Fermenstation (Japan), startup foodtech producing fermented beverages using rice residues and by-products originating from large food and beverage factories, has been named the winner of the third stop of Culinary Action! On The Road, held in Tokyo. This international entrepreneurship program for foodtech startups was organized in partnership with local partner, together with the local partner Tokyo Food Institute and Tokyo Tatemono.

Asier Alea, Director of Global Development at Basque Culinary Center, and Rocky Sawada, Senior Manager at the Tokyo Food Institute, opened the Tokyo event.

Raquel Martin, Project Manager at GOe–Gastronomy Open Ecosystem, along with Asier Alea, shared key insights and activities from the GOe-Gastronomy Open Ecosystem project with attendees. GOe is an open ecosystem dedicated to fostering collaboration among students, entrepreneurs, researchers, companies, and the wider community.

Following this, Juan Carlos Arboleya, food physicochemist and Director of the Master’s in Gastronomic Sciences at the Basque Culinary Center, presented Science Meets Gastronomy, emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to gastronomy, where insights from various fields come together to enhance the culinary arts.

Begoña Rodríguez, Director of BCC Innovation—the Basque Culinary Center's technology center for gastronomy—delivered a presentation titled “Gastronomic Tech Centers”, offering in-depth insights into the seven concepts that play a fundamental role in the creation, development and consolidation of innovation ecosystems: “trust, community, diversity of actors, the economic aspect, shared spaces, common objectives and the self-management of organisations”.

In a panel titled “Japanese Ecosystem Agents”, Masaru Nagura from Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), Hitoshi Hokamura from Scrum Ventures, and Kazuki Yoshida from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries discussed topics such as the activities organised from their area to boost entrepreneurship, innovation and the generation of community, exploring Japan's evolving foodtech landscape. 

The second panel, “Japanese Investors & Corporates”, featured Barry O’Neill of Value Create Ventures, Yoko Fukata of Sony Innovation Fund, Hiroki Osada of Kemuri Ventures, and Hiroyuki Ajinamoto. They delved into topics including both opportunities and challenges within the industry.

Shinya Shoda from the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties then discussed emerging challenges in the sector related to biomolecular sciences in gastronomy, in a session titled “The Challenge of Biomolecular Archaeo-Gastronomy”.

Eneko Axpe, a physicist collaborating with the Basque Culinary Center, concluded the presentations with his talk, AI, from Farm to Fork. Starting with “Electrococina”, the new technique developed by Axpe with the cook Julen Baz that through an innovative device that uses electric shocks cooking food in record time. On the other hand, Axpe highlighted how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing gastronomy by enabling precise mapping for optimal crop management. AI is also advancing food genetics, making crops more resilient to pests and climate change. In the culinary space, chefs are using AI to create innovative dishes, affecting not only flavor and texture but also improving food distribution, reshaping our relationship with food.

The event brought together a range of participants, from entrepreneurs and investors to agritech experts. Startups including Cuzen Matcha, Fermenstation, Kinish, Quantum Flowers & Food, and Electric Salt showcased their projects on November 6 in Tokyo before a panel of judges, featuring Ander López, head of entrepreneurship at Basque Culinary Center, Rocky Sawada Senior Manager at the Tokyo Food Institute, Masaru Nagura of Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) and Alessandro Fusco, Ecosystem Lead at Future Food Institute Tokyo.

The next competitions will take place on November 6 in Tokyo, November 19 in Bahrain, February 2025 in London, and at the end of March 2025 in Boston. The startups winning at each local event will have the opportunity to work on research and innovation projects for 20 hours at BCC Innovation, the gastronomic technology center of Basque Culinary Center. Additionally, during this time, startups will have access to the network of experts and mentors within Basque Culinary Center and GOe ecosystem and will receive support in various areas, such as access to the center's investor network, local networking, and landing support in the local ecosystem.

Finally, the six local finalist startups will compete in a grand final to be held in April 2025 in Donostia-San Sebastián, where the overall winner of the fourth edition of "On The Road" will be chosen. The winner will receive six months of residence in the startup incubator and an additional voucher for 25 hours for research and innovation projects at the gastronomic technology center.