Highest Consumer Impact

Best Plant-Based Food

Best New High Protein Food & Beverage

Most Novel Protein Ingredient & Agtech

Most Novel Protein Process Technology & IT

About the Village by CA North of France and its partners

Village by CA North of France provides incubation and acceleration programs to boost the development of young companies with high innovation and development potential, on a hosted or non-hosted basis. Project and startup leaders hosted by the Village by CA North of France take advantage of a cutting-edge technological environment and of the support of world class technological, industrial and academic partners.

Based in Lille-Euratechnologies, where +200 innovative compagnies operate, Village by CA North of France is a unique innovation ecosystem entirely focused on speeding up the development of innovative start-up companies. It does this by providing a workplace within which they can meet and work alongside other startups, major companies, research and training centres, investors and institutional stakeholders. Nowadays, Village by CA North of France federates locally 24 partners and provides to startups the full benefit of the Village by CA network.

Village by CA network spans throughout France and develops internationally with the opening in 2018 of new Villages in Italy, Luxembourg and a presence of 25 offices all around the world. It counts 26+ accelerators, supports nowadays 500+ startups and federates 420+ corporate, academic and institutional partners. Village by CA is a network of startup accelerators set up by Credit Agricole Group, a leading global bank of French origin.

The “Plantbased protein awards for startups” initiative is supported by Village by CA partners : LIMAGRAIN, BONDUELLE, SODEXO, CREDIT AGRICOLE NORD DE FRANCE, LILLE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, LA VOIX DU NORD, BRIDGE2FOOD as well as IAR and Eurasanté-NHL clusters.

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BONDUELLE

Bonduelle has set itself the target of being the leading company engaged in helping people to live well by eating vegetable products.
For this to be possible, plant-based proteins are essential – because of their nutritional, environmental and economic benefits.

And yet, the fact still remains that plant-based protein consumption is lower in Europe than it is anywhere else in the world. To change this, new approaches are needed, and the issue needs to be tackled on all fronts: agronomics, processing, products, consumers' behaviour, etc. As a civic-minded company that is a leader in its field, the Bonduelle group wants to mobilise and bring together all the energy available in order to bring about change.

LIMAGRAIN

The fourth largest seed company worldwide, Limagrain is an international agricultural cooperative group founded and managed by French farmers. As a creator and producer of plant varieties, Limagrain distributes field seeds, vegetable seeds and cereal products.

The winners of this competition will have access to Limagrain’s experts and international network, in more than 55 countries.

SODEXO

As a world leader in quality-of-life services, Sodexo’s aim is to improve the "quality of life" of the 75 million people it serves every day.

Through this innovation competition, we are hoping to find potential partners offering innovative solutions in order to increase the number of meal options that we can provide our consumers or improve their dietary habits. Sodexo is seeking to incorporate the solutions developed by the winning start-up companies into its own food service offerings for various different types of consumers. As a Fortune Global 500 company, we also want to help emerging companies grow and develop their business at international level. The winners of this competition can look upon Sodexo as a strategic partner that might help them expand their interests on the international markets.

CREDIT AGRICOLE NORD DE FRANCE

Crédit Agricole Nord de France is the first banking partner of its territory, part of Crédit Agricole Group a leading French bank supporting 52 million clients worldwide with a particular care for farmers and Agrifood industries.

As such, we support our clients R &D projects, including those of world class companies who strive to answer tomorrow’s challenge of feeding the world, in a context of resources increasing scarcity. Plant-based proteins are part of the solution. This call for applications is strategic, as it answers a major societal stake to which both our territory and our bank may help.

LILLE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

The Lille Catholic University is concerned about the nutritional and societal issues and challenges with which we are increasingly faced.

The university is keen to get involved, playing a part in developing innovative solutions and raising the profile of plant-based protein as a food source for human consumption.Tackling this major issue is matching our values and naturally resonates with the active teaching we deliver to open-up our students to sociocultural, societal and scientific issues.

