ValueGrain wins the Startup Days
With the idea of utilising an unused raw material from the brewing process, ValueGrain from Hamburg beat off strong competition at the Startup Days of Grüne Woche.
im Gräsing has developed a technology that processes spent grains from breweries into a liquid flour. ‘Every year, globally up to 40 million tons of spent grains do not make it back into the food process,’ explained the trained beer sommelier from the Institute for Beer Culture in Vienna during his pitch on the Startup Days stage on Wednesday afternoon. He wants to change that.
Four and a half hours later, Tim Gräsing was back on stage to accept the prize for first place at the Startup Days from Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture. The win means that the company from Hamburg will receive a free stand at Grüne Woche 2026, a wildcard for an agricultural Rentenbank boot camp and a coaching voucher worth 1,000 euros.
High power density like never before
‘Congratulations to all the competitors. I didn't expect us to win,’ said Tim Gräsing. The standard at the seventh Startup Days was very high.
‘We had ten outstanding start-ups, a performance density like never before and a wide range of products, technical and AI-based solutions,‘ said Gerald Dohme, Chairman of the jury and Deputy Secretary General at the German Farmers’ Association.
The prize for young start-ups from the agricultural technology and food industry was awarded for the seventh time at Grüne Woche in cooperation with the Andreas Hermes Academy and Rentenbank. In two pitch rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, ten young companies that are committed to sustainable development presented themselves. They had to present their idea in just three minutes and then answer questions from the six-member jury for seven minutes. The judging took place in seven categories, including the business idea, social added value, scalability and the presentation itself. The award ceremony took place on the stage of the Erlebnisbauernhof at the invitation of the Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft. ‘I would like to thank all the entrepreneurs who made it to the final. Thank you for your commitment and your courage to include other perspectives. That would do us a lot of good in politics,’ said Cem Özdemir with a smile on his lips.
Reusing valuable grains
Participants included Esencia Foods and Nosh.bio, which produce vegan meat alternatives using various fermentation processes based on fungi (mycelium). Plances helps people in the city to grow their plants with smart irrigation systems. Safia has developed a rapid test technology that can detect contamination of food resources with mould toxins (mycotoxins) at an early stage.
Karevo founder Benedikt Keßler's idea of sorting potatoes with the help of artificial intelligence was also popular. He often observed his parents manually checking potatoes for bruises, mould or other damage on the roller sorter, he reported. According to Keßler, the image recognition of the retrofittable potato sorting system can scan six defects, saving farms 400-800 hours of labour and 6,000-12,000 euros a year. ‘I am delighted that the requirement was developed in a small farming family structure,’ said Gerald Dohme.
But in the end, the jury was even more impressed by ValueGrain from Hamburg. With his company, Tim Gräsing has dedicated himself to the task of buying spent grain from breweries and selling it on to where it is needed. The refined raw material, called ‘ValueGrain’, can replace up to 35 per cent of wheat and other conventional flours in products such as bread, pasta, pizza or biscuits and can also be used as the main ingredient in meat alternatives.
The exhibitors of tomorrow
‘Everyone in Germany drinks beer, but hardly anyone knows how it's made,’ said Tim Gräsing in his pitch at the Startup Days. Spent grains are the product that is created during mashing when the crushed barley or wheat malt is heated with water. ‘Spent grains are not actually a waste product, but a really valuable raw material,’ said Gerald Dohme. ValueGrain has already collaborated with Dr.Oetker on a pizza that replaces 50 per cent of the wheat flour with ValueGrain. In the summer, the start-up will ship the first system to Nigeria. Tim Grasing will be able to report on further developments next year at the latest, when he returns to Grüne Woche as an exhibitor as part of the Startup Days.
At the end, all the finalists gathered on stage once again. ‘This is the future of Grüne Woche. These are the exhibitors of tomorrow,’ said Grüne Woche Director Lars Jaeger. And that's true. With last year's winner Nico Hansen from Vanozza (27/224b), who was also a jury member for the first time, Pflanzentheke (Hall 6.2/105), EntoSus (1.2/150c) CinSOIL (Hall 22/118) and hülsenreich (21/230), five of the ten Startup Days 2024 companies can still be found in the Grüne Woche halls until Sunday.
