Good Food Makers 2026: Barilla and Almacube announce the three winners of the eighth edition
14 October 2026
- Sunday Supper, KÄÄPÄ Biotech and Enboarder are the three startups selected from 194 applications across 44 countries.
- Eighth edition of the program through which Barilla identifies innovative, dynamic and sustainable solutions to test them in real-use scenarios.
- From the United States to Finland: an 8-week co-design journey with Barilla to develop pilot projects on ready meals, emotional wellbeing and technical onboarding.
Parma, October 14, 2026 – Following the call for innovation launched last May, Good Food Makers, Barilla’s open innovation program that tests innovative solutions with global startups to accelerate innovation, announces the three winners of the 2026 edition: Sunday Supper (United States), KÄÄPÄ Biotech (Finland) and Enboarder (United States). Selected from among 194 applications from 44 countries, the three companies will take part in a co-design journey with the Group’s teams to develop three pilot projects, one for each of this edition’s challenges: Redefining Everyday Meals, Mood Boost in Motion and Next-Gen Smart Onboarding.
Now in its eighth edition and developed in collaboration with Almacube, the innovation hub of the University of Bologna, Confindustria Emilia Area Centro and Fondazione Golinelli, Good Food Makers is the Barilla Group program dedicated to discovering and experimenting with innovative, sustainable solutions, validated directly in the field together with company teams. Through a model based on co-creation and open innovation, the program connects the company with startups and innovators worldwide, encouraging the exchange of expertise and the development of pilot projects ranging from research on new ingredients to industrial processes, all the way to the onboarding of its People.
“The three winning startups bring very different solutions, from ready meals to emotional wellbeing to technical onboarding, but they all share a growth path already under way, a validated value proposition and strong potential for development. We are excited to begin this journey together and to see how the pilot projects will turn into real collaboration opportunities,” says Laurette Defranco, Head of Open Innovation & IP Rights, Barilla Group.
THE WINNERS
Redefining Everyday Meals: Sunday Supper (Los Angeles, California)
Sunday Supper is a Los Angeles-based premium frozen food brand reimagining everyday comfort food through restaurant-quality recipes, Italian heritage, and convenient, better-for-you formats. The startup stood out for a market-ready product platform that combines convenience and culinary quality. Its products are already available in more than 1,000 retail locations nationwide, with distribution continuing to expand through major retailers including Whole Foods Market, Target, Sprouts Farmers Market, and other leading grocery chains. In a declining frozen meal category, the brand has demonstrated strong retail momentum, with significant year-over-year growth, expanding national distribution, and increasing consumer demand for its premium Italian offerings.
“Sunday Supper was built on the belief that everyday meals can be both comforting and better for people and the planet. We’re thrilled and honored to have been selected for Barilla’s Good Food Makers program from among so many impressive brands,” say Richard Klein and Spencer Oberg, Co-Founders of Sunday Supper. “We’re excited to learn from a company that has helped define Italian food for nearly 150 years, while bringing our own perspective to the collaboration and helping shape what everyday Italian meals can become.”
Mood Boost in Motion: KÄÄPÄ Biotech (Karjalohja, Finland)
KÄÄPÄ Biotech is a Finnish biotechnology company specializing in premium functional mushroom ingredients for the food, beverage and nutraceutical sectors. It combines scientific research, proprietary extraction technologies and application expertise to develop next-generation functional products. The winning proposal is based on a standardized ingredient designed to support cognitive performance, focus, mental clarity and emotional wellbeing, with a technology that enhances bioavailability while preserving bioactive compounds. The Barilla working group appreciated the startup’s solid scientific foundation and high level of industrial readiness, combining evidence-backed efficacy, scalable production capacity and expertise in food applications.
“Winning the Good Food Makers competition is an exciting milestone for us, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this initiative. We look forward to collaborating with the Good Food Makers team, learning from their expertise, and turning new ideas into tangible impact. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and the potential to grow our business while contributing to a more sustainable and innovative food system,” says Alistair Hatch, Chief Revenue Officer, KÄÄPÄ Biotech.
Next-Gen Smart Onboarding: Enboarder (Austin, Texas; offices in London and Sydney)
Enboarder is a leading startup in onboarding and employee experience solutions. With more than 500 customers worldwide and over a decade of experience, it has built a platform designed to orchestrate personalized journeys for every individual. Its AI-powered Journey Builder can automatically generate onboarding programs from existing documentation, significantly reducing implementation effort. The solution has already been adopted by major international organizations, including Deloitte, ING, Cisco, T-Mobile, Hugo Boss and Lonza, with measurable results in onboarding efficiency and faster time-to-productivity.
“Good Food Makers has been an outstanding partner, bringing real clarity and energy to the process and helping us align closely with Barilla’s ambitions,” says Joey Greenwald, Chief Marketing Officer, Enboarder. “This project goes to the heart of what Enboarder is about: making sure every person, whether they’re new to the business or stepping into a new role, has the right people, knowledge and support around them from day one. We’re proud to be collaborating with Barilla and excited about what we’ll achieve together.”
WHAT THE PROGRAM INVOLVES
The three winners will begin their co-creation activities with an in-person kick-off at Barilla’s Headquarters in Parma starting October 19. This will be followed by an approximately 8-week remote co-development phase dedicated to building a pilot project (Proof of Concept), which will culminate in the Demo Day, during which the startups will present their results to the Group’s key stakeholders.
For more information: https://goodfoodmakers.it/
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