LA VOIX DU NORD – LA VOIX MEDIAS

Since we take our role of supporting regional companies seriously, we believe it is important to get involved in projects such as this one.

Launching a dynamic initiative of this sort in our region, supporting start-up companies and project leaders, is fascinating work – given all the challenges that it involves. We are therefore delighted to be playing a part in the creation of this ecosystem and believe it should extend as far as possible beyond our borders.

Bridge2Food

Bridge2Food is an international food networking company. It focuses on pioneering partnerships between different parts of the value chain and different roles like business and innovation.

The object is to accelerate and advance for a better food world. Bridge2Food was founded in 2002 by Gerard Klein Essink, and has brought together more than 8,500 food professionals from around the world. The focus of the work is on proteins for a better food world and active nutrition for a better health.

Vinh from Kyanos won the price in the Most Novel Protein Process Technology & IT category

Vinh Ly is the entrepreneur who starts his pitch by saying: "At Kyanos, we transform air into food". The tone is set, hang on! The secret to ending world hunger, slowing global warming or colonizing Mars? A blue microalgae: afa. Less known than spirulina, it has nutritional properties because it contains vitamin B12 and proteins.

After eight years selling aircraft within Airbus, Vinh Ly founded Kyanos Biotech in 2016, which grows the blue micro-algae AFA (Aphanizomenon flos aquae) under controlled conditions, reproducing exactly the natural conditions of Lake Klamath, in South Oregon, USA, the only one to "produce" blue algae.
Let us hope, therefore, that he will very soon transform the air into food and take up a major challenge: to feed more than 9 billion inhabitants in 2050!

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Taly from Innovopro won the prize in the Most Novel Protein Ingredient category

Imagine agri-food products with short ingredient lists without incomprehensible components with endless numbers and letters... This is the promise of Taly Nechushtan, CEO of Innovopro, an Israeli start-up that has developed a protein made from chickpeas.

For an egg-free mayonnaise, a mousse to raise gluten-free pastries, energy bars or crackers, Innovopro protein has many functions. And it also makes it possible to remove many food additives from products! 
Born from a career in marketing, Taly's ambition today is to revolutionize the way we eat so that it is more respectful of human health and the planet.

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Patrick from Via Végétale won the prize in the Agtech category

Victor Maignan represented Via Végétale at the Plant Based Protein Innovation Awards for Startups organized by the Village by CA Nord de France. Victor, through his thesis at Via Végétale, is interested in the development of new fertilizer formulations and their effects on wheat growth and physiology - optimization of nitrogen efficiency alongside Patrick Géliot, founder of Via Végétale.
Via Végétale is bringing two additives on the market that improve the efficiency of the nitrogen solution and optimize yields and quality. The products are part of a reasoned fertilization approach since they allow to bring the right dose at the right time and in an efficient way.

In the agricultural sector for 25 years, Patrick Géliot has, from the beginning, oriented his career towards the development of sustainable agriculture. First of all within an international group that develops natural additives for the health and nutrition of farm animals, making it possible to support the decline in the use of antibiotics and other medicines, and then by turning to plant production, with the aim of producing quality raw materials. Via végétale was born.
Two engineers who are not afraid to take up current challenges, this is a surely a winning team!

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Georges from Tempeasy won the prize in the Highest Consumer Impact category

When people say spirulina, you think of those little green flakes that don't smell very good and give an unpleasant taste to all your smoothies and spreads? You will change your mind thanks to Georges Garcia and his start-up Alg&You!

Their vision ? That spirulina becomes an everyday food and is no longer used as a food supplement. Yes, because when it’s not dehydrated, the small seaweed is much more pleasant to eat and preserves all the nutrients that make it a great food.
Georges and his team propose us to grow spirulina directly at home thanks to Bloom, a device that fits perfectly into our furniture and is dishwasher safe (important detail!). 
It is since 2013 that spirulina has begun to make its way into Georges' mind. He sees this algae as a way to meet tomorrow's challenges: to feed more than 9 billion people by 2050. So, soon a spirulina spread as appetizer ?

