Barilla, Good Food Makers, the program to accelerate innovation in agri-food, is underway

In a global scenario marked by technological evolutions and new consumer expectations, Barilla has chosen to renew its commitment to innovation by announcing the opening of applications for Good Food Makers 2025 , the open innovation program dedicated to startups, spin-offs and innovative companies that want to contribute to the transformation of the agri-food sector .

Now in its seventh edition, this year in collaboration with Almacube , the innovation hub of the University of Bologna and Confindustria Emilia Area Centro, the program takes the special form of Good Food Makers – ECOSYSTEM, with the aim of creating an innovation ecosystem open to stakeholders and partners of the Barilla value chain, facilitating the development and implementation of emerging technologies for concrete solutions.

The three winning companies will participate in a 4-week collaborative path with professionals from Barilla and partner companies: it will be an opportunity to access a valuable network and design together solutions capable of generating real impact along the entire supply chain from field to table, side by side with Barilla managers. Applications are open until the end of July and the program will get into full swing in September with a structured path that will conclude during the Innovation Day in January 2026 .

“With Good Food Makers we want to consolidate our commitment to open innovation, capable of generating concrete value along the entire supply chain,” commented Claudia Berti , Barilla Head of Open Innovation. “In a rapidly evolving context, we believe that collaboration with innovative companies is essential to address complex challenges such as sustainability and the digitalization of agri-food systems, to further improve the way we operate. This year's special Ecosystem edition allows us to work side by side with strategic partners, in a structured path that aims to transform ideas into solutions ready to be implemented. It is a concrete opportunity to innovate together and with real impact.”

Three challenges have been identified this year together with Barilla's partners:

• The first, AgTech for Climate Resilience , was born in collaboration with Open Fields and aims to identify innovative technologies to improve the cultivation of basil and the management of spontaneous herbs, with particular attention to the climate and the sustainability of good agricultural practices.
• With the New Frontiers in Detection challenge, developed together with Bizerba , we are looking for cutting-edge solutions to improve the reliability and precision of detection systems in production plants, helping to strengthen quality, efficiency and control in industrial processes.
• Finally, the Best on Shelf challenge, created in collaboration with Conad Nord Ovest , is aimed at those who can offer innovative tools to monitor the presence and visibility of products on shelves, while at the same time improving the management of the point of sale and the consumer purchasing experience.

From 2019 to today, Good Food Makers has collected over 900 applications from 25 countries and has already collaborated with 26 startups , accompanying them on a path of growth and experimentation in the field.