Fazer Seeks to Build Innovation Ecosystem

13 Jul 2017 --- Fazer are promoting renewal within the food industry and is inviting players in the field to build a future innovation ecosystem. Cooperation between start-ups, investors, researchers and big organizations creates new growth opportunities for the entire food industry.

A lot of interesting development renewing the food industry has taken place in Northern Europe during the past few years, for example different kinds of food waste services and plant-based solutions. To support food industry renewal, Fazer has developed an open innovation ecosystem around its Brainhow research and development program, comprising researchers, start-ups and large companies. Fazer has also successfully organized hackathons to promote brain well-being and to develop new plant-based solutions.

“A more open and collaborative innovation approach can produce cross-disciplinary new growth opportunities for the entire food industry. We are now inviting companies and other players in the field to come together and build a new ecosystem to enable the renewal of the food industry. Together, we can promote socially significant and sustainable innovations,” says Christoph Vitzthum, President and CEO of the Fazer Group.

Fazer wants to co-create a globally interesting innovation platform around food and food technology in Northern Europe. The aim is to bring new and internationally interesting innovations to market more quickly by combining the resources of the different players.

“The food industry, particularly in Northern Europe, lacks an ecosystem which targets on open and genuine co-creation. Through open cooperation, we are enabling new collaboration models and cross-disciplinary encounters to spark innovation. An open culture and increased cooperation already have enriched our thinking and made our operations more agile,” says Päivi Juolahti, Head of Renewal in Fazer Group.

Through the new innovation ecosystem, Fazer offers start-ups and new entrepreneurs opportunities to grow, collaborate and network, as well as strong know-how in the area of consumer behavior and nutrition. The innovation ecosystem offers larger partner companies and other parties’ opportunities to network and find collaboration partners as well as to conduct discussions to promote development and to increase the global impact and social significance of innovation.

Fazer invites players interested in renewing the food industry, from large companies to start-ups, researchers and capital investors, to take contact at www.fazergroup.com/openinnovation. The players will be able to discuss the renewal of the food industry and build a new food innovation ecosystem at an event to be organized in November 2017.

Fazer has reshaped the traditional food industry with product innovations, such as the root vegetable bread, where 30 per cent of the flour was replaced by greens.