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Christopher from Tempeasy won the prize in the Best New High Protein Food & Beverage category

Christopher, a recent Oxford graduate in biochemistry, has taken a passion for a process that is very interesting from a nutritional point of view: fermentation. Tempeh, a food consumed in Indonesia, is obtained from the fermentation of soybeans and offers exceptional properties in terms of micronutrients. In order to raise awareness in the European market of this little-known food, Christopher and his partner make delicious, slightly salty and very tasty crisps that make you want to know more.

But more than food, it’s the process that interests Christopher. Indeed, fermentation increases the plant-based protein content of many food products. Tempeh fermentation could therefore be applied to any legume, seed or cereal and provide a solution to malnutrition that kills more than one million people worldwide each year. Tempeasy, "going veggie made easy”! Will we all soon have our little fermentation box at home? That's what we wish Christopher!

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Sergey and Pavlo from Future Foods won the prize in the Best Plant Based Food category

Sergey and Pavlo, a duo coming straight from Ukraine with their flax seed chips. In 2010, the two men who had careers in fields as diverse as the army, banking, metallurgy and real estate before their project, decided that a healthier lifestyle was becoming essential to their well-being. So they started organizing vegan events, festivals and master classes. Gradually, they understood the importance of their impact and asked themselves questions to find ways to make it stronger.

This is how Future Foods is born, flaxseed chips, crispy as a feather, available in several flavours: Provence herbs, onions or tomatoes. Their ambition ? Revolutionize the savoury snack market, which is now dominated by fatty and overly salty products. They are launching on the French market and hope to brighten up our aperitifs with healthy chips rich in plant-based proteins!

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Plant-based protein innovation Awards for startups: from farm to fork, 6 European start-ups will work closely with partners of the Village by CA Nord de France to accelerate the development of their company

Through their determination and enthusiasm, the founders of these 6 start-ups seduced the selection committee composed of partners from the Village by CA Nord de France. Their common denominator: they provide relevant and innovative solutions, based on plant protein, to accelerate a food transition that has become essential today.

As part of the Protein Summit 2018, which took place from October, 24th to 26th in Lille, a leading international event aimed at accelerating industry responses to new protein issues, the Village by CA Nord de France and Bridge2Food, organizer of the Protein Summit, have joined forces to organize the first edition of the "Plant-based Protein Innovation Awards" dedicated to start-ups. 36 start-ups from 15 different countries applied. Coming from France, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Israel, the 14 finalists proposed solutions, services, products or processes that covered the entire value chain, from farm to fork.

They came to Lille on October 24th to present their innovation to the Village by CA Nord de France Selection Committee, composed of the initiative's partners: Bonduelle, Sodexo, Limagrain, Crédit Agricole Nord de France, La Voix du Nord-La Voix medias, the Catholic University of Lille-Yncréa Haut de France, and other partners of the Village by CA Nord de France came to help them, including the Réseau Entreprendre Nord, Nord Capital, Finovam and the University of Lille, with the support of the NHL and IAR competitiveness clusters.

The winners enjoyed an unparalleled spotlight at the official announcement of the results in the heart of the Protein Summit, in front of more than 300 delegates, decision-makers and key players of the sector. Beyond this beautiful visibility, the 6 winners will be able to access the Village ecosystem to accelerate the development of their company for 3 months.

The 6 winners awarded: Via-végétale (France) for the Agtech category, Kyanos Biotechnologies (France) for the Most Novel Protein Process Technology & IT category, InnovoPro (Israel) for the Most Novel Protein Ingredient category, Tempeasy (United Kingdom) for the Best New High Protein Food & Beverage category, Future Food (Ukraine) for the Best Plant-Based Food category, Alg & You (France) for the Highest Consumer Impact category.

