Sparkalis, a new venture that will support innovation in the food tech sector, has been launched by international ingredients business Puratos. Sparkalis is the first global food tech venture in bakery, patisserie and chocolate and will support the development of ground-breaking products, services and ingredients, and drive collaboration with start-ups and SMEs.
Sparkalis will both be a start-up incubator and a provider of direct investment. Its flexible approach means it can offer scalable support to accelerate business growth for food tech innovators. Even start-ups with the most exciting new innovations often lack support in the ‘seed’ or ‘pre-seed’ phase to turn their ideas into scalable products, which this new fund will be able to support. As its name suggests, Sparkalis will be able to support excellence in innovation, empowering start ups to move from the ‘chrysalis’ stage, to actualisation/ full scale development., Sparkalis will focus on collaborations that will help make baked goods healthier and more sustainable. Investments will include projects on plant-based products, fermentation and digitalisation. The venture will also support manufacturing ideas.
Building on Puratos’ rich history and experience, Sparkalis will be able to quickly kick-start innovative ideas and bring them to market to the benefit of bakers, pâtissiers and chocolatiers around the world. A global network of almost 100 experts is ready to quickly assess projects and personally mentor the most promising start-ups. Each supported project will be mentored by a dedicated Puratos specialist to maximise the success of the original innovative ideas becoming commercial concrete successes. The new venture will provide holistic expertise in product development, global scaling of market-ready solutions, support on regulatory requirements, and training opportunities. Sparkalis will also provide partners’ access to Puratos’ own Taste Tomorrow research program, the world’s largest ‘always-on’ program for in-depth insights into global and local consumer behaviours in bakery, patisserie and chocolate.
Innovation is in Puratos’ DNA. The family company began in a Belgian garage over 100 years ago with the innovative ambition of simplifying the lives of bakers and confectioners. A century later that ambition remains unchanged. Sparkalis underscores the company’s commitment to innovation, which in recent years has seen the development of projects like Bakeronline, a start-up that that allows bakers to create free personalised web shops.
Filip Arnaut, Managing Director of Sparkalis and R&D Director at Puratos said: “Sparkalis was born out of a deep desire to support inspiring food tech pioneers and build success stories together. Sparkalis underscores Puratos’ continued commitment to driving innovation to create a healthier and more sustainable ‘foodprint’ around the world”.
Sophie Blum, Managing Partner at Sparkalis and Chief Marketing Officer at Puratos commented: “Sparkalis is looking for the future changemakers among start-ups in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors. Our team of global experts, each with their own professional background, is excited to transform their visions into successful business realities. This venture provides the perfect growing soil to discover the next big innovation in food while relying on Puratos’ century-long R&D, network and consumer understanding.”
Sparkalis contact
All interested innovators can find all relevant information on Sparkalis’ website: www.sparkalis.com
Email: contact@sparkalis.com
Image credit: Puratos
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Media contact
Kiran Grewal
Editor, International Bakery
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: editor@in-bakery.com
