Food Innovation Camp turned Hamburg into food capital
Well over 1,000 guests and more than 80 exhibitors made the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce the center of the food world for one day on June 13. Prominent speakers such as the "lions" Ralf Dümmel and Dr. Georg Kofler and Olympic champion Matthias Steiner, as well as the awarding of the audience award "Dein Newcomer 2022" to the Munich-based startup Lini's Bites, provided highlights.
In 2017, the Food Innovation Camp organized by Hamburg Startups took place for the first time. After a two-year break forced by Corona, this was the fourth edition of the event, which primarily offers startups a stage and connects them with decision-makers from industries relevant to the food scene, such as retail, hotels and hospitality.
In their opening speeches, Dr. Malte Heyne, Chief Executive Officer of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, and Katharina Fegebank, Second Mayor of the hanseatic city, set the mood for the event. Ms. Fegebank pointed out that work is currently underway to establish a cluster for food, like those already existing for other industries in Hamburg.
A dominant theme was sustainability in its various facets. On the product side, vegan alternatives stood out, which are becoming increasingly similar to their animal models in terms of appearance and, above all, taste. Supply shortages and high food price inflation were identified as the biggest current challenges for food startups.
Four winning teams at Food Innovation Camp
In more than one way, the Show Kitchen on the roof of the Chamber of Commerce offered another top event of the schedule. In mostly bright sunshine, well-known chefs prepared dishes using ingredients from food startups. Among them was Keen 4 Greens (vegan meat substitute) from Jelmsdorf in northern Lower Saxony. Its performance on the pitch stage, where more than 40 startups presented themselves, also earned it one of three coaching sessions offered as special prizes. The other prize winners are Yammbits (fruit snacks) from Munich and the company of Olympic champion Steiner, which produces bread with a low carbohydrate content. The newcomer award went to Lini's Bites for vegan and gluten-free organic chocolate bars.
