Consortium

RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden)  is Sweden’s research institute and innovation partner. It employs  approximately 2 800 people and is represented in the project  by  its Department of Agriculture and Food.

Role in the project 
Within FAIRCHAIN, RISE will most notably lead the case study dedicated to wild berry supply chains and WP5 – sustainability assessment. It will also contribute to the mapping and innovations and the development of an assessment framework.

Website: https://www.ri.se/en

FH JOANNEUM is a university for applied sciences located in Graz, Austria with a student body of approximately 4 800. It hosts a Sustainable Food Systems research group and the FH JOANNEUM Food Processing Lab.

Role in the project 
Within FAIRCHAIN, FH JOANNEUM will lead the implementation of the case study dedicated to the Food Innovation Incubator.

Website: https://www.fh-joanneum.at/en/

The University of Ghent is one of Belgium’s main research institutions. It includes a Department of Agricultural Economics and a Department of Food Technology, Food safety and Health.

Role in the project 
Within FAIRCHAIN, University of Ghent will provide an expertise in agro-food marketing and chain management as well as the implementation of innovations throught its research unit VEG-i-TEC.

Website: https://www.ugent.be/en

Grangeneuve is the agricultural institute of the Swiss canton of Fribourg. It is active is various domains: agriculture, forestry, horticulture, dairy and food industry. In the agricultural domain, it educates future farmers and provides counseling about plant protection.

Role in the project 
Grangeneuve will contribute to the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of results for the different FAIRCHAIN case studies.

Website: https://www.fr.ch/grangeneuve (French) https://www.fr.ch/de/grangeneuve (German)

SLU is the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and it is ranked as one of the top three universities in agriculture and forestry (QS). The department of Forest Resource Management in Umeå  has focused on the management of forest resources, with a particular interest for berry yields and berry picking.

Role in the project
SLU will be involved in the development of an ICT tool for tracking berries as well as a prediction map of the most promising locations for berry picking based on advanced modelling methods and remote sensing techniques.

Website: https://www.slu.se/en/

Fraunhofer is the largest not-for-profit contract research organisation in Europe. ISI is one of 74 Fraunhofer institutes and research units, with a focus on interdisciplinary socio-economic research in key enabling technologies. Research results are support for decision-makers from industry, science and politics in creating a favorable climate for innovations

Role in the project 
Fraunhofer ISI will develop the concept for the multi-stakeholder co-creation process and will support each case study to carry it out. Furthermore, it will contribute to the assessment framework for monitoring and assessing input, process, outcome and impact of case studies and the project.

Website: https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/en.html

ENILEA is a French local public institution for agricultural education and vocational training.

ENILEA R&D focuses on three main areas: characterisation of food products, to draw up specifications for food products or the functional properties of ingredients; design and development of products for companies, with an emphasis on the product/process approach; technology support and transfer.

These activities are supported by an agri-food platform, funded by the Regional Council and the European Union, equipped with pilot plants that are unique in France.

Role in the project

In FAIRCHAIN, ENILEA will carry out the first pilot tests of the whey-based drink developed in the French case study, proceeding through a series of validation stages:

• Thermal stabilization
• Pilot-scale validation of drink concepts developed in the laboratory
• Production of pre-series of drinks for consumer testing

Scaldopack is company that is specializing in sealing and filling flexible pouches. It has extensive experience in filling food and dairy products and advanced mechatronics.

Role in the project 
Scaldopack will deliver a packaging machine that takes into account hygienic design, flexibility (focus on small production), mobility for sharing, aseptic processing, sustainability of packaging material and reduced investment for end  users compared to existing alternatives.

Website: https://www.scaldopack.com/en/

Pack4Food is a consortium of Flemish research centres and 50 companies, active in the food packaging interaction field, and network organizations. Pack4Food aims to stimulate innovation in food packaging, both at the level of the food producer and of their suppliers (packaging producers, filling machine producers…), and also to support companies in their everyday packaging challenges.

Role in the project 
Pack4Food will identify sustainable packaging materials for the packaging machine developed in the case study carried out in Belgium that comprises aseptic filling and hygienic design. Furthermore, it will support dissemination and training activities.

