Ecotrophelia: a year on

It's hard to believe it's been 12 months since hearing the astonishing words, ‘The winner this year, and team going to Germany to represent the UK, is… PlanEat!’ And what an incredible 12 months it's been too! Having won the UK round of Ecotrophelia 2023, our team were given the opportunity to represent the UK in the Ecotrophelia European finals in October. This was an experience I will never forget.

Although there was a period of 4 months between the UK leg of the Ecotrophelia competition and the European final, there was still a lot of work that needed to be done. For us though, this was a period of rapid change; we graduated and many of our team started roles within days or weeks of finishing our final university assignment, myself included! Now, without our university base, scattered all over the country and trying to adjust to new roles, sitting down all together was no longer the simple matter it had once been.

On the back of recommendations from the dragons at the UK final, we agreed to further optimise our formulation. Furthermore, we had been informed that the judges of the European final were looking for a slightly different set of criteria and ultimately answering the question, ‘is this product ready to be launched?’ The Healy Group kindly allowed us to optimise our product at their Innovation Centre in Leicestershire and to host a dress rehearsal pitch in the week running up to the final. Many of the industry dragons from the UK round of the competition attended, as well as new colleagues and guests from The Food Innovation Centre based at the University of Nottingham. We came away feeling ready for anything thrown our way, having answered questions from attendees of the dress rehearsal for just under an hour. I’d like to reiterate my thanks to the University of Nottingham and the Healy Group who supported us throughout our Ecotrophelia journey.

In early October, we headed to Cologne for the European finals! The competition itself took place over two very exciting but nerve-wracking days at the Anuga Food Fair. The products showcased to the industry dragons were created by 14 teams from across Europe. Like us, each team had won their national round and were now representing their country on the wider European stage. It was interesting to see the trend in products for 2023's competition, which predominately featured sustainable protein or products of waste valorisation, incorporated into beverages, desserts and snack products.

The competition itself was set up very differently from the UK round. As there was no product showcase, we had less opportunity to meet the other teams and get a sneak peak of their products. We were fortunate in being able to chat to a few teams who were very friendly and equally passionate about their products and innovation journey. The lack of a showcase though, also meant that we didn’t have an opportunity to show off our product or chat to the judges in a less formal setting. The first time we were going to meet the judges was to be in the pitch itself. Our pitch had to grab their attention!

In the minutes running up to our presentation, we had an anxious wait in the corridor before heading onto the stage to pitch our product to the 19 industry dragons. As the pitch itself was only 10 minutes, compared to the 15 minutes we had for the UK round, we had to be sure to deliver all the key points concisely. We then had 10 minutes of questions from the judges and although nervous, we felt well equipped following months of preparation and hard work. On leaving the stage, the immense pride we felt as a team, was palpable.

It was an honour to be at the event in Germany, and having pitched our product on the first day, we had the opportunity to explore areas of Cologne including the cathedral, a chocolate museum, restaurants and cafes, as well as the amazing Anuga Food Fair itself. Anuga, described by its promoters, as ’the largest and most important food and beverage fair,’ was of significant magnitude.. We barely scraped the surface of the 11 Halls across 3 floors and were not surprised to hear that there were almost 8000 exhibitors. It was fantastic to see so many innovative products available on the European market. It was particularly interesting to talk to a company based in Austria, who also use insect protein in a whole range of diverse products; delicious they were too!

Despite not placing at the European finals, it was great to celebrate as a team how far we’d come. In the course of only 10 months, we had created a product which we had taken from a mere concept to a physical product with an accompanying business plan, utilising an ingredient we were passionate about. Insect protein! Needless to say, we were all incredibly proud of our achievements. Being able to produce a delicious sustainable insect protein snack, with which we represented not only the University of Nottingham, but also the UK, is something I could only have dreamed about when I decided to study Food Science. We hope products like our ‘Protein Poppers,’ will become more mainstream as people begin to embrace alternative sources of protein.

