On Thursday 16 October, the Food Pioneers Program 2025 was festively concluded at the Natural Pavilion in Almere. After six intensive months, 15 innovative food entrepreneurs presented their product or concept during the Pitch Event. In front of a full house of professionals, partners and food lovers, they showed how they are working on The Plate of Tomorrow.
The pitches were of a high standard and were judged by an expert panel of five experts from the food sector.
Food Pioneers as impact makers for the future
Food Pioneers Program participants are entrepreneurs with a clear mission: to contribute to a future-proof food system. Food Pioneers offers them a stage to present themselves, concrete tools to grow and access to a strong network of partners. In this way, the program helps entrepreneurs to actually take the next step.
Pitches, panel and award winners
The program was presented by program manager Thera van Heuveln. Each Food Pioneer was given two minutes to pitch before the expert panel, consisting of:
- Chris van Bokkum (SOL)
- Bart-Jan Veldhuizen (Kitchen Republic)
- Wouter Hagoort (Broccoli BV)
- Sabine Koers (Vermaat Group)
- Karel Raymakers (Chef Centraal)
After each round of three pitches, the panel provided live feedback and asked in-depth questions. At the end of all pitches, the panel awarded the following prizes:
- Public Pioneer 2025 - Helia: Received the SOL ticket worth €5,000 for personal development and leadership, presented by Chris van Bokkum (SOL).
- Broccoli BV Giveaway - Miuz: Professional support and creative guidance in developing a convincing investor deck.
- Vermaat Group Giveaway - FUNCTION & Damchi Kimchi: Follow-up track for a possible collaboration.
- Kitchen Republic Giveaway - Damchi Kimchi & The Field Factory: A spot in the Retail Ready Program and free access to the community.
- Chef Central Giveaway - The Field Factory: A follow-up meeting for a potential listing at Chef Centraal.
These awards offer entrepreneurs concrete opportunities to further develop their businesses.
Keynote by Maartje Nelissen
Maartje Nelissen (The Food Line-up & PlantFWD) delivered the keynote and shared a candid story about her entrepreneurial journey. She talked about successes, bumps and choices she would make differently with today's knowledge. Her main message: make sure your product and process are solid before you scale up, steer sharply on cash flow and grow in small, manageable steps. Valuable lessons for every entrepreneur and directly applicable for the Food Pioneers of 2025.
Tasting, meeting and networking
During the closing drinks, the Natural Pavilion turned into an informal tasting room. All Food Pioneers presented their products, ranging from brownies and protein bars to oat milk and crunchy jalapeños. The tables remained continuously crowded and plenty of conversations, new connections and direct collaborations emerged.
Visible growth at the Food Pioneers
The 2025 batch clearly showed how much development they have undergone in recent months. Within the program, the entrepreneurs received education, personal coaching, access to a strong network and learned from and with each other. The pitch helped to sharply formulate choices, lessons and next steps. The matches with the expert panel enable the Food Pioneers to take another step forward immediately.
Looking ahead: Food Pioneers Program 2026
Pre-registration for the eighth edition of the Food Pioneers Program in 2026 is open. Food entrepreneurs who want to grow their business can apply for the interest list. They will be the first to receive:
- program details and dates
- Notice as soon as official registration opens
- An invitation to the online Q&A
In this way, Food Pioneers continues to build the next generation of future-oriented food entrepreneurs in 2026.
