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In April 2024, Voyage Foods, a Foodtech startup founded in 2021, partnered with Cargill, a global leader in food ingredients. This collaboration focuses on scaling innovative alternatives to cocoa-based chocolate and nut spreads. It addresses the growing demand for sustainable, allergen-free, and plant-based foods. The partnership shows how startups can work with established corporations to expand their reach and impact in the market. What is Voyage Foods? Reimagining traditional ingredients Founded in 2021, Voyage Foods develops alternatives to traditional food products using cutting-edge technology. Their innovations replicate the flavors and textures of familiar foods while addressing critical challenges such as sustainability and allergen concerns. Key products include: These products are free from the top nine allergens, vegan, and significantly more sustainable. For example, their cocoa-free chocolate reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 84% and uses 99% less water compared to conventional chocolate. Who is Cargill? Leveraging global expertise in food ingredients Cargill, with over a century of experience, is a global leader in food ingredients, supplying chocolate, coatings, starches, sweeteners, and oils to manufacturers worldwide. The company specializes in helping manufacturers bring high-quality products to market by offering a robust distribution network and industry expertise. By partnering with Voyage Foods, Cargill has expanded its portfolio to include cocoa-free chocolate and nut-free spreads. This addition helps manufacturers meet consumer demand for allergen-friendly and sustainable options. With its ability to connect startups like Voyage Foods to a global audience, Cargill plays a critical role in enabling innovation to scale. How the partnership works The collaboration allows Voyage Foods to focus on product development while benefiting from Cargill’s resources and infrastructure. Through this partnership: This partnership has also strengthened investor confidence in Voyage Foods, as seen in the $52 million Series A+ funding the startup raised shortly after the deal was announced. Showcase at Food Ingredients 2024 At Food Ingredients Europe 2024, Cargill showcased their new product line in collaboration with Voyage Foods “Cargill Indulgence Redefined™”. They won the Future Foodtech Innovation Award. The product line included indulgent chocolate-free confections filled with hazelnut and peanut flavors that we were able to taste. Additionally, cookies made with Voyage Foods’ cocoa-free chocolate chips were featured : Conclusion: A practical model for startup-corporate partnerships The partnership between Voyage Foods and Cargill is an example of how startups can collaborate with larger companies to achieve rapid growth. By combining innovation with the resources and scale of an established player, Voyage Foods has been able to bring its allergen-free and sustainable products to a global audience. For startups and founders in other industries, this case demonstrates that strategic partnerships can be a powerful way to solve challenges, expand markets, and drive long-term success.

Tech for Retail 2024 held in Paris last week showcased a wide array of startups introducing groundbreaking solutions to revolutionize the retail industry. Among these, food retail innovation stood out as a key area of focus, addressing critical challenges such as managing perishable goods and advancing sustainability. While many themes were explored at the event, we delved into the latest advancements in this sector. In this article, we highlight seven startups transforming food retail with practical solutions to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and drive sustainability across the industry Onethird: predicting freshness to combat food waste OneThird tackles food waste with AI technology that predicts the shelf life of fresh produce and assesses ripeness in real time. This helps retailers, suppliers, and consumers make smarter decisions. Their AI-powered freshness scanners let shoppers check the ripeness of produce, such as avocados, without squeezing or damaging them. This reduces spoilage while improving inventory management. These scanners are already in use at Jumbo (Netherlands) and Migros (Switzerland). By gamifying the shopping experience, they make fresh produce management more efficient. Holis: life cycle analysis for greener retail Holis provides a SaaS platform that automates life cycle analysis (LCA). This tool helps reduce the environmental impact of products by modeling value chains and connecting suppliers. With insights into eco-design, Holis enables businesses to create more sustainable products. This platform is especially useful for food retailers who want to prioritize environmental responsibility without sacrificing efficiency. Kheops: strengthening local supply chains Kheops connects local producers with large retailers through a digital platform. By streamlining sourcing, order management, and communication, it simplifies integrating locally produced goods into retail offerings. For producers, the platform opens access to larger markets. For retailers, it helps them meet the growing demand for local goods. Ultimately, this strengthens local economies and reduces supply chain environmental footprints. B4food: traceability