Puratos has launched Sparkalis, a new venture that will support innovation in the food tech sector.

Sparkalis will both be a start-up incubator and provide direct investments. Its flexible approach means it can offer scalable support to accelerate business growth for food tech innovators and help startups in the “seed” or “pre-seed” phase to turn their ideas into scalable products.

“Sparkalis was born out of a deep desire to support inspiring food tech pioneers and build success stories together,” said Filip Arnaut, managing director of Sparkalis and R&D director at Puratos. “Sparkalis underscores Puratos’ continued commitment to driving innovation to create a healthier and more sustainable ‘foodprint’ around the world.”

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

Building on Puratos’ history and experience, Sparkalis will be able to quickly kick-start innovative ideas and bring them to market to the benefit of bakers, pâtissiers and chocolatiers around the world. A global network of almost 100 experts is ready to quickly assess projects and personally mentor startups. Each supported project will be mentored by a dedicated Puratos specialist to maximize the chances of turning innovative ideas into concrete successes. 

The new venture will provide holistic expertise in product development, global scaling of market-ready solutions, support on regulatory requirements and training opportunities. Sparkalis will also provide partners access to Puratos’ own Taste Tomorrow research program, which offers in-depth insights into global and local consumer behaviours in bakery, patisserie and chocolate.

“Sparkalis is looking for the future changemakers among startups in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors,” said Sophie Blum, managing partner at Sparkalis and chief marketing officer at Puratos. “Our team of global experts, each with their own professional background, is excited to transform their visions into successful business realities. 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.”