MEAL Demo Week: co-development process with the four finalist startups

Three days in the Niko Romito Academy in Castel di Sangro to test innovative solutions together with the chef and his team.

Last update: 

11 maggio 2026 - 10:16 CET

After the Pitch Day last February, the MEAL programme goes live with a three-day event, from May 5 to 7, dedicated to the food solutions of the four finalist startups: Meala Foodtech, Onima, Summ Ingredients and Foreverland Food.

Chef Niko Romito hosted the founders at his Academy in Castel di Sangro, launching a collaboration that goes past knowledge sharing to encompass co-development of the proposals.

The participating teams had the opportunity to explore the laboratories of the Academy, the nerve centre of gastronomic research, and to take part in technical sessions in the kitchen to test and validate their products and refine their solutions. It was an intense and formative three days, characterised by a constant exchange of ideas, but never forgetting the ultimate goal: to transform ideas into complete products ready to bring to the market.

The MEAL business accelerator programme – created by Joule, Enilive and Niko Romito with his Academy – combines industrial skills, technological research and fine dining to create healthier, sustainable, accessible products ready to reach consumers at Enilive sales points: Alt Stazione del Gusto, Enilive Café and Enilive Shop.

The programme began with an international call to identify innovative solutions in three strategic areas:

  • use of innovative ingredients, in terms of health – such as legume flours for gluten-free bakery products or the use of fermented vegetable pastes – but also in terms of sustainability, with the reuse of food waste.
  • development of cutting-edge products, capable of combining taste, health, sustainability and long shelf life;
  • design of sustainable packaging, with recyclable solutions suitable for new stabilisation processes, to enhance both product quality and the environmental, economic and social impact.

Read more:

Pitch Day MEAL, dieci soluzioni per una nuova frontiera del food
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MEAL, il primo programma che unisce alta cucina e innovazione
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