Introduction

Italy stands out in the area of technologies for the Food&Beverage sector: Italy alone covers 32% of Foodtech production among European countries, with a revenue amounting to 7,3 billions €. Italy does better than Germany (5,9 billions €) and France (1,8 billions €) and it employs 30.000 persons, a growing number over the years (data source: Prometeia). The attention on a sector with great development potential such as Technologies for the Food&Beverage is very high, and In Italy it has already taken strategic importance. Indeed, it represents an important driver for economic growth and it answers to the innovation demands from the business world and to new necessities of the general public: more sustainable and more protected products, and a high Food safety standard covering the whole supply chain.

Visibility and technological innovation are among the main pillars for the development and growth of companies operating in Technologies for the Food&Beverage. We at Wenda have participated in many trade shows and events, believing to seek the best synergy between these two factors and happy to display our best practices and know-how for the benefit of the most important actors in the sector. Here we report some of the more interesting meetings in which we have taken part.

Trade shows

Enoforum

We have had the pleasure of being guests of Enoforum – the biggest European technical-scientific congress for the wine sector, that this year has taken place in Vicenza from May 21 to 23 and grouped together more than 1900 technicians with 70 research teams and 40 leader companies. It is the only convention that brings producers, enologist and agronomist technicians, researchers and technology providers together, encouraging the creation and development of innovation in the wine sector. On thursday, May 23, in the Vicenza Convention Centre International Room, we have discussed IoT technologies for wine integrity monitoring during shipment and storage, in a session fully dedicated to the European project called IoF2020. 

Macfruit

From May 8 to 10, we have been Macfruit guests at Rimini Expo Centre to present our Information Management Hub for advanced Food&Beverage supply chain tracking, that ensures end-to-end supply chain visibility and improves quality, logistics and sales. Macfrut is one of the leading trade shows for those interested in the agrifood business in Italy and Europe. For us at Wenda, this has been a considerable opportunity to show the benefits we are able to bring to both SMEs and large organisations.

Tuttofood

Form 6 to 9 May Milano Fiere hosted us for TUTTOFOOD, a trade show dedicated to the main B2B actors in the Food&Beverage business. After conferences, workshops, meetings and numerous opportunities to meet national and international companies and buyers, there has also been the occasion to present Wenda’s Information Management Hub di Wenda and to show its benefits to the multiple supply chain actors.

Cibus

On April 10 and 11 we at Wenda have been at the Parma Fair District for CIBUS CONNECT 2019, in the Future Food Institute area called the Future Food Zone and dedicated to Food innovation. This was a B2B show in which Italian companies and top international buyers had the chance to collect lots of information about new market trends and new investment opportunities in the Italian Agrifood industry and in the corresponding relevant, innovative technologies. We have taken part in a dynamic and innovative program dedicated to key-players on the international market to showcase the Food Made in Italy and the enabling technologies for the sector: we have displayed our digital platform and our Food integrity tracking services, that contribute to Food loss prevention in the various steps of the supply chain.

Fruit Logistica

In the spirit of the motto “Disrupt Agriculture”, on February 8 we were at the première of Start-up Days at Berlin’s FRUIT LOGISTICA 2019. This motto mirrors the many challenges that agriculture must face in the near future, among which the growth in productive efficiency and the need to be equipped with advanced systems  for data management and supply chain monitoring. The global digital transformation offers insights and solutions across the whole Agrifood industry, from production to transport, covering each step of the supply chain: as Wenda, we have come to Berlin to illustrate the huge innovation possibilities enabled by our IoT and Blockchain technologies, to improve the whole distribution process, with benefits for all the stakeholders.

Events

BIT (Beverage Integrity Tracking)

In the capacity of coordinators of the Beverage Integrity Tracking European project, a section of IoF2020’s “Fruit Trial” (Internet Of Food&Farm 2020, an European financing project specifically dedicated to IoT for the Agrifood sector, launched to build a more sustainable Food value chain by using innovative technologies), we have been at the Congress Centre in Prague, Czech Republic, from 6 to 8 March to attend the third annual IoF2020 Partners Event. It was a resounding success: there were nearly 200 attendees, among which our project partners (SIVE, VINIDEAs, Highclere Consulting, VINIDEA) and other stakeholders from the agri-food value chain and IoT sector, with whom we attended interactive workshops, observed some use case exhibition, visited a farm that implemented IoT technologies on the field. Finally, we pitched our project and presented our goals, listed in the following:

• Empower Beverage supply chains with a shareable, affordable, Plug&Play platform;
• Make the Beverage distribution process more transparent for companies, retailers and consumers;
• Structure a Blockchain environment to allow users to validate data for legal use;
• Create a database with anonymous data regarding Beverage transportation, open to insurance companies so that they can propose IoT-based policies;
• Develop useful knowledge about transport conditions, to optimise future shipments;
• Reduce costs related to transport risks;
• Ensure product quality during transport, by tracking it from producer to consumer.

In thanking all those who attended this event, and in looking forward to the 2020 final event, we at Wenda wish to remind that here you can have a look at our project.

Digital Magics

On April 11, in Milan, Digital Magics, Auchan Retail Italia, Cisco, Do different, Nava Design, Nexi, RDS 100% GRANDI SUCCESSI, SisalPay and UBI Banca have announced the 6 innovative startups winners of the Magic Wand Retail Revolution, the first accelerator in Italy dedicated to technological innovation in the Retail industry. After concluding the first stage with more than 300 hours of qualified training and advisoring, and reaching interesting growth performances – Wenda and other startups gained access to the second stage of the program, to validate the business models developed during the last two months and to become part of the portfolio of Digital Magics, the most important incubator for “Made in Italy” digital startups, operating across the whole Italy. As per Wenda, we will receive an initial outlay amounting to 90.000 € and will take part in two exclusive events set up in London and Milan, where we will present our innovations to important Italian and international investors. “Magic Wand Retail Revolution” goals consist in innovating the Retail industry, improving clients’ experience and creating the Future-shop, hyperconnected and omni-channel. At the end of the acceleration program, an additional investment round  is planned, always with Digital Magics’ support. Thanks to the cooperation with 200Crowd, an equity crowdfunding platform, the investors interested in participating into the investment rounds will have the possibility to invest in the winning startups via a financial vehicle designed for this purpose only.

Unicredit Startlabs

The presentation event for the sixth edition of UniCredit Start Lab, the acceleration program launched by UniCredit in 2014 and dedicated to innovative startups and SMEs set up from less than 5 years, has taken place on March 26 in Bologna, at Palazzo Magnani, in collaboration with Aster and Almacube. Francesca Perrone, UniCredit Start Lab Manager for Italy, has illustrated in detail the features of 2019 call to support new entrepreneurial ideas, while Danilo Mazzara, Principal Director Accenture Strategy and former Wenda’s mentor, has outlined some practical hints to develop a startup. Finally, we have illustrated our case of success, since in 2016 we won UniCredit Start Lab for Innovative Made in Italy. This year too UniCredit Start Lab aims to the growth of new hi-tech entrepreneurial realities through the allocation of money prizes, mentoring activities managerial training, ad hoc banking services and the search for commercial and strategic partners through business meetings with companies from the UniCredit network and institutional actors.