The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub is the corporate FoodTech innovation arm of Israel's Strauss Group, incubating and investing in food technology startups and channeling them into the conglomerate's manufacturing, brand, and distribution assets. It serves both external startups and internal Strauss business units, anchored by strategic partnerships with Danone and Leket Israel.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAshdod, Israel
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub does
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub is a corporate innovation unit of Strauss Group, an Israeli food and beverage conglomerate publicly listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE:STRS). Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Ashdod, Israel, the hub operates as a strategic incubator and investor focused on food technology startups, providing corporate-backed acceleration, mentorship, and a structured pathway into Strauss Group's manufacturing, brand, and distribution assets.
The hub's value proposition rests on direct access to a major F&B conglomerate's commercialization infrastructure — including brands such as Elite, Strauss Coffee, Strauss Water, Yotvata, and Tapuchips — enabling FoodTech innovators to move from concept to pilot and scale faster than through standalone accelerators. Strategic partnerships with Danone (co-development in dairy alternatives and wellness) and Leket Israel (sustainability and food waste) extend the hub's ecosystem beyond pure incubation into adjacent innovation mandates. It is led by CEO Jonathan Berger, CTO/CXO Dorit Rozner, and VP Business Development Amir Zaidman.
The business model is that of a corporate venture and innovation platform rather than a productized startup: revenue is not independently disclosed, the unit functions primarily as a strategic cost center within Strauss Group, and commercial returns are realized indirectly through equity exposure, commercial partnerships, and new product introduction into Strauss Group's brand portfolio — exemplified by the 2024 inauguration of Strauss Group's 'Michael's Campus' plant-based dairy facility in Ahihud, which provides downstream industrialization capacity for hub-originated innovations.
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub
- Legal name
- The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub
- Website
- https://thekitchenhub.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub is the corporate FoodTech innovation arm of Israel's Strauss Group, incubating and investing in food technology startups and channeling them into the conglomerate's manufacturing, brand, and distribution assets. It serves both external startups and internal Strauss business units, anchored by strategic partnerships with Danone and Leket Israel.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Technology Incubator
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Functional Snacks & Bars Manufacturing (High-Protein, High-Fiber, Probiotic Snacks) (AFAKAJAG)
Keywords
Where The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ashdod
- HQ country
- Israel
- HQ region
- Middle East
Markets served
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Marketing channels2 records
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub is a food technology incubator and investor operating as the innovation arm of Strauss Group. It supports food technology startups through mentorship, corporate partnership, and acceleration, while providing Strauss Group's internal brands and business units with access to external innovation, prototyping capabilities, and industry expertise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FoodTech Startup Incubation and Acceleration
Companies that use The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- DanonecoreDanone is listed as a partner of Strauss Group, indicating a strategic relationship in the food and beverage industry. This partnership likely supports innovation initiatives and knowledge sharing in areas such as dairy alternatives, wellness products, and sustainable food solutions.
- Leket IsraelcoreStrauss Group collaborates with Leket Israel, the national food bank, on sustainability initiatives including 'Always Together' programs supporting farmers in the Gaza envelope and food waste reduction efforts.
- Strauss GroupcoreThe Kitchen Hub operates as an innovation initiative under Strauss Group, providing access to the parent company's extensive resources including manufacturing facilities, brand portfolio (Elite, Doncafe, Strauss Water, Yotvata, Doritos, Tapuchips), and global presence.
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Strauss Group Strategic Innovation (parent brand): The Kitchen Hub sits inside Strauss Group's broader innovation function, which also encompasses brand-level R&D (Elite, Yotvata, Strauss Coffee) and the new Michael's Campus plant-based facility. Listed here to contextualize the hub's internal position rather than as an external comparable.
Direct peers
- FoodLabs: Berlin-based early-stage FoodTech venture fund and accelerator backing mission-driven food and agriculture startups. Directly comparable to The Kitchen Hub as a sector-focused venture investor with an incubation/acceleration model.
- Big Idea Ventures: Global FoodTech venture fund and accelerator focused on alternative protein and food technology. Comparable to The Kitchen Hub as a sector-specialized fund offering both capital and accelerator programming.
- S2G Ventures: Chicago-based venture fund investing across food, agriculture, and ocean tech. Comparable to The Kitchen Hub as a dedicated FoodTech investor deploying capital into startups operating upstream of consumer brands.
- PeakBridge: FoodTech venture fund with offices in Switzerland and Israel, investing in alt-protein, ingredients, and food tech. Directly comparable in mandate, geographic focus (Israel), and stage of investment.
Broad incumbents
- Bühler Group: Swiss industrial solutions provider for food and feed processing, with active venturing and incubation programs in FoodTech. Comparable to The Kitchen Hub as a corporate-backed innovation platform targeting food processing and sustainable food production.
- PepsiCo Labs: Corporate venturing and innovation arm of PepsiCo, including The Hive and external venture investments. Comparable to The Kitchen Hub as a large incumbent's FoodTech incubator already partnered with Strauss Group via their snack joint venture.
- Nestlé Research: The central R&D and innovation arm of Nestlé, operating internal incubators and venturing activity in FoodTech, nutrition, and sustainability. Comparable to The Kitchen Hub as a corporate FoodTech innovation platform with global resource backing.
- Cargill Innovation (Cargill): Global food and agribusiness major operating internal innovation hubs and venture investments in food ingredients and alt-protein. Comparable to The Kitchen Hub as a diversified incumbent running a FoodTech corporate venture platform.
Emerging players
- InnovaFood Group: European FoodTech incubator and venture builder supporting startups in alternative proteins, functional foods, and sustainable ingredients. Comparable to The Kitchen Hub as a thematic FoodTech incubator with corporate and institutional backing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub social profiles
Digital presenceThe Kitchen - FoodTech Hub financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments29 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub
What does The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub do?
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub is a food technology incubator and investor operating as the innovation arm of Strauss Group. It supports food technology startups through mentorship, corporate partnership, and acceleration, while providing Strauss Group's internal brands and business units with access to external innovation, prototyping capabilities, and industry expertise.
Is The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub a public or private company?
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub founded?
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub based?
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub is headquartered in Ashdod, Israel, in the Middle East region.
Who are The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub's main competitors?
Strauss Group Strategic Innovation (parent brand) is listed as an others. Direct peers are FoodLabs, Big Idea Ventures, S2G Ventures and PeakBridge. Broad incumbents are Bühler Group, PepsiCo Labs, Nestlé Research and Cargill Innovation (Cargill). InnovaFood Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub.
What industry is The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub in?
The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub's product category is Food Technology Incubator. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAJAG, Functional Snacks & Bars Manufacturing (High-Protein, High-Fiber, Probiotic Snacks). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2090.