On July 12th, 2023, Branchfood hosted its annual Summer Meet and Mingle event, bringing together over 150 food innovators for an evening of food, drinks, and exciting conversation. The attendees included founders, investors, and food entrepreneurs, who discussed the latest innovations and news in the realm of food, beverage, and agri-foodtech. Continue reading for some of the evening's highlights, information on local food companies, and more. 

Earlier this summer, Branchfood had the pleasure of welcoming  Lucas Gehlen, Managing Director of Massas Famigliare, as part of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program. Made possible by the U.S. Department of State, the program is designed to empower entrepreneurs, increase trade, and encourage job promotion throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. YLAI 2023 fellows are playing a crucial role in the region, building tools, networks, and resources to strengthen economic and social development.

Based in Brazil, Massas Famigliare is a fresh pasta CPG brand combining traditional pasta-making techniques with sustainable production practices to offer consumers a product that is both delicious and minimizes environmental impact. We sat down with Lucas to learn more about his experience as a YLAI 2023 fellow, explore Massas Famigliare’s commitment to sustainability and authenticity, and discover the latest pasta trends.

Branchfood's Founder & CEO, Lauren Abda, and COO, Carole Sioufi, recently attended and spoke at the 2-day Future Food Tech Alternative Proteins summit in New York City, a gathering of 500+ founders, funders, and operators from around the world who are investing in infrastructure and emerging companies including enabling technologies and consumer brands with novel proteins as a key ingredient. Read on for our team’s insights into scaling alternative proteins, increasing consumer adoption, and the need for greater ecosystem collaboration to achieve industry sustainability long-term.

Last month, our very own, Lauren Abda, Founder & CEO at Branchfood, attended the HackSummit, a leading climate and food conference hosted annually in Switzerland. The conference convened 950 founders, funders, and operators from across Europe and Israel who are creating enabling technologies and consumer brands with the primary objectives of mitigating climate change and improving human health. Read on for insights into the ecosystem in Europe, the latest developments, and how the macroeconomic environment is influencing innovation and funding available for startups.

2022 was a record-breaking year for Branchfood. We set big goals for our industry impact and work intending to build on our global connectivity, grow our industry collaborations and social impact, and support our scaling portfolio investments. While there were peaks, valleys, challenges, and opportunities presented along the way, we wanted to provide a year-end review. 

More than 100 food and industry leaders celebrated the expansion of Branchfood, a global food innovation launchpad, into Rhode Island. First established in Massachusetts in 2015, Branchfood will support stage-two food and beverage startups, foodtech, and agtech companies in the state through a comprehensive set of services including curated events, connections to investors, shared workspaces, and advisory support.

Strategic partnerships and collaboration between start-up founders, industry experts, and corporate leaders are key to accelerating food system transformation and industry change. Food Edge is the premier Branchfood event to learn about cutting-edge trends, novel products and business models, and promising synergies, all while solving the industry’s greatest challenges and widening the bandwidth of your industry expertise.