Website: https://pack4food.be/ 

Laboratoires STANDA is a biotechnology SME dedicated to the production of PAL cultures (acidification starters, ripening cultures, probiotic cultures, specific production, for different fields of activity involved like cheese, fermented milk, vegetable fermentation, biopreservation, probiotics) and the production of oxygen absorbers ATCO, used to improve storage of food and pharmaceutic products as well as for research purposes.

Role in the project 
Standa will contribute to the development of the fermentation process for the production of innovative whey-based drinks using by-products of small dairy plants with the addition of fruits and vegetables.

Website: https://www.standa-fr.com/

Petrel was created in 2018 to support manufacturers and retailers towards circular management of their packaging. The Petrel team has developed a Zero-Waste-as-a-Service approach with processes and a specific IT platform. This expertise has been implemented in different projects, from mass retail (Loop by Carrefour) to bulk distribution system (Hub Vrac with WeBulk ans Reseau Vrac).

Role in the project 
Petrel will contribute to the implementation of the case studies  (setting-up the co-creation and business model generation workshops; data collection and implementation in an innovation-dedicated platform) and to the integration of technological, organisational and social innovations into business models. The objective is to build the most revelant scenario for the circular management of packaging for fresh liquid products.

Website: https://petrel.fr/

DSS+ is a consulting firm specializing in sustainable operational management and risk management. Its mission is to help industrial companies and public sector bodies bring greater sustainability and safety to the heart of their processes. Active on an international scale with over 800 employees, DSS+ is present in French-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland following the integration of SOFIES SA in 2021. The agri-food sector in the broadest sense, and support for sustainable food systems, are strategic priorities for DSS+.

Role in the project 
DSS+ will lead the work package on the integration of technological, organisational and social innovations into business models as well as the case study on co-product valorisation in Switzerland.

Synelixis Solutions is a high-tech SME founded in 2007 that offers complete software and hardware solutions. In the area of precision agriculture, Synelixis offers the SynField product to help farmers control their farming procedures remotely, with high accuracy and at low cost.

Role in the project 
SYNELIXIS leads the case study “Traceability and reliable information sharing in local dairy production”. It will provide the blockchain infrastructure to be used in the project and the applications for the breeders, the processor and the consumers.

Website: https://www.synelixis.com/

Biofruits gathers and commercialises fruits and vegetables from producers in organic agriculture in  the central Valais region in Switzerland. The products are stored, sorted and packed before being commercialised into large retailers  and wholesalers. Beside this activity, Biofruits has its own direct selling shops for private individuals. With fruits not fit to be sold as table fruits, Biofruits  transforms and valorises fruits into juices or other beverages.

Role in the project 
Biofruits will be the pilot site for the co-product valorisation case study through organic fermentation of co-products (vinegar) and a regional concept definition of movable pyrolysis to increase the value of co-products like kernels.

Website: https://www.biofruits.ch/fr/accueil/

Cogiterre produces food products based on fruits (vinegar and soft ice), vegetables and vegetable proteins whose processing involves fermentation processes. Furthermore, it offers food consulting services for Swiss and African SMEs (quality system, R&D, technological choice and process implementation).

Role in the project
Cogiterre will contribute to the development of technology for the acetification of vegetable and animal substrate (Grangeneuve) and sanitation protocol with fermented vinegar.

Website: http://cogiterre.ch/

Stymfalia SA is a Greek dairy producer in Kaliani, Corinthia, in the Peloponnese region, owned by Lengas family for three generations. Its products come exclusively from the  milk of free-ranging goat and sheep breeds in the mountain Ziria, which are exported to several countries around the world.

Role in the project
Stymfalia will collaborate with local breeders and present the FAIRCHAIN program to implement the “Traceability and reliable information sharing in local dairy production” case study in collaboration with Synelixis. They will provide people, resources and know-how in order to collect all the key information that will be stored in the blockchain infrastructure.

Website: https://stymfalia-sa.gr/

With 11,800 farms, SODIAAL is the first French dairy cooperative and the third European cooperative, collecting 4.71 billion litres of milk per year (or 20% of the national collection). SODIAAL collects milk from its mem ber producers and transforms it into its various branches, namely: cheese, UHT milks, infant/adult/animal nutrition, dairy ingredients (including whey), creams, butters.