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Plant-based protein innovation Awards for startups: 14 project bearers preselected

Among the 36 applications from 15 countries, the pre-selection jury of the Plant-Based Protein Innovation Awards for Startups examined 28 qualified applications on Wednesday, October 10th.
Federated around the Village by CA North of France, the innovation and business experts from Bonduelle, Sodexo, Limagrain, Crédit Agricole North of France, Lille Catholic University - Yncréa Hauts de France, ISA Lille and the 2 NHL and IAR clusters, enthusiastically discovered entrepreneurial projects that innovate in the field of plant based proteins for a sustainable global food.

Innovation is essential to accelerate a food transition that has become crucial today. The need to offer attractive and high-quality products to increasingly demanding consumers while respecting sustainable development objectives is fundamental.   The plant-based protein market is growing rapidly with a potential of tens of billions of euros.

In this context, the Village by CA North of France and Bridge2Food joined forces at the 11th Protein Summit. For the first time, the Protein Innovation Awards, which recognize the innovations of leading players in the field, will reward startups in 5 categories:

- Highest Consumer Impact 
- Best Plant-Based Food 
- Best New High High Protein Food & Beverage
- Most Novel Protein Ingredient & Agtech 
- Most Novel Protein Process Technology & IT

Proposing solutions, services, products or processes that encompass the entire chain of skills from farm to fork: 14 project leaders were selected by the pre-selection jury.    From all over France, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Israel, they are invited to come to Lille on October 24th to present their innovation to the Village by CA North of France selection committee composed of its 26 partners. They will have no more than 14 minutes to convince the committee and try to be part of the winners who will be joining the Village ecosystem to accelerate the development of their business. The winners will be announced and promoted the next day at the Networking dinner organized as part of the Protein Summit in attendance of nearly 400 delegates.

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Pulse Power: A Plant-Based Revolution

By Huseyin Arslan, President of the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC)

According to the United Nations, the world population is set to increase 34% by 2050 and reach 9.8 billion people, with most of this population growth occurring in developing countries. To meet demand, the world will need to produce 70% more food amid constant and increasing climate challenges. This raises an essential question: How will we feed the world?

Plant-proteins such as the ones found in pulses help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. Pulse crops have a lower carbon footprint than most foods, because they require a small amount of fertilizer to grow. They also have a low water footprint as they are adapted to semi-arid conditions and can tolerate drought stress: it takes around 1,800 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef whereas lentils require less than 700 gallons.

In short, plant-proteins have a huge potential to feed the world in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Consumer Trends: A Promising Scenario

The amazing potential of plant-proteins to answer crucial questions such as how we will feed the world is boosted by a growing trend: Consumers are becoming more proactive about controlling what they are eating, as awareness about health and fitness continues to gain traction. This global trend was aptly labeled as “mindfulness” and reflects a new consumer attitude, mostly led by millennials, to truly understand everything they can about a particular food or beverage, and then support the company, whether it be brand or retailer, by aligning with their values and supporting them with their purchases.

The path forward is not only promising but also industry-changing: According to a report by Research and Markets, the global plant-protein market will grow at a CAGR of 8.29% during 2017-2021. Consequently, plant-protein innovation is making the top of the agenda for some of the most innovative companies in the world—and Governments.

Far from being a fad, this trend is only expected to increase in coming years: hence the term “revolution,” which refers to an idea whose time has come.

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4 books that make increasing plant based foods in your diet easy

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD
This book is the ultimate book for learning about the benefits of a plant-based diet and makes you understand the science behind it. The book explains in plain terms how a plant-based diet is the strongest tool we have against disease and illness. He also reexamines the “protein myth” and shows how not only are vegans getting enough protein, but that consuming a lot of protein actually promotes cancer. This book teaches us how to eat in order to maximize your health and longevity, and looks at why we haven’t been taught proper nutrition before.

The Forks Over Knives Plan, Doctors Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman
The hard-hitting documentary “Forks over Knives” first helped spark a health revolution. Now, ‘The Forks Over Knives Plan’ is putting all of that knowledge into action. You’ll find an easy-to-follow, step-by-step plan to start you on the path to plant-based success: recipes, meal plans, shopping lists, tips on how to stock your refrigerator, how to eat and snack healthily on the go. The main positive aspect of it is that the Forks Over Knives Plan places great importance on variety and abundance, leaving common fads like portion control and macro-counting off the table.

