Last opportunity to take part in the 1st FoodTech Innovation Circuit by AgTech Garage

The initiative — carried out in partnership with Bunge, ICL, Nitro, PwC and Ultragaz — explores six verticals in the food and beverage chain

Junho 24, 2022

Committed to the vision of orchestrating the Ag&FoodTech innovation ecosystem, AgTech Garage — one of the largest agribusiness innovation hubs in Latin America — launched its 1st FoodTech Innovation Circuit. The initiative is carried out alongside five partners: Bunge, ICL, Nitro, PwC and Ultragaz, which seek innovative solutions in six verticals. 

The verticals are: packaging; food safety; combating food waste; retail and food marketplace; production linked to sustainability and food of the future. Startups interested in participating in the innovation circuit have until July 1st to apply through the Agtech Innovation website.

“AgTech Garage is constantly growing, it already has more than 80 partners, and has brought companies from the entire food production chain to the community, from the field to the consumer's table”, says José Tomé, CEO of the hub. The movement follows the need to expand food production in a sustainable way, in order to meet the demand of a population of 10 billion inhabitants by 2050. “The food sector is extremely important for us, as a thematic hub of reference in global agribusiness. And, through this call, we hope to attract frontier solutions to serve our partners and expand the AgTech Garage startup community, which already integrates more than a thousand ag&foodtechs”, he says.

The partners of the 1st FoodTech Innovation Circuit

Circuit partners, Bunge , ICL , Nitro , PwC and Ultragaz reaffirm their commitment to the end-to-end agribusiness chain, understanding the relevance of their actions to generate the best experiences in the countryside even after the consumer's table. During the FoodTech Innovation circuit, company executives participate in the startups' evaluation committee in pitch day sessions; can interact with foodtechs through mentoring and propose business deals, from contracting solutions to co-development with startups. The partner companies also finance the entry of a group of foodtechs into the AgTech Garage Membership startup network, which has exclusive value generation and access to deliveries from the hub.

Alfredo Walter, RD&I Manager for Latin America at ICL, highlights that the company is strategically connected to all circuit themes. “In 2022 we declared our absolute commitment on creating responsible solutions to humanity's sustainability challenges in the global food, agriculture and industrial products markets,” says Walter. A global leader in specialty minerals, ICL has a food additive development arm, ICL Food Specialties, a supplier of ingredients that provide texture and stability to different foods and beverages and also have functional characteristics.

At Nitro, Fernando Ferreira, R&D Manager for Chemical Specialties and Innovation Management, sees a series of synergies with the circuit. “We operate in two stages of the food chain: before the gate, with products for the nutrition of plants, animals and biopesticides, and supplying inputs for food packaging. We are excited about the Agtech Garage FoodTech Innovation Circuit, which will allow us to get in touch with different foodtechs and accelerate new technologies and business models”, says Ferreira. The priority for ICL are sustainable packaging solutions, circular economy solutions and new packaging technologies. “In addition, topics such as sustainable production and digitalization of the food chain can bring ESG and digital transformation solutions adaptable to our needs”, he adds.

Maurício Moraes, partner and Agribusiness Leader at PwC Brazil, expects interesting businesses to emerge from the vertical “future of food”, which draws attention both due to the need for more sustainable production and consumer demands. “The topics are diverse and all them have their relevance, from production linked to sustainability, through processing, marketplace and the future of food”, he adds. For PwC, as a consulting and auditing firm, the opportunity to participate in the circuit is strategic and aligned with its purpose of building trust in society and solving important problems. “Our team of professionals comes together to support the solution of challenges and generate sustainable results”, says Moraes. “Changing consumer habits affect traditional models of operation and commercialization with great opportunities in the market, and we are ready to support customers on all fronts”.

Present in more than 11 million Brazilian homes and around 58 thousand businesses, Ultragaz wants to connect with foodtechs with goals and ideas that can generate a differential in the development of sustainability for their customers, especially in food service, based on retail and food marketplace themes. The foodservice area is one of the company's main segments, serving restaurants, bars, steakhouses, pizzerias, industrial kitchens, fast-food chains, among others. “The company's strategy is to develop solutions that meet the needs and demands of each of these foodservice segments, always based on safety, innovation, technology and sustainability”, highlights Ana Eliza Vairo, Solution Development Manager from Ultragaz.

Check out bellow the themes of the 1st FoodTechs Innovation Circuit promoted by AgTech Garage:

Packaging

• packaging materials;
• smart packaging;
• sustainable packaging;
• new alternative methods of packaging recycling.

Food Safety

• increase in shelf-life;
• traceability;
• new temperature control technologies;
• pathogen detection technologies;
• technologies that ensure safe food handling.

Food Waste

• technologies to reduce food waste;
• technologies in food waste management and food disposal;
• new technologies that help reduce food waste at harvest and post-harvest, in the manufacturing process and in dining establishments.

Retail and Food Marketplace

• technologies in digital processes in the Food sector;
• technologies for customer experience;
• technologies for delivery logistics;
• restaurant and food establishment management technologies.

Production linked to Sustainability

• technologies that allow “upcycling” (reuse of objects);
• carbon reduction in industry;
• technologies that allow cleaner and more sustainable processes;
• technologies for the production of “clean label” food;

Foods of the Future

• technologies for new ingredients for food and beverages;
• alternative production of proteins.