and safety made simple B4Food ensures food safety and supply chain transparency through a platform powered by blockchain and AI. It simplifies the management of inventory, recipes, and compliance data for businesses. The platform’s eco-conscious features, such as real-time tracking and eco-scores, offer practical tools to improve operations. These innovations reduce waste while helping businesses stay compliant with food safety standards. Ida: AI-powered fresh stock management Ida uses artificial intelligence to simplify managing fresh produce in retail. By forecasting demand and optimizing inventory processes, the platform helps retailers minimize losses and reduce waste. Ida integrates seamlessly with central purchasing systems. This ensures fresh products are available when needed, without overstocking, making it ideal for large retailers. Freshflow: demand forecasting for fresh produce Freshflow uses demand forecasting technology to improve fresh inventory management. By analyzing sales trends and consumer behavior, the platform reduces overstocking and spoilage. Its ability to improve product availability while minimizing waste aligns with retailers’ need for efficiency. Freshflow supports sustainable food retail practices that address growing consumer expectations. Ugofresh: real-time supply chain optimization UgoFresh offers a real-time platform for managing ultra-fresh product supply chains. It connects suppliers, distributors, and retailers to enable seamless communication and better coordination. This focus on transparency and waste reduction makes UgoFresh a key player in optimizing perishable goods supply chains. By improving supply chain efficiency, it supports retailers in meeting the demand for fresh, high-quality products. These startups are tackling practical challenges in food retail, from reducing waste to improving supply chain efficiency. Their innovations show how technology can make food retail more effective and sustainable. To learn more about the future of food, subscribe to our FoodTech newsletter here for weekly insights from the industry !

Tech for Retail 2024 in Paris showcased groundbreaking food retail innovations, emphasizing how technologies like AI, data analytics, and in-store digitization are transforming physical stores, customer experiences, and omnichannel strategies. Sesamers explored how these advancements are shaping the future of food retail technology. Check out our latest article highlighting the best food retail startups spotted at Tech For Retail 2024 here. The return of the physical store in Food Retail innovation Digitization of physical stores In recent years, investments in retail digitization primarily focused on e-commerce and back-end processes, leaving physical stores behind. However, the next decade will see a significant shift as physical stores undergo a technological transformation. Why Now? Innovations like digitized store operations, connected retail, and data-driven commerce are enabling retailers to reimagine the role of physical stores. Food Retail media: the evolution of in-store advertising From posters to digital campaignsThe era of static in-store advertising is fading, giving way to dynamic digital solutions. Companies like Vision Group are pioneering these changes with tools like “Engage,” which enables retailers to: Retailers face the challenge of balancing modern digital tools with familiar elements to maintain a comfortable and engaging shopping environment. Artificial Intelligence: experimenting with potential AI continues to be a focal point, with retailers experimenting to identify the most impactful applications. The focus at Tech for Retail 2024 was on practical use cases, such as: Case study: Carrefour’s HoplaCarrefour introduced “Hopla,” an AI-powered chatbot built with OpenAI technology, to enhance the shopping experience: Hopla demonstrates how AI can combine practicality with consumer-centric features to build loyalty and efficiency. AI in product developmentIn 2023, Coca-Cola released “Year 3000” a product co-created with AI, showcasing its role in trend-driven product creation. Startups like Beink Dream, winners of the Tech for Retail Startup Award, leverage AI to transform ideas into visuals and refine them in real time. Their technology has been used in the CPG industry to create innovative packaging designs. Data: the foundation of modern retail Retailers are transforming into data powerhouses, but the emphasis is shifting from raw data to actionable insights: In an era of supply chain volatility and rising consumer expectations for efficiency, actionable data has become indispensable. Personalization and ROI-driven innovation Food retailers are not just seeking technology; they are demanding value-driven innovation that aligns with their operational needs. Innovation must go beyond flashy concepts—it needs to prove its relevance and impact. Conclusion Tech for Retail 2024 highlighted that the future of food retail is a fusion of technology, innovation, and consumer-centric strategies. Physical stores are reclaiming their importance as hubs of data, logistics, and consumer engagement. Entrepreneurs and retailers must focus on solutions that are cost-efficient, intuitive, and impactful for both businesses and consumers. Interested in learning more about the future of food ? Subscribe to our Foodtech newsletter for weekly insights !