Chloe’s Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli
Chloe Coscarelli won the Food Network reality show Cupcake Wars in 2010, winning the judges over with her vegan cupcakes. This was the first time a vegan chef had won the show. Chloe starts with helpful advice on how to set up your own kitchen and on which ingredients you should stock in your pantry. The book includes 125 incredible reinterpretations of America’s favourite foods including appetizers, soups, salads, vegetable dishes, pizzas and burgers, pasta dishes, filling main course meals, and decadent desserts. A few favorites include her Curried Lentil, Squash, the Falafel Sliders with Avocado Hummus, the Peanutty Perfection Noodles, the Fettuccine Alfredo, and the Best-Ever Baked Macaroni and Cheese.

Minimalist Baker Everyday Cooking, Dana Shultz
First the award-winning blog and now a smash-hit cookbook, Dana Shultz’ ‘Minimalist Baker’ has gained a devoted worldwide following thanks to its simple, stress-free way of cooking. Dedicated to producing recipes with only 10 ingredients or less, you can be sure that Dana’s recipes won’t involve tons of chopping, prepping, or clean-up afterwards. ‘Minimalist Baker: Everyday Cooking’ focuses on easy and hearty meals, entirely plant-based, mostly gluten-free, and 100% delicious.

Now that you’re all settled, we’re expecting you to be the most talented plant based cook of tomorrow! And don’t forget to apply to our Plant Based Protein Innovation Awards of course!

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The demand for plant based proteins is exploding. Stores and restaurants offer more and more plant based products. Consumers are increasingly concerned not only about their health but also about the impact of their food on the environment. They seek to diversify protein sources by choosing those that minimize negative impacts on global warming and biodiversity. They also want products that meet their changing lifestyles.

Innovation encourages farmers to develop quality plant chains by improving seeds, cultivation methods and short circuits. It enables the food industry to make better use of its products: ingredients or finished products with new processes that respect nutritional and organoleptic qualities. Innovation also means attractive, easy-to-cook or ready-to-eat food products that favour plant based alternatives. Innovative start-ups play a key role in leveraging creativity and new solutions to meet these challenges. The partnership between start-ups and traditional players (farmers, agri-food industry) is win-win: it accelerates the development of the former and the transformation of the latter.

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5 life-saver tips to plant based travel

If you’ve ever been travelling as a vegetarian or even following a 100% plant based diet, you know how hard it can be to stay on track with your convictions. Countries like Argentina and its passion for beef, Brazil and its huge shrimps, Ireland and its big fish dishes, Spain and its inimitable paella, France and its foie-gras make it even more difficult and sometimes frustrating.

So here are some life-saver tips for you to easily master your next plant based adventure!

Number 1: learn to cook!
If your youth hostel or Airbnb has a kitchen, the safest and most economical way is to cook meals. No matter where you go, you will always find vegetarian food on the markets or in the shops.

Number 2: translating "vegetarian" is useless!
Je suis végétarien / Soy vegetariano / I'm vegetarian, etc. All these translations are often of no use since the word "vegetarian" can mean many different things (with or without fish, eggs or not, etc)...

Number 3: buy a conversation guide and learn vocabulary related to food
Learning the basics like meat names will save you time in the restaurant.

Number 4: download the Happy Cow app!
Happy cow have compiled a list of vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly restaurants on their website and mobile app. The list is not exhaustive (many "normal" restaurants offer vegetarian dishes) but it really simplifies things.

Number 5: order starters and sides!
If there is no vegetarian dish at the restaurant, you can go for salad and fries or some rice with veggies. No worries, you’ll always find something and you’ll catch up on all the food you love when you come home!

Thus, the main question remains: who will have the revolutionary idea to make plant based travel simple and easy ? Startups, will it be you ?

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Are you flexitarian ?

What does this not-so-new-anymore wild word mean? Flexitarian is the flexible vegetarian! So maybe you're flexitarian without even knowing it? Because the concept seems fairly widespread, except that individuals who have adopted this food practice have not necessarily put names to it.

