Fonte Ingredientes wins the iba.START UP AWARD

The particularly creative and innovative masterminds for the baking industry have been selected: The iba.START UP AWARD was won by Diego Dominguez from Brazil with the start-up Fonte Ingredientes.

Exciting innovations for the baking industry

The iba.START UP AWARD, awarded for the second time, was presented on Wednesday 21 May by trade fair director Susann Seidemann: ‘We congratulate Fonte Ingredientes. By awarding the iba.START UP AWARD, we are honouring innovative and creative ideas driving forward the international baking industry,’ emphasises Susann Seidemann, ’In particular we are delighted to support young companies with this award. The iba.START UP AREA was once again a genuine trade fair highlight for visitors and founders.’

From apps and ultrasonic knives to anti-mould solutions

Eight German and five international founders presented their creative solutions at the iba.START UP AREA. The spectrum ranged from apps, services and cocoa substitutes to ultrasonic technology in kitchen knives. Hall 13 was the space to be for the pioneers‘ ideas: London-based food tech company WinWin introduced an affordable, sustainable cocoa-free chocolate alternative. The Brazilian-British start-up Fonte Ingredientes developed a way to keep baked goods fresh for longer with a liquid anti-mould product containing more than 80% organic substance. The Berlin-based company CupToYou has a portfolio of environmentally friendly paper cups made from certified materials. These cups are available in customised designs, even for small order quantities.

To support enterprises in optimising quality and production, Enlyze, an industrial start-up from Cologne developed a combined hardware and software solution. Better cutting with ultrasound? The Czech company 369 sonic presented the world's first kitchen knife with ultrasonic technology in the handle. A tech start-up from Aachen presented an app for a rapid ordering process: Snaggit eliminates waiting times and optimises processes thus increasing efficiency. Smart logistics with a system of stackable boxes and a lightweight trolley were exhibited by the German company Smox. The German agency Go German presented a service for for recruiting skilled workers and trainees from South East Asia – including applicant selection, intensive courses and visa applications. Last but not least, the Swiss company ProSeed demonstrated how thanks to stabilisation technology brown barley byproducts can be used to generate barley flakes, which in turn can then be processed into flour or protein concentrate.

Some founders of iba 2023 exhibited again, such as WeCarry, the winner of the first iba.START UP AWARD in 2023, showing its deposit system for bakeries: reusable bread bags. Back also Peerox, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging, presenting Maddox, a digital production assistant. An other second-timer was HY5 from Fürth with a sustainable, reusable glove made from organic cotton fabric.

These experienced founders talked in a panel discussion about their progress and further developments since last iba in 2023, citing examples of best practice and encouraging people to try setting up their own business.

Audience online vote for the best start-up

The iba audience was prompted to vote online for their favourite until 21 May. Every registered visitor could cast up to ten votes per start-up pitch. These ten votes were used to rank the companies individually. The voters‘ reward? Three goodie bags including tickets for iba 2027 were raffled off among the voters.