Eight companies chosen for PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse

By Emma Jane Cash

- Last updated on GMT

©iStock/Gajus
©iStock/Gajus

Related tags Supply chain management Pepsico Snack

PepsiCo announced today the eight European nutrition start-ups it has chosen for the first Nutrition Greenhouse programme, offering one winning company €100,000.

The programme was launched in March of this year and aims to nurture the best and the brightest new nutrition and health companies.

It is the first nutrition focused incubator programme from PepsiCo.

PepsiCo have offered each of the participating companies a grant of €25,000, as well as the opportunity to work for six months with business experts.

The companies from countries such as the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, were chosen on the basis of their focus on nutrition food and beverage products. 

These products are aimed at European consumers achieving sales of €2 million or less. 

PepsiCo assessed the products, brand qualities, focus on consumer health, scalable business model and uniqueness in the market before confirming the finalists.

A company specialising in organic whole foods, Erbology from the UK, is one of the winning companies.

"PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse programme is a unique opportunity to gain expertise in areas of sales and marketing, supply chain and human resources. But most importantly, we see great synergies to push the food and beverage industry into health and well on a new scale," ​Irina Turcan, co-founder of Erbology, told FoodNavigator.

Turcan says the grant will be used to introduce the brand's products into European markets and to grow and engage with its international community.

Erbology offers plant-based products using ingredients such as Jerusalem artichoke and sea buckthorn, working in partnership with independent farmers.

PepsiCo have also announced it will be offering one of the chosen eight to receive an additional €100,000 after the initial six month programme has finished.

This amount will be awarded to the company that demonstrates “the most breakthrough market approach that is both sustainable and scalable”.

Furthermore, all eight companies will be given guidance on brand optimization, product development, supply chain management, customer acquisition and distribution from PepsiCo experts.

Other areas covered will include brand marketing and managing cash flow.

Edible insects expert, Jimini’s from France, is another company set to receive support, as well as No Fairytales, from the Netherlands, who make tortilla wraps out of carrots and beets.

TAPPED, a British company selling Birch Water made from the liquid inside birch trees, said the grant will help spread awareness of their brand.

“As part of the PepsiCo Nutrition Greenhouse we want to explore how we can continute to tap into this trend and get more people enjoying goodness, straight from the tree,” ​said CEO Paul Lederer.

The other winning companies are Divingmar – a Spanish brand producing amino acid rich proteins from kombu, an edible seaweed -, Fit Kitchen – who create fibre-rich microwavable ready prepared meals in the UK – and Frecious – a Swiss brand producing ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products to accompany bread, salads and meats.

Managing director of Fit Kitchen, Philip Pinnell, told FoodNavigator that the programme will help the brand with upcoming plans.

"We are particularly keen to learn from Pepsico how to build our distribution network, which they are global experts in. For the time being we are keeping under wraps the project that we will be investing in but the aim is to create a new growth platform for the business that allows us to access new markets," ​he said.

The programme is part of PepsiCo's commitment to open innovation and to collaborate with entrepreneurs and innovators.

“We were an early move in the health and wellness space 20+ years ago and we keep learning every day,” ​said Juan Ignacio Amat, vice-president of Nutrition for PepsiCo Western Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Our Nutrition Greenhouse programme will create a collaborative space with eight companies that also have an eye towards the future of the food and beverage industry”.

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