Working with sustainable proteins in the context of Ecotrophelia fitted very comfortably with my personal ethos. I am passionate about innovation within the world of alternative proteins and how it can feed into creating more sustainable food systems. However, New Product Development is not where my Ecotrophelia journey has taken me. I have always been interested in the perception of food, the interplay of ingredients, their flavour and function. This led me to the world of sensory science. Having undertaken university modules and a placement in sensory science, prior to graduation, I was able to gain experience in this industry and start my new roles feeling confident about my abilities in this field.

Although an often misunderstood entity, sensory science can be an incredibly valuable tool within the food industry, and has personally provided me a thoroughly enjoyable early career. Since the European finals, I have worked in two sensory roles across different areas of the food and beverage industry.

As one journey came to an end, a new one started in the form of a role within the sensory department at McCormick's new, net zero facility, where I have supported a number of exciting and transformational projects. On a daily basis, I have been managing the sensory shelf-life programme, most notably providing sensory shelf-life data for the limited edition launch of Frank's RedHot Mayo. I’ve had the opportunity to lead sensory research for a number of cost improvement projects, understanding the potential risk to consumer perception. Providing insightful and actionable data to support the development process of global products, within months of graduating from university, has been incredibly rewarding. Being involved in this process has made me realise how I’ve grown from a student in a learning environment, to a valued member of a wider R&D team.

Outside of work, I recently supported the IFST ‘Competencies for Food Graduate Careers’ and had the opportunity to provide a case study, encouraging current food science students to consider the plethora of opportunities in the food industry and the skills required to work in the field of sensory science. I would recommend a career in sensory to any food science student currently considering their career path post-university.

During the development of our insect protein product, ‘Protein Poppers,’ I worked alongside the Healy Group expanding my understanding of new and innovative ingredients. Currently, in my day-to-day work, I am able to draw on this experience to help me understand the wider context of project objectives and implications. This enables me to be more effective when providing insightful sensory data that can be utilised by internal stakeholders.

Experiences in developing a product from concept to competition readiness, has also had a significant bearing on my understanding of wider business activities. In creating the ‘Protein Popper,’ we were making decisions typical of those faced by most businesses, albeit on a much smaller scale. We considered the viability of supply chains, pricing, target markets, packaging, marketing, key retail outlets, and of course palatability. Additionally, as part of the European round of Ecotrophelia, I had the opportunity to undertake entrepreneurship training provided by EIT Food. This greatly improved my business mindset and with my peers, helped to tailor our Ecotrophelia pitch and presentation, as well as generally improving my commercial awareness in my day-to-day role.

More recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Food Innovation Forum hosted by the IFST at the ExCel centre in London. It was great to listen to a number of presentations from speakers discussing how we can innovate more sustainably to support the growing population, remaining mindful about the planet. Whilst there, I was also able to reconnect with peers as well as meeting many new faces.

The Ecotrophelia experience has greatly expanded my network to encompass a broad range of contacts within the food industry. Furthermore, in my role, it has enabled me to organise external speakers to share insights from academia and industry to develop deeper scientific understanding that can aid projects.

I would say that being involved with Ecotrophelia, marked a pivotal point in regard to me thinking of myself as a young professional, rather than the student who initially set out on the process. Engaging in the process enriched me, fostering attitudes like appreciating diverse work styles, resilience, and patience. The Ecotrophelia experience was about so much more than product development; it was ‘bigger’ than the product itself. It forced us to put together so much of what we had learned at university in a real context. It opened up the world of reaching out to companies like the Healy Group for their invaluable support, advice and ingredient expertise. There were times when we were juggling several commitments, that we had to dig deep in order to meet deadlines. Although as students we had worked collaboratively to complete coursework in the past, Ecotrophelia really made us consider where our own strengths lay, and to trust in the skills of our team members in a way we had never had to rely on them before. For me personally, it pushed me to find my professional voice. I realised that I could speak meaningfully to industry experts, and that I had something to say that other professionals within the food industry wanted to hear. It changed me and armed me with new found professional confidence.

Would I recommend competing in Ecotrophelia? Absolutely, yes! At the time of writing this, the shortlisted teams for the UK finals will be hard at work making the final preparations for the competition. I wish them all the best of luck and look forward to finding out who will represent the UK at the 2024 European finals at Sial in Paris!