10 Swiss Startups Deconstructing Food and Food Production
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As the earth’s population is forecast to increase by 2 billion people in the next 30 years, entrepreneurs are examining every aspect of food, its production and distribution to improve quality, reduce waste and boost sustainability.
Discover the ten Swiss startups changing what food ends on our plates and how it gets there.
AUXIVO
Work-related injuries cost employers in Europe €30 billion every year. In Switzerland injures due to lifting and carrying cost 370 million francs annually. AUXIVO’s light exoskeleton reduces damage to workers’ backs and joints when lifting or carrying loads as much as 50kg.
Work-related injuries cost employers in Europe €30 billion every year. In Switzerland injures due to lifting and carrying cost 370 million francs annually. AUXIVO’s light exoskeleton reduces damage to workers’ backs and joints when lifting or carrying loads as much as 50kg.
Bloom Biorenewables Sàrl
Bloom's high-yield technology extracts lignin, a vital molecule for the flavors and fragrances industry, from 'waste' plant material leftover from paper production. The patented, low-temperature process offers a way for the chemical industry to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases. The startup recently won support from Venture Kick.
CocoA applies new technologies and processes to extract a so far unused, delicious part of the cocoa fruit – the cocoa pulp. Solar-energy systems mean extraction at take place on remote, small-scale plantations, allowing farmers to earn more and consumers to enjoy a new exotic flavor.
Felfel AG
Felfel AG
Employers pay an annual fee so their employees can be billed individually for what they eat from Felfel’s serviced fridges. The company, which re-stocks its fridges daily and changes menus weekly, has won more than 250 corporate clients in Switzerland since its foundation in 2013.
Helps restaurants and canteens reduce food waste by monitoring what gets thrown away. The company’s bins, equipped with scales and cameras, record which foods, and how much, is discarded. Hospitality industry clients, which subscribe to the hardware and analysis, can then change their production processes. Kitro is piloting its service in Switzerland, with a product launch due in 2019.
The winner of Venture Leaders Technology 2019 wraps microscopic compounds 1000 times faster than current technology. The patented process makes it easier and cheaper to precisely package critical ingredients, such as probiotics, at industrial scale for the food industry.
Nectariss Sàrl
Nectariss Sàrl
Nectariss uses patented fermentation technology to flavors from their original sources. The startup is focusing on a $50-100 million segment of the $1 billion truffle industry, which currently relies on a mix of synthetic flavors and ingredients such as seafood and vegetables to mimic the truffle-aroma.
Sixty billion chickens are grown and killed annually. Planted’s proprietary extrusion process converts protein and fibers from yellow split peas into a structure that mimics meat, to offer consumers a sustainable and cruelty-free alternative to meat, and diversify consumer choices from gluten- and soy-based foods.
Provides a portable, self-administered, on-site DNA test. This means workers can confirm the safety of the global food supply chain in 30 minutes, without the delay of visiting a lab for analysis.
The biggest threats to bees are the Vorrae mite and the disease it carries. Vatorex has developed a natural, non-chemical solution to this threat, and also supports beekeepers with a range of products and technologies for their day-to-day work. The startup won CHF 130,000, support and training from Venture Kick in 2016.
