This was the 2026 Food Pioneers Pitch Event! Three food startups, three times €50,000 in growth capital.
Kokumi by Ivana Mik, Weijnschenk by Tim Weijnschenk and EESE by Frédérique Lemoine were awarded €50,000 each during the Food Pioneers Pitch Event in Almere.
Investors attending the event voted for the food startups they believe have the strongest growth potential. The funding will help the winners accelerate their next steps in areas such as production, market introduction and commercial growth.
he Pitch Event marked the conclusion of the Food Pioneers Program 2026, in which 16 food startups worked on the growth of their businesses.
During the event, they pitched their products, market positions and growth ambitions to investors, buyers and other professionals from across the food sector. Nicole Horsmans, co-founder of Soof Drinks: 0% Crap – 100% Natural (B Corp™), and 🍓Daan Schapendonk🍎, co-founder of Fruitfunk B.V., also shared their experiences with brand development, growth and building a lasting position on supermarket shelves.
And there were more opportunities to take home:
🔹 Leah’s Brood receives a €5,000 coaching budget from Stichting Ontwikkelingsfonds Levensmiddelenindustrie
🔹 Chardys’s and Kokumi receive a membership of the Kitchen Republic community
🔹 Mati and Fil Foods receive a listing at Bidfood Netherlands
🔹 Kokumi wins Get Your Ingredient on the Menu from Join Program
But the value of the Pitch Event goes beyond the prizes alone. During the pitches and the closing Tasting Market, new connections and matches were made between food startups, investors, buyers and other organisations from the food sector.
