleanGreens Solutions and GreenLife partner on building world’s largest aeroponic greenhouse
Valley partner CleanGreens Solutions and the GreenLife Company, a leading agricultural innovator in the Middle East, have signed an agreement to expand their collaboration and build the world’s largest Aeroponics Greenhouse farm in Abdali, Kuwait. Setting a new...
Igeho Rising Star 2025: Public voting opens
Fifteen startups have been invited to present their innovations at Igeho 2025 in November in Basel. A public vote will now determine which five advance to the final, where they will face questions from the panel and audience, competing for the 2025 Igeho Rising Star...
Valley partner Cultivated Biosciences rebrands to Cosaic and introduces new ingredient
Over the past three years, Valley partner Cultivated Biosciences has worked on using state-of-the-art biotechnology to solve the food industry’s pressing challenges. With recent breakthroughs in product development and industry collaborations, Cultivated Biosciences...
Catering to innovation: Key learnings from the first edition of the ZFV Living Lab
Copyright: ZFV-Living Lab © ZFV-UnternehmungenWhat happens when you facilitate an open innovation approach to build a more sustainable catering sector? The ZFV Living Lab (ZLL) set out to find out. The ZLL gives start-ups, companies and academic institutions access...
Impact Digest | Controlled Environment Agriculture: How is technology shaping the future of farming?
As the global population is predicted to approach 10 billion by 2050, the demand for sustainable, efficient food production systems has become a critical challenge. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) – an advanced farming method that optimises plant growth by...
Seven things we learnt at our State of Play event on side stream valorisation
The Valley’s State of Play event on side stream valorisation brought Swiss industry leaders, innovators, startups and researchers together in Bern to explore how side streams can be upcycled into valuable and nutritious products - for the benefit of both planet and...
Christina Senn-Jakobsen: Taking a bite out of food system myths
Taking a bite out of food system mythsBy Christina Senn-Jakobsen, CEO, Swiss Food & Nutrition ValleyOn April Fools’ Day, we’re prepared for the hoaxes that weave their way into our favourite programmes and news platforms. But what about the myths that persist in...
EPFL President and new SFNV Steering Committee member Anna Fontcuberta on shaping the future of food
Switzerland is home to some of the world’s most advanced research institutions, driving innovation at the intersection of science, technology, and food. As the President of Valley partner EPFL and an expert in nanotechnology, Anna Fontcuberta i Morral brings a unique...
Valley partner Upgrain wins the Swiss Sustainability Impact Award
Valley partner and Appenzell-based startup UpGrain has been honored with the Swiss Sustainability Impact Award at this year’s START Summit in St. Gallen for its achievements in food upcycling. The award ceremony took place at Olma Messen St. Gallen. As Europe’s...
Forward Fooding unveils 2024 FoodTech 500, celebrating the top global AgriFoodTech companies
Forward Fooding has released the official full ranking of the FoodTech 500, identifying and celebrating the world’s most promising AgriFoodTech businesses. Forward Fooding describes the 2024 edition as “a testament of how the global AgriFoodTech sector is currently...
5 questions on side stream valorisation for Rethink Resource CEO Linda Grieder Kern
Side stream valorisation focuses on repurposing by-products from food processing waste streams into high-value products. Rethink Resource plays a pivotal role in this space by offering guidance on projects around new value-creating opportunities for industrial side...
5 questions on turning side streams into delicious products for Luya co-founder Flavio Hagenbuch
More and more people are reducing their meat consumption for sustainability, health, and animal welfare reasons. Valley partner Luya aims to meet growing demand for a versatile, organic protein source made from natural ingredients that’s good for both people and...
Givaudan, Nestlé R+D Accelerator Lausanne and FoodHack launch the 2025 FoodTech World Cup
The future of food is personalised, functional, and built for better health. As science uncovers the deep links between nutrition and well-being, innovative startups are taking a leading role in redefining how we nourish people worldwide. Valley partners Givaudan,...
Five questions for StreamUp Project Lead Tatjana Nebel about supporting Swiss food loss reduction solutions
Food losses can occur at any stage of the supply chain, from production through to consumption, making cross-industry collaboration and innovation crucial for creating effective solutions. One approach to reducing food losses is side stream valorisation, whereby...
Will the future of farming be soil-free?
In the lead-up to our next Impact Forum on Controlled Environment Agriculture on 11 March, Bruno Cheval from cultivation technology specialists CleanGreens Solutions SA gave us a flavour of what’ll be on the menu during the event – from the way technology is...
5 questions on side stream valorisation for UpGrain CEO Vincent Vida and COO William Beiskjaer
Side stream valorisation is all about finding new ways to transform by-products from food processing waste streams into new, high-value products. This approach isn’t just about sustainability – it’s about smarter resource use, cross-industry collaboration, economic...
Givaudan collaborates with Dole Asia Holdings to upcycle green bananas into a natural texturiser
Valley partner Givaudan has announced an agreement to distribute upcycled Green Banana Powder produced by Dole Specialty Ingredients. This collaboration provides product developers with a natural, high-performing, clean-label texurising solution, while helping to...
Voltiris secures CHF 4.8 million seed financing to power high-tech greenhouses
Valley partner and Swiss startup, Voltiris, a leader in solar energy solutions for greenhouses, has successfully closed a CHF 4.8 million seed financing round to accelerate the electrification of high-tech greenhouses - a fast-growing $60 billion market. The round was...
Eggfield Co-Founder Silvan Leibacher on growing eggs in a field
The Igeho Rising Star Award celebrates innovation and excellence in the hospitality and food sectors. In 2023, EggField, a Swiss startup specializing in plant-based egg alternatives for B2B customers, emerged as one of the award’s standout winners. We spoke with...
Spotting the Rising Stars in food tech with Igeho Brand Director Benjamin Eulau
As a leading international trade fair for Switzerland’s hotel, catering, take-away and care industries, the Igeho offers a unique platform for exhibitors and visitors to engage in dialogue and promote innovation. In 2023, Igeho launched the Igeho Rising Star Award to...
Impact Digest | Cultured foods: How can we drive impact at scale?
With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, scaling innovative protein solutions is essential to meeting both demand and climate targets. Cultured food could provide protein products that taste and feel like the animal-based original, but with a...
The Igeho Rising Star Award 2025 focuses on FoodTech innovations
In 2023, Igeho launched the Igeho Rising Star Award to support founders and start-ups in the hospitality sector. Its second edition is now inviting all FoodTech startups to submit their applications by January 31, 2025. Fifteen start-ups will have the chance to...
Christina Senn-Jakobsen: Empowering citizens to drive food system transformation
Empowering citizens to drive food system transformationBy Christina Senn-Jakobsen, CEO, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley“It’s the food companies!” he says.“It’s the government’s job to legislate,” she argues.“It’s people’s own responsibility,” others shout.“It’s the...
2024: Taking a big step towards a more future-proof food system
2024 Taking a big step towards a more future-proof food systemAs 2024 draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to look back at some of our key highlights - both as individual innovators and as an ecosystem. In the year that Switzerland was ranked leading...
Givaudan and Moonshot Pirates work together to shape the future of alternative protein
Valley partner, Givaudan, a global leader in flavours, taste, functional and nutritional solutions, has announced a new collaboration with Moonshot Pirates, a dynamic movement of young leaders and changemakers. The “Shape the Future” Challenge will inspire Gen Z...