This year, the Circular Gastronomy Challenge innovation prize goes to three ideas that have a very good chance of making the restaurant industry more circular – and helping to change the food system as a whole. The creators behind the three ideas – soft drinks made from food waste, citrus peel as an enhancing ingredient, and small-scale marine allotments – received the award at a ceremony in Arena Skrapan in Stockholm on January 27. All three now have the opportunity to develop their ideas in 2025 with the help of our innovation support.
Stockholm 27 January 2025: The jury today revealed the winners of the 2024 Circular Gastronomy Challenge innovation award. The purpose of the award is to draw attention to and support ideas that can accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Anyone in Sweden can apply, and this year’s 36 nominations cover many different areas connected to restaurants.
This year’s creators have presented solutions to several current challenges for restaurants, bars, cafes and bakeries. Many of the ideas involve making use of things that would otherwise have been thrown away, such as worn-out textiles, fruit peels and leftover bread, in a circular way. Others focus on making greater use of raw materials from the sea and raising the level of knowledge about the planet’s blue pantry. Another trend consists of ideas about how drinks can be produced in a more resource-efficient and climate-friendly way.
– In order to win and receive a share of the innovation support, the idea must be relevant to the restaurant industry, be able to contribute to better utilisation of resources, be able to grow in size and become profitable, make a concrete and measurable benefit and have the potential to spread and thus influence more people within restaurants, and also other parts of the food system, says Per Styregård, co-founder of Circular Gastronomy and chairman of the jury.
– We are happy to be able to nominate three ideas today that all have that potential. It is about food waste that is converted into soft drinks in a circular chain, about citrus peels as an enhancing ingredient in food and baked goods, and about small-scale allotments in the sea.
The ideas and idea creators who will receive the Circular Gastronomy Challenge 2024 innovation award:
Circular soft drinks – Ludvig Brydolf, Törst Beverages, Linda Rydén, eSmiley and Robbin Almén, GRAM Group
For the idea of creating a circular system for producing drinks from food waste in a chain that involves beverage producers, wholesalers, hotels and restaurants. The system can be scaled up, can inspire others to create similar models and also provide an opportunity for restaurants and hotels to communicate their sustainability work in a concrete way.
Waste is only a failure of imagination – Arash Johnsson Sabet, Simply no waste
For the idea of a business model that is based on creating ingredients from recovered citrus peels on a large scale – for use in restaurants, bakeries, bars and ice cream parlours. It is about products that enhance taste, improve consistency and enhance colour – plant-based, gluten- and egg-free.
Marine allotments – Maria Bodin, Cool Blue Future
For the idea of creating small-scale collaborative farms in the sea for fishers, restaurateurs and private individuals – allotments that can both produce sustainable seafood, serve as a meeting place for the exchange of knowledge and raise awareness about marine farming.
The award was presented at a ceremony in Arena Skrapan in Stockholm on January 27. The idea creators will receive tailored innovation support with coaching from experts as well as contacts and communication to realise their ideas in 2025.
The jury that selects the winners consists of sustainability experts and chefs with a focus on the circular economy:
• Per Styregård – jury chairman, academy chair World’s 50 Best, writer at DI Weekend
• Ulrika Brydling – operations manager Eldrimner, chef and sustainability expert
• Sofia B Olsson – chef Restaurang Vrå, Sustainable Innovator of the Year 2018
• Johan Gottberg – founder of Restauranglabbet, K-märkt, Sustainable Chef of the Year 2014
• Ingela Wickman Bois – advisor strategy circular business development and innovation, Exeter Executive Business School and Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• Anna Henning Moberg – operations manager at Torsåker gård, Axfoundation
• Jens Thulin – beef farmer at Vismarlövsgården and co-founder of Mylla.se
• Erica-Dawn Egan – sustainability strategist at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and CEO of the KTH FOOD Centre for sustainable and healthy food systems
• Elvira Molin – project manager and researcher at IVL Swedish Environmental Institute
The Circular Gastronomy Challenge innovation program is developed by Circular Gastronomy in collaboration with Vasakronan, Martin & Servera, Göteborg & Co and Västsverige as well as representatives from business, academia and organisations such as Axfoundation, Generation Waste, Good Food Capital, IVL Swedish Environmental Institute, Krinova Incubator & Science Park, KTH Food, Restaurangakademien and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.
For more information, contact:
• Per Styregård, Chairman of the Jury Circular Gastronomy per@circulargastronomy.se, +46 70 777 66 78
• Ami Hovstadius, CEO and Project Manager Circular Gastronomy ami@circulargatronomy.se, +46 70 999 45 00