Role in the project
Within FAIRCHAIN, SODIAAL will produce innovative whey-based drinks and will participate to the implementation of an innovative deposit system (with returnable packaging). SODIAAL will provide various industrial wheys (for the analysis of their diversity); carry out potential pretreatments of wheys prior to processing and participate to the screening of strains for the industrial development of whey fermentation.

Website: https://sodiaal.coop/en

Greenyard’s Prepared division is a European market leader that processes freshly harvested vegetables and fruit into convenient prepared products. Its customers include major supermarket retailers, food service companies and the wider food industry. Greenyard’s offer consists of a wide range of products, from canned vegetables and preserves in jars, to soups, sauces and ready meals. 

Role in the project
Greenyard has a full equipped pilot plant to support this project with sauce production facilities. In this pilot plant, small batches of sauce can be produced. The first trials in filling in plastic containers with gas flush (simulation of aseptic filling) can also be carried out.

Website: https://www.greenyard.group/

Make.org Foundation’s mission is to positively transform society in 3 years by leveraging the collective intelligence of civil society. Make.org Foundation’s approach is threefold: collecting inputs from hundreds of thousands of citizens, associations, businesses, media, and experts; expanding on the listed Great Causes, breaking them down into six to ten actions;  accelerating the organised and collective efforts by unlocking and concentrating financial and skill-based sponsorship into the dedicated actions.

Role in the project
The role of Make.org Foundation in FAIRCHAIN is to pilot a social and financial innovation: new philanthropic income streams for innovations based on citizens and civil society mobilisation.

 Website: https://make.org/FR 

As a national coordination structure, ACTIA unites the activities of transfer organisations in food sector, including food technology institutes (ITAIs), interface centres and technical centres. A total of 1 200 researchers, engineers and technicians provide daily support for companies, especially SMEs. With more than 80 sites in France, Actia Centres is active in all sectors of the food industries and in the non-food promotion of agricultural products (biotechnology, fine chemistry and pharmacy). In close partnership with food industry, ACTIA members offer the most suitable solutions, combining the analysis of needs and the ability to transmit relevant expertise and assistance.

Role in the project
ACTIA will most notably lead the development of business, policy and marketing recommendations to ensure replicability and uptake of FAIRCHAIN.

Website: https://www.actia-asso.eu/

Confagricoltura is the most important collective organization of farmers in Italy, representing 60% of the country territory, 70% of the agrifood turnover, and 34 % of the Italian farmers. It has 140 offices covering the Italian regions with more than 1 600 employees that provide assistance to 286 000 associates and represent the interest of the farmers before European and national institutions as well as government bodies.

Role in the project
Confagricoltura will ensure optimal cooperation with other projects funded under the same call. It will also contribute to the implementation of case studies and the development of KPIs and good practices as well as business, policy and marketing recommendations to ensure replicability and uptake of the FARCHAIN innovative agri-food value chains.

Website: https://www.confagricoltura.it/eng/ 

The ISEKI-Food Association (IFA) is an independent European non-profit organisation, established in 2005 by representatives of university institutions, research institutes, companies and associations related to food, coming from all over the world. Its mission is to support lifelong learning in the food sector.

Role in the project
IFA will lead the communication and dissemination work package to showcase project progress and results, deliver training for farmers, students and other actors in the food chain and develop strategies for exploitation of project results. IFA will also implement the project innovation platform and will support collaboration with other projects.

Website: https://www.iseki-food.net/ 

AgroParisTech is a French ‘grande école’ specalised in life sciences. It will support INRAE to accomplish its mission within FAIRCHAIN.

Website: https://www.agroparistech.fr/ 

Actalia is a centre of expertise for the food industry. It will assist ACTIA to carry out research within the scope of FAIRCHAIN. 

Website: https://www.actalia.eu/ 

L’ITAB, l’Institut de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation biologiques, is an applied research institute that seeks to create knowledge to improve organic production and transformation. It will assist ACTIA to carry out its missions within FAIRCHAIN.

Website: http://itab.asso.fr/ 

Monts & Terroirs is a producer, refiner and transformer of hard cheese with an appellation of origin Franche-Comté and Savoie. It will work jointly with SODIAAL to accomplish a series of task within FAIRCHAIN.

Website: http://www.provencia.fr/accueil