Flexitarians or semi-vegetarians are individuals whose diet is mainly based on the consumption of vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy products. In this, their meals are mostly plant based and very similar to those of vegetarians. But if the vegetarian categorically refuses to include a piece of meat or fish in his diet on occasion, this is not the case of the flexitarian, and this is what makes them different.

Flexitarism means eating less meat and more vegetables without giving up on the right to eat fish or meat sometimes, whether out of envy, convenience or even pleasure. Rather than unmotivated vegetarians, flexitarians are individuals sensitive to the animal cause, the advanced harmfulness of meat and to broader environmental questions. They thus wish to contribute to the need to change diets in meat-consuming countries, while refusing to lock themselves into a specific food box.

Flexitarians are also often sensitive to the quality of the food they eat, preferring to buy fruit and vegetables at their local farmer’s market, organic shops or grow them directly.

So here is a call to startups: how are you improving the quality of the daily food we eat? Wether you are in the Agrifood sector or on the consumer side of things, apply to the Plant Based Protein Innovation Awards for Startups organized by Le Village by CA Nord de France and defend your project at the Protein Summit in Lille on October 24th!

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London's Foodtech at the cutting edge of plants

Le Village by CA Nord de France team visited London last week for the Insight & Innovation Day organised by YFood. Athena Simpson and Nadia El Hadery founded YFood two years ago and made the now reknown London Food Tech Week a success.

"Sustainability is non-negotiable anymore" says Athena. The sustainable dimension of our plates is indeed a major concern for startups in the UK food industry. Paul Brown, founder of BOL Foods - a healthy range of salads and hot dishes – turned his business into a 100% plantbased one. Plant based, sustainability, personalization of food along with new types of production are profound transformations from which there seems to be no escape anymore. Hippeas organic and protein rich chickpea puffs are in, fat regular peanut puffs are out.

UK seems to have a role to play in clean meat and plant based proteins as well with Moving Mountains Foods, a Foodtech startup which launched the B12 burger, a B12 vitamin-rich patty. You can have a bite of this 2.0 burger at Maxwell’s Covent Garden. That’s what we did of course and the expected “waouh” effect was there.

To all startups out there who now have to catch the sustainability train and live up to consumers’ high expectations, we would suggest to follow Paul Brown’s advice: go big and don’t accept “no” as an answer!

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Le Village by CA is launching with Bridge2Food Plant-based Protein Innovation Awards for startups!

The Plant-based Protein Innovation Awards for startup companies will reward promising young entrepreneurs who are breaking new ground in the field of plant-based proteins and help them boost their business development thanks to Village by CA North of France and its partners’ support.
Until October 6st, all projects bearers or startup entrepreneurs active in Europe (less than 5 years existence) can apply in the 5 following categories:

- Best Plant-Based Food
- Best New High Protein Food & Beverage
- Most Novel Protein Ingredient & Agtech
- Most Novel Protein Process Technology & IT
- Highest Consumer Impact

The Plant-based Protein Innovation Awards are supported by Village by CA North of France and partners: Bonduelle, Limagrain, Sodexo, Credit Agricole North of France, Lille Catholic University, La Voix Média as well as the Hauts-de-France Clusters: IAR and NHL.

Prizewinners will benefit from the Village by CA North of France leading European innovation ecosystem, take advantage of a cutting-edge innovation network and benefit of the support of world class technological, industrial and academic partners. They will have access to go to market and mentoring, coaching, hosting opportunity as well as European markets thanks to Lille’s strategical location.

In addition, the winners will enjoy an unequaled promotion: highlighting and showcasing of their project on the Protein Summit, including a special evening that will promote the winners, advertising by Village by CA and Bridge2Food through their networks, including over 500,000 food and agro specialists, 1 day free consultancy on business and a free entrance to make the most of the Protein Summit.

As Jamie Oliver said, “the future is about a plant based diet.” Startups, if you want to be part of that future, apply!

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