Edible ice cream spoons made from coconut fibre, a bar of shelled hemp seeds with honey to stimulate mental fitness, and 100 per cent organic, unrefined natural sugar from Colombia. The winners at this year’s Startup Days at the International Green Week Berlin (IGW) impressed the judges with their innovative business ideas. With the IGW Startup Days on 22 and 23 January 2020 the IGW 2020 (17-26 Jan.) is focusing attention on the food startup scene for the third time. Companies have until 11 October 2019 to submit their products or marketing concepts. The entries will be judged by a panel, who will select the best of them for the final round in Berlin. The Professional Centre at the world’s leading exhibition for agriculture, food and horticulture offers a unique opportunity for presentations by newly established companies.
Lars Jaeger, Project Manager for the International Green Week Berlin: “Innovative marketing approaches for regional or sustainably produced items – the winning pitches at previous IGW Startup Days have shown that food startups not only identify social challenges but are also capable of launching comprehensive and marketable solutions quickly and convincingly. In so doing they are one step ahead of many of the leading players in this field.”
The Startup Days have been introduced by Messe Berlin to focus attention on current food-related issues and trends, and also to illustrate changing consumer behaviour. Although the range on offer is largely determined by the leading players, the retail food trade is also placing an increasing emphasis on smaller, innovative suppliers. So-called microbrands meet a growing demand by consumers for differentiation in flavours, product origin, production or compatibility with eating habits, whether they are motivated by health, philosophical or religious eating habits. The Startup Days thus provide an authentic picture of the current food world.
And the Green Week’s own particular USP: there is no other marketing platform that provides such proximity to the retail food trade, and nowhere else that offers such a balanced mix or B2B and B2C target groups. For its exhibitors, whether they are startups or traditional producers, this trade fair is the perfect basis for sales, for studying one’s competitors and for a personal access to consumer groups.
Application forms can be obtained from www.grünewoche.com/startups and must be submitted by
11 October 2019.