🌱 Hack the Future of Food 2025 — What an amazing weekend! 🚀
This year’s Hack the Future of Food gathered passionate students, researchers, and entrepreneurs to Tartu Nature House to co-create the future of sustainable food and agriculture.
It was clearly bigger than last year — 9 teams, 2 days, and countless brilliant ideas that bridged science, business, and creativity.
💡 Teams worked on challenges brought by go-organizerd, as well as their own ideas — turning research, waste streams, and technology into real-world food innovations.
Our jury had a really hard time deciding, because every project showed strong potential for real-life impact!
🏆 Winners
🥇 Pakkify – Overall Winner
Developed an AI-powered compliance and sustainability platform that helps food producers ensure their packaging and labeling meet EU regulations.
By combining OCR and AI analysis, Pakkify automatically checks food labels, sustainability claims, and packaging design against EU directives (such as food labeling, additives, and single-use plastic laws), offering clear, actionable feedback.
The tool also includes intellectual property checks and aims to simplify the complex world of packaging compliance — truly “compliance made simple”!
🥈 NutriScan – METK Prize
Created a QR-code-based digital food passport that makes product information transparent and interactive.
NutriScan allows shoppers to scan a product in-store and instantly see personalized nutrition data, allergen info, and sustainability impact — four times faster than reading the label.
For producers and retailers, it automates EU labeling compliance, saves the equivalent of two employees’ weekly workload, and builds trust and traceability.
Their scalable B2B subscription model already shows real traction with local brands like Yumtek, Muhu Pagarid, and Biomarket, and negotiations with Rimi and Prisma are ongoing.
🥉 WheyCycle Solutions – TFTAK Prize
Tackled one of the dairy industry’s biggest hidden problems — acid whey, a by-product of quark, skyr, and yogurt production that’s costly to dispose of and pollutes waterways if untreated.
The team developed a scalable biotechnological solution that converts acid whey into single-cell protein (SCP) — a high-value, sustainable ingredient for food, feed, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
Their technology could generate over €4 million in additional annual profit for Estonian dairies while turning waste into a valuable circular resource. It’s science-based, scalable, and already being tested at industrial scale — a strong step toward a zero-waste dairy sector.
🍻 Öseen – A. Le Coq Prize
Turned brewer’s spent grain into a high-protein, fibre-rich food ingredient by combining it with mycelium. The result: a gut-friendly, zero-waste, plant-based protein alternative made from brewery side streams.
💚 Other amazing teams and their ideas:
🌾 Talutasku – Connected local farmers and families via a platform offering AI-powered weekly meal plans and direct farm product deliveries — promoting healthy eating and supporting local producers.
🧃 ReBrew – Developed upcycled yeast-based protein bars and powders for soldiers, athletes, and hikers — a sustainable, allergen-free, vegan energy source made from brewing by-products.
💼 REUCHI – “Stop Losing Money on Food Waste”
Tackled food waste and profitability in restaurants with an AI-powered inventory and demand forecasting platform.
Their solution helps restaurants track ingredients in real time, receive expiry alerts, and forecast demand, saving €500–1,000 every month by reducing spoilage and optimizing purchasing.
REUCHI’s membership model combines AI tools, expert consultation, sustainability tracking, and a supplier database, creating a partnership that makes restaurants more profitable and environmentally responsible — not just software, but a smart sustainability ally.
🥗 Delta – Proposed a data-driven nutrition planning tool integrating academic research with practical food design for healthier, personalized diets.
👶 Vyarna – Introduced the world’s first natural breast milk booster — a shelf-stable powdered human breast milk product designed to enhance formula-fed infants’ microbiome and immune system.
The startup’s patented process preserves live microbiome diversity and immunoglobulins that pasteurization destroys, creating a hybrid between natural breastfeeding and formula nutrition.
Launching first in the U.S. market, Vyarna’s model supports both parents seeking natural alternatives and milk donors through fair compensation and testing — aiming to make real breast milk safely accessible to more babies worldwide.
🧠 Jury & Mentors:
A huge thank you goes to our incredible mentors and jury members who made this year’s hackathon truly impactful. Their insights, encouragement, and constructive feedback guided every team toward sharper ideas and stronger solutions.
Our heartfelt thanks to Andres Huul (METK), Andres Maser (TFTAK), Mari Leito (A. Le Coq), Sulev Nõmmann (Kodas), and Viljam Viljasoo (Tartu Business Advisory Services) for their dedication on the jury and mentoring side — and to Alo Lilles (Guardtime) for his excellent mentorship throughout the event.
Their combined expertise, enthusiasm, and generosity in sharing your experience helped turn concepts into actionable innovations.
🎙️ Speaker: our design thinking coach Taavi Tamm (PRIA) and inspirational speaker Robin Saluoks (eAgronom)
🎤 Moderator and pitching coach: Vaido Mikheim (Startup Estonia)
🤝 Co-organizers & Sponsors:
EIT Food • Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge (METK) • Food and Fermentation Technology Development Centre (TFTAK) • A. Le Coq
A huge shout-out to our amazing sponsors who kept our hackers energized and inspired throughout the weekend! 🙌
🥕 Kadarbiku.ee – for the delicious baby carrots that powered our creative minds!
🍏 Lafroza.ee – for the perfectly crisp dried apple slices!
🥜 Gemoss.ee – for the tasty nuts that kept everyone focused and fueled!
🍫 GRK Trade (gkrbrands.ee) with True Dates – for the sweet treats for our jury and mentors!
🥤 A. Le Coq (alecoq.ee)– for the refreshing For Me drinks that kept ideas flowing!
Your generosity and support fueled creativity, collaboration, and countless great ideas — adding flavor, energy, and joy to Hack the Future of Food 2025!
The creativity, collaboration, and courage to think differently proved once again — the future of food innovation starts here in Tartu! 💪
