Looking for the Netherlands' best agrifood-idea
Chips made from residual flows, insects as food, fish sauce from fish waste, local food from the freezer, chocolate from orange peels and fermentation returns to Dutch kitchens. What’s the next big thing in the world of agri-food? Ten students and alumni pitched their ideas for an even brighter future for agriculture and horticulture.
More and more students are already setting up their own businesses while still in school. To encourage this entrepreneurial spirit, Dutch Food Week organized a KickStartShow, held at Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo in late February. Ten student teams and alumni from green educational programs pitched their innovative idea, concept or their own agri-food business to a business panel.
Chips from residual flows
Limburg was represented by four students enrolled in the Health Food Innovation Management Master’s program at Maastricht University. Bernadette Conrads, Joep van den Broek, Daniël van den Brand and Art Muijsenberg hope to launch a healthy snack product on the market: chips made from residual flows from mushrooms. Going by the name of Bitez, these chips are produced using an innovative microwave technique resulting in crispy, tasty chips, packed with proteins, fiber and micronutrients.
Art Muijsenberg (25): “All four of us are really passionate about healthy and sustainable products as a good alternative to the less healthy snacks you currently find on supermarket shelves. Our chips aren’t deep-fried which makes them a lot healthier than ordinary vegetable-based chips.”
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