Innovative food startup companies are already the face of modern-day food culture as they are effectively capitalizing on the customer demands and establishing themselves as eco-friendly businesses.
These food startups extend their reach from innovative farming [hydroponic farming] to the use of AI and robotics [printing 3D steaks].
Innovative food startup companies are blooming and will continue to grow.
They prioritize implementing new technologies, incorporate innovative food services, base their company on proven business models, and, more importantly, address customer demands to the best possible alongside healthy meals.
These food startups have found common ground with the present situations in the world; they address voices against animal cruelty with cell-based and plant-based alternative meats, contactless food deliveries against the pandemics [covid-19], and practice sustainable aquaculture as seafood-alternative.
The startup food tech brands are focusing on the health benefits of their customers and presenting them with alternatives to unhealthy food culture.
Some food startups use unique fermentation technologies to create foods with similar nutrition values to animal-based foods.
These foods are free of sodium & saturated fats and low in cholesterol but high in antioxidants, lowering the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
In this article, we picked the top 10 innovative food startups to watch out for in 2022 worldwide.
But, first, let us go through some basics to understand the subject in depth.
What are innovative food startups?
Innovative food startups are upcoming food companies with unique business plans and proven business models that comply with the use of modern technologies and food innovations to enhance customer experience.
These food startup companies use innovative food systems to create eco-friendly products, effective models to market them, the latest technologies for delivery, and generate AI-driven recommendations to enhance customer experiences.
Moreover, these food startups come up with new ideas and strategies to address customer demands in every way possible.
They have the ability to shape the food culture and elevate customer experiences to the next level.
These innovative food startup companies will shape how you eat in the near future.
They will definitely improve the food culture through eco-friendly & healthy products, efficient and effective demand and supply chain, and applications with unified UI to facilitate easy orders and payments.
These startups do not necessarily compile all of the qualities mentioned above but offer partial solutions depending on their business models and services.
For instance, an innovative food delivery startup will not include producing and creating products, and their job is to deliver products on time effectively.
The future of innovative food startup companies
The future of innovative food startup companies is very bright 🔆 since these startups are addressing the various global challenges like food delivery during pandemics, voices against animal cruelty, preserving sea life, etc.
An article by egfundernews states that AgriFood Tech was able to raise 16.9 billion dollars in 2018, despite its small size.
And the recent research report by White Paper shows AgriFood Tech startups and scale-up companies raised 50.4 Billion dollars in 2021.
These metrics indicate the growth of the AgriFood Tech industry, meaning that the food startup companies have a massive future ahead. The industry is expected to grow bigger with time.
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What categories does the list of the top innovative food startup companies include and exclude?
As mentioned earlier, innovative food startup companies have a range of service providers extending from producers to deliverers. They all contribute to the industry in some way or the other.
The list below excludes the startups related to farming only, with innovative agricultural strategies like hydroponic farming.
It includes the list 📃 of the top 10 innovative food startup companies solely related to innovative food services like production, creation, and delivery using the latest technologies and food innovations.
More importantly, we have excluded the innovative food companies established before 2017 since we have considered only those who aren’t older than 5 years.
Usually, startup companies that are 3-5 years old and are thriving have the possibility of long-term success.
Now, let us jump into our list of the top 10 innovative food startup companies to watch out for in 2022.
Top 10 innovative food startup companies to watch out for in 2022
Below is the list of food startups that have ticked the criteria for inclusion in the top 10s. The list 📃 is in the order of their establishment years.
- Serve Robotics (2017)
- Karakuri (2017)
- Solar Foods (2017)
- Redefine Meat (2018)
- Deliverect (2018)
- Karma Kitchen (2018)
- Shiok-Meats (2018)
- Gourmey (2019)
- Aqua Cultured Foods (2020)
- Cultivated Biosciences (2021)
1. Serve Robotics
Contactless food delivery
Serve Robotics is an automated AI-based self-driving 🚘 delivery service that aims to promote contactless delivery of foods in the US.
It is a US-based innovative food startup company established in 2017 that boomed in the pandemic of 2019 and has been growing since.
It currently operates in Los Angeles and San Francisco and has plans to scale up in the coming years.
It helps customers get their food delivered to their places without having to come in contact with the humans. It aims to make your online food order and delivery affordable, sustainable, and convenient.
The company has gained renowned partners and investors like Uber Eats, 7-Eleven, and Delivery Hero.
They aim to expand their partnership and improve the autonomy of the AI-powered machines to a premium quality since they are attracting powerful investors in the business.
2. Karakuri
Robotic kitchen for nutritious food & controlling food waste
Karakuri is all about the robotic innovative kitchens that assist chefs in creating mesmerizing dishes by taking over the repetitive and monotonous tasks and letting humans enjoy the jobs they love.
It is a London-based food startup company established in 2017 that aims to cut down food waste with its AI-based robots built to control the food portion and optimize outputs by producing foods only when needed.
Food wastage is a massive problem globally, and the sad part is that many people cannot afford to eat good food.
Karakuri clearly states that a robotic kitchen doesn’t correlate with heating pots and microwaving frozen foods, nor NASA kind space food.
This innovative food startup is the one that will certainly take over the food industry in the future.
