From idea to finished product: the Kitchen Lab’s recipe for success

What brews innovation in the food sector? Your idea, our know-how, a dash of design and market research – and heaps of enthusiasm.

Together with our network of partners and experts, we work to turn your product or recipe idea into a marketable prototype. We throw our extensive service portfolio into the pot, you toss in your creativity – and then we get started: first, we analyse the competition, product positioning and concept development. Then, we fine-tune your recipe and optimise it all the way to pilot production. Concerns about new technologies, food safety, legal considerations, financial support? We are here to guide you comprehensively and competently. Once everything is clear, we will get down to business: together, we will carry out sensory tastings and test the prototype on the market – until everything about your masterpiece is just right!

Our state-of-the-art test kitchen also welcomes you for seminars, workshops and presentations tailored to the food sector.

From small farms to resourceful start-ups to international companies in the food industry, we are here to help pave your path to new horizons.

Keeping pace with the times: NOI Techpark

NOI Techpark is South Tyrol’s growing innovation hub. Companies, research institutions and the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano work here on the ecological and economic advancement of society. They establish strong networks and provide the infrastructure and know-how to conduct research and development.

NOI does not just stand for Nature of Innovation; we live and breathe it. So, while the world inundates us with questions, we transform it with solutions. This is how innovation thrives at NOI, one moment it can be steady, the next – disruptive. But there is one constant in the work we do: sustainability. Our focus is on four core areas: Green, Food, Digital and Automotive & Automation. Around 1,200 entrepreneurs, start-ups, researchers and students work here every day to ensure that business and research are closely linked – creating a forward-looking region and sustainable progress.

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Innovating Food & Health - hands-on in the Kitchen Lab

In the technology field of Food & Health, three pillars characterise our work in the Kitchen Lab: Raw Materials & By-Products. Optimal Processing & Fermentation. Omics & Precision Health. Within this broad framework, the Kitchen Lab plays a very special role as an experimentation space and product innovation kitchen: this is where we explore, develop, taste and refine. We are committed – to crafting recipes with purpose, developing products that make a difference, and achieving results that resonate with our clients and their goals. In addition to expertise, practical know-how and an extensive network, we offer easy access to innovative processing and manufacturing methods, allowing us to provide our customers with support where they need it - precisely, individually and, above all, simply and effectively.

Working with us is as easy as pie…

... and not just when it comes to making jam, baking pizza or crafting salsa. As Food Innovation Specialists, we bring together what belongs together: quality and taste, innovation and sustainability. What unites us as a team? Our enthusiasm for experimentation, precision and a passion for delicious food. Our versatile know-how in all aspects of food preparation and preservation. And our insatiable curiosity: about the future of ingredients, recipes and methods.

We are a trio of food experts: Ben Schneider, master chef with a degree in food management, Doris Gschnitzer, nutritional scientist with many years of experience in quality management, and Lisa Althuber, nutritional and food scientist.

In the Kitchen Lab, we support you in the following product development phases:

EXPLORE & CREATE: you have a recipe or product idea. You also have questions, wishes and reservations. Come to the Kitchen Lab: we are used to thinking outside the box. And we approach things pragmatically and creatively: in discussions, brainstorming sessions and workshops, we analyse market and customer needs and develop a concept together with you.
PROTOTYPE: chop, mix, stir. Ferment, cook, blast freeze. Tasting: add a pinch more of this, a tad less of that. Refine and repeat. Until your product is ready for the next step.
VALIDATE: now for the final touches: your product tastes and looks good. Will it make a splash on the market? Let’s find out – with market and consumer tests. What else is just as important? Knowing what measures ensure food safety throughout production. And what about shelf life?