OISSY, a start-up from Tokyo, was the winner of the third Culinary Action! On the Road.

• OISSY (Tokyo), a foodtech specialising in artificial intelligence technology, has been selected as the winner of the Culinary Action! On The Road competition. The company's Leo taste sensor, which replicates the human sense of taste, enables it to conduct food flavour analysis, provide analytical data-driven advice and engage in joint taste research.

• This is the third edition of this international itinerant competition in “roadshow” format aimed at foodtech start-ups and 360º Gastronomy field.

• The On The Road competition has previously taken place in Tokyo, Copenhagen, New York, London and Buenos Aires. The winning start-up from each city competed in the final held today in Donostia-San Sebastian.

• The Culinary Action! gastronomic entrepreneurship programme of the Basque Government and the Basque Culinary Centre run by HAZI is seeking to attract innovation projects, entrepreneurial talent and start-ups in the technological aspects of the agri-food sector.

OISSY, a foodtech specialises in artificial intelligence technology, has been selected as the winner of the Culinary Action! On The Road international entrepreneurship programme. The company uses Leo taste sensor, which replicates the human sense of taste, to conduct food flavour analysis, analytical data-driven advice and joint taste research,..

Ryuichi Suzuki, CEO of OISSY, acknowledged that he was very honoured by this recognition and expressed his gratitude: “It is a great for Oissy to be the winner of the competition’s third edition, it will allow us to connect with major players in the sector and give an international boost.”

This is the third edition of the international travelling competition launched by Culinary Action!, the gastronomic entrepreneurship programme of the Basque Government and the Basque Culinary Center run by HAZI Fundazioa.

OISSY has been selected as the winner of the third edition by a jury comprising Joxe Mari Aizega, Director General of the Basque Culinary Center; Asier Alea, Director of Global Development of the Basque Culinary Center; and Mentzia Otxoa de Zuazola, Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation of HAZI Fundazioa.

The winning start-ups in each local event have received a prize of a month's residency at the LABe-Digital Gastronomy Lab start-up incubator in Donostia-San Sebastian, an open innovation living lab managed by the Basque Culinary Centre, as well as the possibility of developing research and innovation projects for 20 hours at BCC Innovation, the Basque Culinary Centre's gastronomy technology centre. Furthermore, during this period, start-ups will have the opportunity to implement an advanced digital strategy on the GOe Community platform. This will enable them to connect with and access the network of experts and mentors at the Basque Culinary Centre, as well as receive support on a range of issues, including access to the centre's investor network, support for entering the local ecosystem, and more.

The winning start-up, OISSY, has been awarded a six-month residency at LABe-Digital Gastronomy Lab, and an additional 25-hour voucher for research and innovation projects at BCC Innovation.

The event brought together different industry professionals, including entrepreneurs, investors, agritech and foodtech scientists. The competition concluded a day of dialogue and reflection in which the great work done by start-ups to build the gastronomy of the future were highlighted. Asier Alea presented with the audience the key points of GOe-Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, a project that integrates science and gastronomy: "We will co-create the future of the sector by involving different agents and working together".

Furqan Meerza, chef-researcher at BCC Innovation, the Basque Culinary Center's gastronomy technology centre, together with William Castro, Associate Programme Officer at the International Trade Centre, explained the project they are collaboratively working on for the revaluation of cocoa in Jamaica.

Finally, under the title "Science meets gastronomy", Juan Carlos Arboleya, food physicochemist and director of the master’s degree programme in Gastronomic Sciences at the Basque Culinary Centre and Eneko Axpe, collaborating scientist at the Basque Culinary Centre, emphasised the value of approaching gastronomy from different areas of knowledge, from a multidisciplinary perspective combining the vision of different agents. For his part, Axpe has shared some of the applications of Artificial Intelligence’s use in gastronomy.

CA Start-up finalists On The Road

Danish start-up, Økoskabet, connects local farmers and producers directly with the customer to offer fresh produce in a sustainable way. They can be found in "huts" scattered throughout Copenhagen.

Alcheme Bio (New York's winner), through its revolutionary approach using artificial intelligence and machine learning, can adjust cultivated product formulas in a way that reduces R&D time and costs.

Whereas WNWN Food Lab (London's winner) makes cocoa-free chocolate from plant-based ingredients.

Finally, Biotango decodes crop DNA, using a combination of biotechnology, genomics, data analysis and artificial intelligence and predicting how they will adapt and flourish.

Start-up winners of previous editions

In the competition’s second year, Reborn Farms, New York startup focusing on building hyperlocal food systems where there has been economic disadvantage due to racial or climate equity, was the winner. Origino (Buenos Aires), Mimic Seafood (Copenhagen), O’Taste (Tel Aviv) and Greenase (Tokyo) competed in the final.

Danish start-up Dryk was the winner at the first Culinary Action! On The Road for its commitment to health and sustainability and for its work in developing nutritious dairy and vegan drinks from plant-based protein. MOA foodtech (Madrid), Bordery (Biarritz) and ANINA Culinary Art  (Tel Aviv) were also present at the Donostia-San Sebastian final.

Once the registration period was over, experts from the Basque Culinary Centre and local partners analysed the start-ups that had applied and selected five finalists for each location (Tokyo, Copenhagen, New York, London and Buenos Aires). This was done by evaluating their value proposition and their commitment to the local and international environment. To participate in the championship, the start-ups were required propose a product or service that would promote the transformation of the agents in the gastronomy value chain. This included: chefs, dining rooms, managers, producers, distributors, diners, among others.

CULINARY ACTION!

Culinary Action! is the gastronomic entrepreneurship programme of the Basque Culinary Centre and the Basque Government organised by Hazi. Culinary Action! promotes entrepreneurship and new businesses in the culinary sector. Since 2014, it has been bringing together entrepreneurs, students, companies and industry, and society to make a real socio-economic impact on the gastronomy sector. It catalyses disruptive innovation by promoting start-ups and sustainable projects that are challenging the food system, such as foodtech, restech and agrotech.

More information