Berlin Food Week

What Berlin Food Week does

Berlin Food Week GmbH is a Berlin-based food festival and food-tech investment platform founded in 2014, operating Germany's largest annual food festival each October. Its core offering is the festival itself, complemented by a portfolio of sub-brands and programs: House of Food (a curated marketplace at BIKINI Berlin for ~45 food startups and producers, targeting 30,000+ visitors in 2026), Berlin Food Night (an invitation-only industry dinner for 100 decision-makers at AchtBerlin), Stadtmenü (a nationwide program engaging 70+ restaurants on climate-friendly menus), Gönn Dir Gastro (vocational training workshops for Gen Z), the Berlin Food Week Podcast, Cooking TV, Female Empowerment Day, and French Affair. The company also operates Berlin Food Week Ventures, a joint venture with Millennium Cuisine established in 2025 that makes early-stage equity investments in food-tech startups across Next-Gen Ingredients, Indulgence, Functional & Performance Nutrition, and Elevated Convenience; three portfolio investments are disclosed (Wild & Water, Kynda, Performula).

The business model is event-driven and multi-stream: revenue is generated through exhibitor and participation fees for festival programming, corporate sponsorship and land-partner deals (including international country partners such as Austria and France), and — at an emerging stage — equity returns from the Ventures portfolio. The go-to-market is community-led and content-led, combining a magazine, podcast, Instagram channel, newsletter, and earned-media newsroom to drive attendance, exhibitor applications, and sponsor pipeline. The organization is founder-controlled by managing directors Alexandra Laubrinus (Program & Production; also Geschäftsführerin of Berlin Food Week Ventures) and Michael Hetzinger (Press & Communications), with a lean core team of 1-10 employees augmented by external production partners. There is no proprietary technology platform; the company's stack is built on standard event ticketing (Eventbrite), content distribution (Spotify, Instagram), and curated industry networking.

Name

Berlin Food Week

Legal name

Berlin Food Week GmbH

Website

https://berlinfoodweek.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Berlin Food Week GmbH runs Germany's largest annual food festival in Berlin each October, operating the House of Food startup marketplace, Berlin Food Night industry dinners, the Stadtmenü nationwide restaurant program, a podcast, and the Berlin Food Week Ventures early-stage food-tech investment joint venture with Millennium Cuisine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Festival & Industry Events

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Beverage & Hospitality Trade Shows Organizers (THAHABAI)

Keywords

• Food festival events
• Food industry networking
• Food-tech investment
• Culinary innovation platform
• Gastronomy events

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Festival and Event Participation: Revenue generated through vendor/sponsor fees for participation in festival events including House of Food (marketplace at BIKINI Berlin), Cooking School workshops, and other festival programming.
2. Sponsorship and Partnership Deals: Corporate sponsors (land partners, industry sponsors) pay for association with the festival brand and access to food-tech ecosystem.
3. Berlin Food Week Ventures Investment Returns: Early-stage investment vehicle that provides capital to food-tech startups in exchange for equity, focusing on Next-Gen Ingredients, Indulgence, Functional & Performance Nutrition, and Elevated Convenience.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Berlin Food Week operates an annual multi-day food festival and industry platform in Berlin, featuring the House of Food startup showcase marketplace at BIKINI Berlin, the Berlin Food Night invitation-only industry dinner, the Stadtmenü nationwide restaurant campaign, and a content/media arm (magazine and podcast). The company also runs Berlin Food Week Ventures, a joint-venture early-stage investment vehicle with Millennium Cuisine that provides equity, strategic advice, and network access to food-tech startups in next-generation ingredients, functional nutrition, and elevated convenience. Supporting programs include Gönn Dir Gastro (workforce development), French Affair (wine events), Female Empowerment Day, and Cooking TV.

Product overview

Berlin Food Week is a comprehensive food festival and industry platform that operates multiple interconnected products: the main Berlin Food Week Festival serves as the flagship annual event, while House of Food provides year-round startup showcasing. Berlin Food Night delivers exclusive industry dinners, and Berlin Food Week Ventures enables investment in food innovation. Supporting products include the Podcast for thought leadership, Stadtmenü for restaurant partnerships, Cooking TV for content, Gönn Dir Gastro for training initiatives, French Affair for regional events, and Female Empowerment Day for diversity programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• House of Food: Annual showcase of innovative food startups and manufacturers at the festival
• Berlin Food Night
• Stadtmenü
• Gönn Dir Gastro
• Female Empowerment Day
• French Affair
• Berlin Food Week Podcast

