Innovation HubLab access, toll processing & incubation
Market leaders, entrepreneurs and startups need to test and develop products using technologies that are not always available to them. Over the years Foodlab became a small innovation hub: it started with the use of our technologies and turned into an active foodtech community. You decide how deep the engagement goes, and you can change it as the product matures.
Four ways to work with us
- A single day in the lab. Book lab time for a focused trial. After training on the equipment and our lab SOPs, your team works with our equipment and our raw-material stock, and our staff is available for guidance and advice when needed. Weekly and monthly access is available too.
- A process run for you (toll processing). We process your product at development scale: freeze drying, sterilization or modified-atmosphere packaging.
- A development project. We develop the product for you, or alongside your R&D team, from brief to product file.
- A full incubation period. Startups can move in for a whole development stage, with lab access, a workstation, meeting space, our advice and other food companies around them.
You can start with one day of bench time and grow into a full development project or an incubation without changing lab or team.
What is here
The lab equipment, including analytics, is available, as is an open-space workstation, a conference room and internet access. Startups are welcome to move in with us for the duration of a product-development stage or project. Our small "food innovation village" may just be the missing piece: interaction with other startups and established companies, Foodlab's professional advice, and the countryside of the Greenwork campus in Yakum.
See the full equipment list.
Who it fits
- A foodtech startup at the stage where it needs a real lab, process equipment and people who have already taken products to the line, without building its own lab.
- A manufacturer's R&D team that needs to test a technology the plant does not have (freeze drying, extrusion, high-pressure homogenization, UHT) before deciding on an investment.
- An entrepreneur who wants to turn a recipe into samples that can be shown to a retailer or an investor.
- A research team that needs a focused process trial with documented measurements.
How it works in practice
Foodlab can host selected startups during an active product or technology development stage. The scope, duration, equipment access, storage, confidentiality and commercial terms are agreed for each engagement. Work follows our lab procedures: training before operating equipment, booking workstations in advance, and keeping the raw-material store in order.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Foodlab Innovation Hub?
The Innovation Hub provides food companies, startups and entrepreneurs with access to development facilities, technical support and an environment in which products and technologies can be tested. Hosted teams may use laboratory equipment, analytical equipment, workstations, meeting facilities and Foodlab's professional support, for a focused development stage or a longer project.
Can a startup be based at Foodlab?
Yes. Foodlab hosts selected startups during an active development stage. A hosted startup benefits from access to relevant laboratory facilities, technical support, workstations and meeting facilities, interaction with other food professionals and companies, and a practical environment for iterative product development.
Can my team operate the equipment themselves?
After training, and depending on the equipment and safety requirements. Our team trains you, and the work follows our lab SOPs. Some equipment is operated only by Foodlab staff.
Want a working day in the lab?
Tell us what you want to test, and we will schedule training and lab time.
Talk to usQuestions about cost, timelines or who owns the formula? Read the FAQ