Puratos has launched Sparkalis, a new venture that supports innovation in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors. 

Its flexible approach means it can offer scalable support to accelerate business growth for food tech innovators. The ingredients manufacturer is tapping into the development of services and ingredients while also driving collaborations with start-ups and small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs).

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Sophie Blum, managing partner at Sparkalis and chief marketing officer at Puratos, says start-ups have become a meaningful portion of the food industry in general. 

“In the last few years, we also see an increasing number of start-ups in the field of food,” she says. “Between 3,000 to 4,000 start-ups are estimated to be in Europe, covering the entire value chain from farm to fork.”

“We see an acceleration of digital and online services, plant-based and health-related start-ups among the fields we are looking for at Sparkalis. More specifically, we are now seeing increased consumer interest in plant-based solutions and willingness to understand how their food solutions impact the planet,” continues Blum. 

“For health-related areas, we see a significant acceleration toward nutritious food and health-related benefits.”

Sparkalis combines an incubator’s support by providing expertise to start-up founders and entrepreneurs with proprietary data from the worlds’ most extensive, global consumer research program.

According to Blum, the increased involvement of consumers worldwide who want to understand wher their food products are coming from is suggesting a massive opportunity for start-ups in this sector. 

“Bakery, patisserie and chocolate offer a large spectrum of innovation possibilities from ingredients, services and business models across the entire supply chain. When looking at the current consumer expectations, we can expect an increased offering online, with a transparent understanding of health and well-being related ingredients and understanding of sourcing and the impact on the planet.”

Scaling ideas
Even start-ups with the most exciting innovations often lack support in the “seed” or “pre-seed” phase to turn their ideas into scalable products. 

Through these collaborations, Sparkalis will focus on making baked goods healthier and more sustainable, for instance. Investments will include projects on plant-based products, fermentation and digitalization. The venture will also support manufacturing ideas. 

A global network of almost 100 experts is ready to assess projects and personally mentor the most promising start-ups quickly. 

A dedicated Puratos specialist will mentor each supported project to maximize the chances of turning innovative ideas into concrete successes. 

The venture will provide:

• Holistic expertise in product development.
• Global scaling of market-ready solutions.
• Support on regulatory requirements.
• Training opportunities. 

“Sparkalis underscores Puratos’ continued commitment to driving innovation to create a healthier and more sustainable ‘foodprint’ around the world,” says Filip Arnaut, managing director of Sparkalis and R&D director at Puratos.

“Our team of global experts, each with their professional background, is excited to transform their visions into successful business realities,” adds Blum.

“This venture provides the perfect growing soil to discover the next big innovation in food while relying on Puratos’ century-long R&D, network and consumer understanding.”

ongoing projects
Sparkalis will also provide partners access to Puratos’ own Taste Tomorrow research program, an extensive program for in-depth insights into global and local consumer behaviors in bakery, patisserie and chocolate.

Sparkalis underscores the company’s commitment to innovation, which in recent years has seen the development of projects like Bakeronline, a start-up that allows bakers to create free personalized webshops. 

In February, coinciding with the celebration of its 100th anniversary, Puratos expanded its African footprint with two joint ventures in Kenya and Ethiopia.