Sproudz will drive plant-based food innovation in the Bern region of Switzerland.
This unique hub will provide food industry start-ups with rental space and facilities to produce innovative plant-based products in Zollikofen, Switzerland. In addition, Sproudz will provide joint sourcing, quality control, logistics and human resources services. This initiative will enable start-ups to cost-effectively scale up their business models.
The Fenaco cooperative supplies the infrastructure with the aim of promoting Swiss agricultural raw materials and optimizing the refining of by-products from processing plants.
Two start-ups from the Bern region have already committed to relocating their production to Zollikofen by the second half of 2024. BakeryBakery AG, Switzerland’s first vegan bakery with an expanding network of branches, and plant-based meat producer Outlawz Food AG, played a key role in initiating the project and are among the first companies to join the hub.
Start-ups are revitalizing the Swiss food industry by offering innovative products, especially in the niche areas of plant-based products and food upcycling, and transforming food industry by-products into valuable food products. Many of these start-ups operate in production environments suitable for market entry but lack sufficient scaling-up options. Meanwhile, the industrial facilities necessary for efficient production are often underutilized by individual companies and suffer from high operational costs.
A unique Swiss model
Startups in Sproudz production centers will benefit from sharing production, warehouse and office infrastructure wherever possible. In addition, these startups will have access to services such as sourcing, quality control and human resources based on their individual needs.
The combination of rental space, shared production facilities and shared services in a premium shell building is the first of its kind in Switzerland. To foster a joint interest in the hub’s success, the start-ups hold minority shares in the operating company, giving them significant influence over the hub’s management.
Kevin Schmidt, founder and main owner of both companies, said: “We have grown well and the next expansion step is now on the agenda. Sproudz offers ideal conditions for sustainable development. It doesn’t make sense for each startup to set up its own, half-utilized production facility. Thanks to the hub, we can exploit synergies between the companies. This saves resources and gives us much more flexibility. We can gradually adapt the space we need to our needs and call on missing services.”
Michel Nick, Head of Innovation in the Food Industry sector, explains: “We want to use our network and experience to fill gaps in the national value chain. At the same time, we want to find solutions where the startup’s cost structure allows for the use of raw materials from Swiss agriculture. Sproudz should contribute to this.”
By working with the start-up, Fenaco wants to better exploit the potential for refining by-products from its production activities.
More information: fenaco.com
