The startup Effium wins the “Culinary Action! On the Road” stop at Rotterdam

• Effium (The Netherlands) is a foodtech startup specialised in the design and production of high-performance frying pans for gas stoves, with a focus on innovation and sustainability
• Travelling international competition in which the winner has the opportunity to spend 20 hours with the food technology center to develop research and innovation projects and gains access to the Basque Culinary Center's network and ecosystem of corporations, investors and mentors.
• Tokyo (Japan), Bahrain (Kingdom of Bahrain), London (United Kingdom), and Boston (USA) are the next cities to be visited by the On The Road contest.

Effium (The Netherlands), the foodtech startup specialised in the design and production of high-performance frying pans for gas stoves, with a focus on innovation and sustainability, has been selected as the winner at the second stop of Culinary Action! On The Road held in Rotterdam, an international entrepreneurship programme aimed at foodtech startups along with local partner the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) through its headquarters in Rotterdam.

“What you cultivate is important” highlighted Thomas Uljee, co-founder of Tomasu, artisanal soy sauce startup, in his speech “Food Tech Scene in Rotterdam”. Uljee shared the beginnings and the evolution of his project, as well as the challenges and key aspects in the success of Tomasu.

Raquel Martin, project manager at GOe–Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, explained the cornerstones of the Basque Culinary Center’s strategic project; a single open ecosystem, a space for innovation open to the public where collaboration between students, entrepreneurs, researchers, companies and citizens is cultivated and encouraged.

Renate Jacobs of Unilever; Maria Tapia, Managing Partner at Earthstar Investments; Martijn vanVliet, head chef at the Culinary Community of Sodexo; and Moayad Abushokhedim, CEO of Fooditive Group, participated in a round table on “Sustainability in FoodTech”, to discuss topics such as the generation of synergies and connections between sector professionals in order to drive community and build the future.

The event brought together different industry profiles, from entrepreneurs and investors to agritech experts. The participating startups ––Effium, MUCHgroup, Agriknow and Ingredy–– at this stop in Rotterdam organised on 24 October presented their projects to a panel of expert judges composed of Asier Alea, director of global development at the Basque Culinary Center; Leslie Vreugdenhil, director of Giraffe Coffee Roasters; Martijn van Vliet, head chef at the Culinary Community of Sodexo, and Yasmina Khababi, director of Freshtable.

‘It is said that cooking does not begin when the fire is lit, but when the producer plants the seed; and that is already changing with artificial intelligence’, began Eneko Axpe, physicist and collaborator at the Basque Culinary Center, during his talk entitled “AI, from farm to fork”.

Axpe shared that artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising food culture by allowing detailed mapping of different regions, facilitating crop optimisation. What's more, AI improves the genetics of certain food crops, making them more resistant to disease and climate change. A creative aspect of this technology is its application in the kitchen, where chefs use it to develop innovative dishes. In this way, AI does not just influence the design of flavours and textures, but also optimises the distribution of food, redefining our interaction with culinary culture.

 Finally, Oihane González, project technician at Hazi Fundazioa, an entity dependent on the Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government, presented the foodtech ecosystem of the Basque Country under the title ‘Basque Country Ecosystem’, highlighting the food value chain in the Basque Country and underlining its coordinated ecosystem, which offers numerous opportunities for companies participating in the Culinary On The Road! programme that wish to establish themselves in the region. These opportunities include support programmes, access to specialised talent and a firm commitment to become consolidated as the Culinary Nation that Euskadi represents.

The next competitions will take place on 6 November in Tokyo, 19 November in Bahrain, in February 2025 in London and the end of March 2025 in Boston. The winning startups at each local event will have the opportunity to develop research and innovation projects, over 20 hours, at BCC Innovation, technological center in Gastronomy of the Basque Culinary Center. What's more, during this time, startups will have access to the network of experts and mentors of the Basque Culinary Center ecosystem and GOe and will receive different kinds of support on topics such as access to the network of investors in the centre, networking and support for landing in the local ecosystem.

Finally, the six local finalist startups will compete in a grand final to be held in April 2025 in Donostia-San Sebastián, which will pit the winners from each country against each other, in which the winning startup of the fourth edition of ‘On The Road’ will be chosen, and which will be awarded a six-month residency in the startup incubator, and an additional 25-hour voucher for research and innovation projects in the gastronomy technology centre.

Startups in Rotterdam

Effium focuses on the development of technological solutions to improve efficiency and sustainability in food production and supply industries. Its focus takes advantage of cutting edge innovation to reduce food waste and optimise processes in sectors related to food.

MUCHgroup aims to revolutionise the production of food through the development of sustainable alternative food sources. It focuses on circular food solutions and on using food waste to create new nutritional products, thus contributing to a more sustainable food system.

Agriknow offers innovative agricultural technology solutions, providing farmers and agribusinesses with data-driven information to improve crop management, increase efficiency and optimise yields through artificial intelligence and precision farming techniques.

Ingredy is a digital platform that focuses on simplifying the recipe creation process for both consumers and businesses. Its app allows users to create, store and share recipes, while also offering ingredient tracking and food substitution options, helping users make healthier and more sustainable food choices.