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Our services | Venture support | Organic Food Against Climate Change

Organic Food Against Climate Change

Impact Hub Amsterdam and organic food corporate Wessanen kickstarted the Organic Foods against Climate Change challenge together with 11 sustainable food entrepreneurs. These Dutch food innovators will compete with each other and against climate change in Wessanen and Impact Hub Amsterdam’s accelerator programme, which is run in association with Triodos Bank and Crosswise Works.

11 food start-ups will follow an intensive, two-month programme. During this programme, they will learn how to accelerate and grow their business. The winner of the program will be announced at the end of June and will be rewarded with € 10,000, additional management guidance and access to the Wessanen’s extensive network.

During 3 training days and 4 master classes, entrepreneurs will learn how to grow and scale their business. They will be challenged to take action and inspire each other. “There are many entrepreneurs with fantastic ideas who strive to improve the world of food. We want to share our knowledge and help them to grow their business”, says Klaus Arntz, EVP Sustainability and Marketing at Wessanen.

The scouting and pre-selection phase started in February, when Wessanen and Impact Hub Amsterdam started looking for small food companies that already have proof of concept and the need to grow and scale up.

Furthermore, participants were required focus on one of the following areas:

  • replacing conventional with organic food
  • replacing animal protein with plant based alternatives
  • reduces food waste
  • increases awareness of and knowledge about sustainable food
With this accelerator, we want to bring more attention to sustainable food, as well as the startups that produce it. By helping to scale their business and impact, we can enable more consumers to make food choices that are better for our climate
Ilse Kwaaitaal, Scouting Lead & Program Manager at Impact Hub Amsterdam

11 Innovators that took part in the challenge

Charly’s All is Fair offers gluten-, lactose-, sugar- and soy-free alternatives to cheese that are better for health and the earth

Bieterbal sell the vegetarian version of this Dutch typical snack, made from beets and other local and pure ingredients

Taste Before You Waste organizes events to make people aware of food waste

BioBites offers vegan crackers and biscuits free from gluten, lactose and yeast

Kändi makes premium and vegan candy made from plant based ingredients

Brick of Raw Chocolate sells 100% organic chocolate in the form of miniature bricks

Cultiva produces leaves and herbs free from pesticides and grown indoors

Botanic Bites develops sustainable food products with local ingredients and preferably residual streams of other products

De Pindakaaswinkel produces handmade peanut butter with 100% natural ingredients

BioBite makes energy cookies of nutritious cereals, nuts, seeds and fruit

The African Power Bar sells affordable, healthy and nutritious energy bars