3. Solar Foods
Feed humans with solein for a greener earth
Solar Foods have come up with a unique and innovative food system that produces natural protein utilizing air and electricity.
It doesn’t involve any flora and fauna to create food for humans, and it is an ongoing process.
Solar Foods is a Finland-based company established in 2017 that aims to create solein out of thin air to feed humans and free all those croplands and livestock production lands to their original state; forest.
The goal is massive but achievable. If they succeed in producing sustainable food, the world will become greener and whole again.
4. Redefine Meat
Plant-based cultivated meat 🥩 to stop animal cruelty
Redefine Meat has come up with praiseworthy alternative meat; they use plant-based meat, which offers premium quality, healthy meals with similar nutritional value to its consumers.
It is an Israel-based innovative food startup company established in 2018 that aims to replace the meats from animals with a 🌿 plant-based meat industry.
The company correlates its business with the current global challenges and trends of stopping animal cruelty. Plus, they use the latest technologies and machines to 3D print steaks that taste the same as normal steaks.
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5. Deliverect
Connecting eateries with their consumers
Deliverect manages and handles the online food orders for every type of restaurant, big and small. It allows businesses to focus on their craft and let deliverect take care of the customers.
It is a Belgium-based food startup company established in 2018 that aims to connect restaurants and their customers effectively.
It offers restaurants various management tools and integration options that simplify the business operations and management with AI-driven recommendations and customer management.
6. Karma Kitchen
Commercial innovative kitchen space for everyone
Karma Kitchen is another step from the founders of Karma Cans that delivered lunches. It aspires to transform industrial areas into stunning budgetary kitchens, co-working, and storehouses.
It is a London-based food startup company established in 2018 that aims to offer a workspace that confines the total requirements of a food and beverage business.
This food startup has a wide range of tools and workspaces to help food entrepreneurs and food creators start their journey with small investments and make money. It offers entrepreneurs and SMBs all week access in four shifts and three major units.
7. Shiok-Meat
First cell-based meat and seafood in Southeast Asia
It is the first food startup company in Southeast Asia that uses cellular agricultural technology to grow meats and seafood instead of depending on slaughterhouses.
Shiok-Meats is a Singapore-based innovative food startup company established in 2018 that aims to feed its customers with cell-based meats and seafood.
They support the cause against animal cruelty and are currently in the R&D phase, with the target 🎯 to commercialize in 2023.
8. Gourmey
Traditional delicacy using cell-based agriculture
Gourmey uses cell-based food agriculture to produce poultry meats, especially focusing on the foie-gras, a delicacy made from the liver of ducks.
They have combined [their] traditional food culture with modern food innovation to support animal-life and environment-friendly approaches.
It is a France-based food startup company established in 2019 that aims to correlate with the conscious generation to support and stop animal cruelty.
Despite being a seed business, it has captured the attention of big investment banks and European commissions. They expect to market their premium quality foie-gras at the end of 2023.
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9. Aqua Cultured Foods
Microbial fermentation for seafood alternatives
Aqua Cultured Foods are one of the pioneers in introducing fermentation technology to seafood. They create alternatives to shrimps, whitefish, and tuna, which have the same taste and better nutritional values.
It is a Chicago-based food startup company established in 2020 that aims to offer nutritionally superior seafood to its customers using a unique microbial fermentation.
They support the cause of endurable and cruelty-free nutritious food production and correlate with the thoughts of the conscious generation. They have a bright future ahead and aim to market their products within 2022.
10. Cultivated Biosciences
Plant-based natural fats for a healthy life
It is one of the first food startup companies to introduce plant-based natural fats in the food industry. The company uses GMO-free yeasts and sugar to create creamy fats through fermentation with several health benefits.
Cultivated Biosciences is a Zurich-based innovative food startup company that aims to provide cholesterol & dairy-free yet creamy dairy products, ice creams, cheese, and milk using plant-based natural fats from the yeast.
Those products are healthy as they are low in calories and cholesterol but high in antioxidants and fatty acids that help consumers reduce cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
What do all these innovative food startup companies have in common?
All these innovative food startup companies have incorporated the latest technologies and food innovations into their businesses. They have their unique ways of conducting business assisted by AIs and robotics.
They have stepped up the game and are revolutionizing the food culture and the whole industry through eco-friendly food production and AI-assisted robotic deliveries.
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Why do these innovative food startup companies have the potential for the future?
These food startups have come up with unique and tempting business ideas as alternatives to the traditional businesses, which comply with the latest innovations and technologies.
They have a massive field to establish their stay in the business as they defy the traditional ways of food production that involve animal cruelty and environmental degradation.
All these startups have innovative food ideas that correlate with the present world scenarios, like animal cruelty-free, eco-friendly, ingenious food deliveries, and, more importantly, optimal customer satisfaction.
They have focused on the digital transformation of the businesses using advanced technologies without forgetting the important aspects of robust food culture like healthy ingredients, cultivated meats, and sustainable food to encourage an active healthy lifestyle.
These startups (mentioned above) have everything in them to succeed, as many such businesses have done in the past. Hence are the 10 innovative food startup companies to watch out for in 2022.
