The Kitchen - FoodTech Hub

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.

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

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

• Food technology incubation
• Foodtech investment
• Corporate venture capital
• Startup acceleration
• Food innovation hub

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashdod

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Marketing channels2 records

Core 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

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DanonecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanone 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 IsraelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrauss 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 GroupcoreOthersThe 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

Others

• 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

• Xtwitter.com/straussgroup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/straussgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Kitchen-foodtech-hub-898365373604009
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-kitchen-hub
• Instagraminstagram.com/straussgroup
• TikToktiktok.com/@straussgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&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