Products and services

• Berlin Food Week Festival Annual multi-day flagship food festival held in Berlin (5–11 October 2026), featuring startup showcases, culinary events, tasting sessions, and industry gatherings for food producers, chefs, distributors, and consumers.
• House of Food Curated year-round startup showcase program culminating in a two-day marketplace at BIKINI Berlin during the festival, presenting innovative food startups and artisan producers to consumers and industry buyers.
• Berlin Food Night Invitation-only industry networking dinner held at AchtBerlin, bringing together 100 food industry decision-makers to experience visionary cuisine, innovative products, and discuss future food trends.
• Berlin Food Week Ventures Early-stage food-tech investment vehicle (joint venture with Millennium Cuisine) that provides capital, strategic consulting, and network access to ambitious founders in next-gen ingredients, indulgence, functional & performance nutrition, and elevated convenience.
• Stadtmenü City-wide campaign where restaurants across Germany serve themed menus aligned with the festival's sustainability themes, such as climate-friendly cuisine or alternative proteins; 70 restaurants participated in 2021 and 2022.
• Gönn Dir Gastro Workforce development program providing hands-on culinary workshops and job-shadowing experiences to attract young people, particularly Generation Z, into gastronomy careers.
• French Affair Wine and food pairing event format inviting consumers to wine shops and bars across Berlin to enjoy wines from featured partner countries (e.g., Bordeaux/France) paired with specially created snacks.
• Female Empowerment Day Dedicated event focusing on career opportunities for FLINTA persons in gastronomy, featuring success stories, networking, and professional development sessions.
• Cooking TV Live online cooking show format featuring food experts, chefs, and culinary personalities cooking together, streamed online with recipes and cooking tips.
• Berlin Food Week Podcast Gastronomic audio series hosted by Maurice Pfleiderer, exploring the future of food through interviews with food innovators and industry leaders; distributed on Spotify.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 consecutive years of festival operation (2014-2025) demonstrating brand longevity and industry relevance.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Food Campus BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Berlin Food Night 2022 and 2023. Food Campus Berlin is a food innovation hub that connects food-tech startups with industry. CEO Jörg Reuter co-curated Berlin Food Night menus to showcase future of food concepts.
• Food Service Innovation Lab by DussmanncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Berlin Food Night 2022 and 2023 alongside Food Campus Berlin and Berlin Food Week. Dussmann is one of Germany's largest catering companies; their innovation lab develops future food solutions for mass catering.
• TransgourmetmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner of Berlin Food Night showcase dinners. Germany's major food service wholesale distributor providing market access and distribution expertise for innovative food products.
• Redefine MeatmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner of Berlin Food Night 2022. Plant-based meat alternative company whose products were featured in the Stadtmenü program and showcased at Berlin Food Night dinner.
• Zero FoodprintmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational sustainability initiative partnered with Berlin Food Week for Stadtmenü 2021 and 2022. Restaurants donate 1% of net sales to regenerative agriculture projects. German launch supported by the Greentable association.
• BIKINI BerlincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerConcept shopping mall hosting the House of Food marketplace during Berlin Food Week. The denkmalgeschützte landmark building at Zoologischer Garten provides premium event venue with high foot traffic.
• AchtBerlincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMulti-purpose event venue hosting Berlin Food Night 2026 and other festival events. Modern venue combining heritage building (1912) with contemporary architecture, offering fully equipped conference and event spaces.
• Schröder + Schömbs PRsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPR agency partner for Berlin Food Week communications and media relations.
• ECONAsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as partner organization supporting Berlin Food Week operations.
• Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und TechnologiesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Berlin economic development agency supporting food-tech startups in Berlin. Provides networking, location services, and financing advice to entrepreneurs.
• Initiative MilchsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDairy industry initiative supporting Berlin Food Night 2023, demonstrating commitment to sustainable dairy and circular economy in food production.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SIAL Paris: One of the world's largest food industry exhibitions held biennially in Paris. Overlaps with Berlin Food Week's producer showcase and international food innovation positioning but operates at massive B2B scale with global exhibitors.
• Anuga: Biennial world's largest food and beverage trade fair in Cologne (Koelnmesse). Operates at a vastly larger B2B scale than Berlin Food Week and competes for the same German food industry sponsorship and exhibitor pool, but targets wholesale buyers rather than consumers.
• ProWein: World-leading wine and spirits trade fair held in Düsseldorf. Comparable as a major German food-and-beverage industry magnet that competes for the same sponsor and partner ecosystem as Berlin Food Week, though wine-focused rather than culinary-innovation.

Direct peers

• Madrid Fusión: Annual culinary congress in Madrid focused on gastronomy innovation and chef-driven discourse. Closely comparable to Berlin Food Week's Berlin Food Night: a curated, invitation-based industry gathering that pairs culinary craft with food-tech trends, but at a larger Spanish/international scale.
• Foodies Festival: UK's largest food festival touring multiple cities, featuring artisan producers, chef demos, and ticketed entry. Directly comparable to Berlin Food Week's consumer-side festival proposition and producer showcase format.
• Taste of London: Premium ticketed food festival in Regent's Park featuring restaurant tastings and chef demos. Comparable in consumer-facing format, ticketed tastings, and restaurant-partner programming to Berlin Food Week's House of Food marketplace.
• Identità Golose: Italian culinary congress centered on signature chefs and innovation, with associated media and guide. Comparable to Berlin Food Week in its blend of industry networking, editorial content, and chef-driven programming.
• Salone del Gusto / Terra Madre: Slow Food's biennial Italian food festival combining producer showcase, industry networking, and sustainability themes. Directly comparable to Berlin Food Week's blend of consumer-facing marketplace (House of Food) and sustainability programming (Stadtmenü).

Emerging players

• FoodHack: Global food-tech community and events platform hosting meetups, hackathons, and summits for food innovators. Comparable to Berlin Food Week's startup/community programming layer, though lighter-weight and event-format agnostic.
• FoodLabs: Berlin-based early-stage food-tech VC and ecosystem builder. Directly comparable to Berlin Food Week Ventures' model of providing capital plus network access to food-tech founders, and shares the Berlin food-tech ecosystem positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/berlinfoodweek
• Xx.com/berlinfoodweek

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berlin Food Week