Nordic FoodTech

Matt Homewood better known as @anurbanharvester on Instagram is a food waste activist. He is part of a community of urban harvesters who have taken to social media to document their dumpster diving finds. Matt is particularly interested in raising awareness around supermarket food waste and is working towards finding solutions for the electronics to kilos of meat that he sees thrown out. In this episode, we talk about Matt’s journey to becoming a food waste activist, how to dumpster dive, the economics behind why this is happening, and what needs to change. 

• 5:00 What is dumpster diving? 
• 9:50 How do you use social media to spread the word? 
• 23:55 What are the solutions to this problem?
• 30:45 How does someone start urban harvesting? 

This month, we are hosting a feedback competition. If you fill out this form, you will be entered in a lottery to win a $200 gift certificate to the bar or restaurant OR an hour of coaching / consulting with your host. To enter fill out this form here. 

Julien Biolley heads up the Marketing and Business Development activities for Chr. Hansen’s Food Cultures & Enzymes in North America. Chr. Hansen is a bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries.

A C25 company based in Denmark, for over 145 years the company has strived to enable sustainable agriculture, cleaner labels, and healthier living for more people around the world. Chr. Hansen’s product innovation is based on their microbial platform, which consists of about 40,000 microbial strains or what they call “good bacteria.” They produce more than 400 different bacterial strains each year and in their 2025 strategy, have committed 75% of the R&D spending to new product development. Their microbial and fermentation platforms have the potential to respond to global challenges such as food waste, global health, and the overuse of antibiotics and pesticides, and they are increasingly looking to work with startups to meet these challenges.

In this episode, we discuss their 2025 strategy, how they are partnering with different stakeholders in the food ecosystem from Noma’s former Head of Fermentation David Zilber to startup accelerator programs, and the many potential applications and innovations surrounding microbes and fermentation. 

• 3:10 What is good bacteria?

• 13:00 How do startup partnerships happen?

• 20:30 What is your 2025 strategy?

• 28:00 How do you do new product development?

• 40:00 How does Chr. Hansen define sustainability?

For more conversations, join our community on Instagram or check out other episodes on www.nordicfoodtech.io. Your host, Analisa Winther, would also love to connect on LinkedIn! Feedback, thoughts, and key takeaways are always welcome!

Vaekstfonden is the Danish State’s investment fund. Since 1992, they’ve funded over 9 thousand companies with investments amounting to more than 4.4 billion euro. Eric-Alan Rapp is a partner at Vækstfonden investing in FoodTech companies. He has more than 25 years in the world of start-ups, venture capital, and corporate finance in both Europe and the United States. In this episode, we explore how Vaekstfonden is investing and thinking about the future of food. Eric-Alan and I also discuss why connecting on values is key for finding the right investor, the future of Denmark as a leader in meat and dairy, and the role of 

• 5:30 Vækstfonden’s food and ag investment thesis 

• 10:00 The future of meat and dairy in Denmark

• 26:20 What Vækstfonden looks for when investing

• 39:40 Why values matter

• 42:00 Eric-Alan’s vision for the future in 10-15 years

For more conversations, join our community on Instagram or check out other episodes on www.nordicfoodtech.io. I’d also love to connect with you on LinkedIn and hear your feedback and thoughts on the episode! 

Hemp is considered nature’s miracle plant. With over 25,000 known applications hemp can be used to make everything from paper to textiles, fuel, building materials, plastics, food, livestock feeds, medicine, paint, and oil. Hemp is a rising star for its immense utility, ability to replace big pollutants, and because it can grow in almost any climate, multiple times a year with little water, fertilizers, and pesticides. It also can drawdown CO2 and regenerate the soil making it a sustainability wonder. At the same time, hemp is nothing new. In the Nordics, hemp seeds have been found dating back to the 5th century, but as in so much of the world, it has been misunderstood and heavily regulated. It’s just now that we are starting to see it make a comeback. 

My guest today is Signe Anker, one of the co-founders of Børnhølmerhampen. Listen in to their unique startup story of how they started growing hemp and producing products on the little Danish island of Børnhølm. We also discuss hemp’s history in the Nordics, what makes this plant so special, the challenges and regulations of working with it, and what’s needed to help the industry grow. 

• 7:30 Hemp vs. marijuana 
• 14:00 What makes hemp sustainable and its many uses
• 16:30 Harvesting and regulations around growing hemp
• 20:30 History of hemp in the Nordics
• 25:00 Challenges of growing this industry

For more conversations, join our community on Instagram or check out other episodes on www.nordicfoodtech.io.

This year has been wild for everyone in the restaurant industry, but 2020 has proven to be especially memorable for Relæ. Not only did they celebrate their 10 year anniversary in August, they also announced that they will be closing their and Manfreds’ doors by the end of the year.  

Join me in conversation with Relæ’s restaurant manager Luca Donninelli as we recount the restaurant’s journey to a Michelin star and the world’s 50 best list. We also discuss the Relæ community and its partners Rudo, BÆST, Mirabelle, and the Farm of Ideas, its impact on the global food scene, COVID-19, and what its like to create so many memorable dining experiences.

This episode was recorded live on @nordicfoodtech‘s Instagram. If you’d like to watch the conversation, follow the link to the video here. 

• 5:00 The story of Relæ
• 12:00 The Relæ community and how it works
• 17:50 Sustainability at Relæ
• 20:20 How service changed during COVID-19
• 25:00 The future of the restaurant scene

PS: I coach entrepreneurs and business professionals on creating the change they want to see in the world. If you’re curious, sign up for a free chemistry call with me here to learn more.

My guest today is Mie Tingsager Nielsen whose relationship to design and sustainability is expansive. She is a sustainable business advisor at Closed Loop and the manager of The Fabric Source, a sustainable textile library with more than 2,000 sustainable fabrics from more than 200 suppliers around the world that is focused on showcasing the latest and most innovative materials that can be applied across the fashion and textile industry. Join us as we discuss the world of farming fabrics and how textiles made from crops like cotton and hemp are not so different from the agricultural commodities we grow, harvest, and eat.