ESALQ Food

What ESALQ Food does

ESALQ Food is a university extension group operating under ESALQ/USP (Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, University of São Paulo) in Piracicaba, Brazil, founded in 2016. It delivers food science consulting, product development, and training services to entrepreneurs and companies in the agrofood sector, with a service portfolio that covers product design and prototyping, shelf-life determination, formulation and reformulation, nutritional labeling, good manufacturing practices (BPF) training, processing layout, market and trend research, and ingredient and additive recommendation. The group also runs two flagship event programs: the annual Conexão ESALQ Food symposium (held since 2016) and the bimonthly Visão 360° webinar series conducted in partnership with Fundação Verakis.

The underlying technology base is applied food science research rather than software. Documented capabilities include ultrasound-assisted extraction of antioxidants from green propolis, sustainable extraction of umami compounds from shiitake mushroom byproducts using Response Surface Methodology, natural antioxidant work on acerola, and application of shiitake-derived umami to reduce sodium in extruded corn snacks. Research output has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including LWT-Food Science and Technology, Food Research International, and Food Chemistry, and the group has received institutional support from PRCEU USP and Santander Universidades.

The business model is professional services: engagements are quote-based, requested through the website contact form, and structured as multi-year consulting contracts. The operating team comprises graduate and undergraduate students from the ESALQ/USP Food Science program, registered nutritionists, and PhD researchers, coordinated by Prof. Thais Maria Ferreira de Souza Vieira. Marketing is conducted through an educational blog, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), workshops, and the Conexão and Visão 360° event series, all oriented toward a regional Brazilian agrofood audience.

Name

ESALQ Food

Legal name

ESALQ Food

Website

https://esalqfood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ESALQ Food is a university extension group at ESALQ/USP in Piracicaba, Brazil, founded in 2016, that provides food science consulting, product development, formulation, shelf-life studies, labeling, and training services to entrepreneurs and companies in the Brazilian agrofood sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Piracicaba

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: ESALQ Food generates revenue through consulting and professional services for the agrofood sector, including product development, training programs, and research services. The organization operates as an extension group under ESALQ/USP.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ESALQ Food is an ESALQ/USP university extension group that delivers consulting, research, and training services to entrepreneurs and companies in the agri-food sector. Its offerings span the full product development lifecycle — from concept, formulation, and prototyping through shelf-life determination, regulatory labeling, and good manufacturing practices — complemented by market and trend research, packaging and processing-layout support, ingredient recommendations, and sustainability-focused R&D on natural and byproduct-derived ingredients.

Product overview

ESALQ Food is an extension group from ESALQ/USP (Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, University of São Paulo) that provides product development and consulting services for the agri-food sector. The group operates through a portfolio of interconnected services including product development, formulation and reformulation, shelf-life determination, labeling, good manufacturing practices, processing layout, product design, ingredient recommendation, and market trend research. The offering is organized as consulting and training services rather than a unified software platform. Additional programs include Conexão ESALQ Food (an annual event series for R&D knowledge sharing) and Visão 360° (bimonthly webinars on food topics).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Product Development (Desenvolvimento de Produtos) Insights and innovation for developing products and services that meet consumer needs, including design and prototyping, aimed at entrepreneurs and companies in the agri-food sector.
• Shelf-life Determination (Determinação da Vida Útil) Controlled-condition studies to identify changes and determine the shelf life of food products, for agrofood companies and entrepreneurs.
• Formulation and Reformulation (Formulação e Reformulação) Development and reformulation of food formulations aimed at increasing shelf life and substituting ingredients, offered to agrofood companies and entrepreneurs.
• Labeling (Rotulagem) Composition analysis and preparation of nutritional tables plus mandatory labeling information in accordance with current Brazilian food legislation, offered to agrofood companies and entrepreneurs.
• Good Manufacturing Practices Training (Boas Práticas de Fabricação / BPF) Training and preparation of essential documents to help agrofood companies meet quality standards required for each product, including good manufacturing practices documentation.
• Market and Trend Research (Pesquisa de Tendências e Inovações) Research on market trends and innovations in the food sector, delivered as a consulting service to agrofood companies and entrepreneurs evaluating new product opportunities.
• Processing Layout Design (Layout de Processamento) Industrial layout development for food processing facilities, supporting companies establishing or optimizing their agrofood production lines.
• Product Design (Design de Produtos) Product design services for food products, supporting entrepreneurs and companies in the agrofood sector with visual and packaging design.
• Ingredient and Additive Recommendation (Recomendação de Ingredientes e Aditivos) Recommendation of ingredients and additives for food products, helping companies select inputs suited to formulation and regulatory targets.
• Packaging Research and Budgeting (Pesquisa de Embalagens e Orçamentos) Packaging research and budget consultation, supporting agrofood companies in selecting and costing packaging for new or reformulated products.
• Standard Operating Procedures (Elaboração de POPs) Development of Standard Operating Procedures (POPs) documentation for agrofood companies to support quality and compliance programs.
• Online Training on BPF and BPM (Treinamento Online de BPF e BPM) Online training services covering Good Manufacturing Practices (BPF) and Good Handling Practices (BPM) for agrofood operators and entrepreneurs.
• Conexão ESALQ Food (annual event series) Annual event series in lecture-cycle format providing updates on important areas of food Research, Development, and Innovation, including interactive lectures and practical activities delivered by featured professionals.
• Visão 360° (bimonthly webinar program) Bimonthly free webinar program conducted live on YouTube that presents aspects of human food through multiple perspectives, in partnership with Fundação Verakis.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• It's ProteinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration for workshop on 'Nutritional considerations about the plant-based protein transition'. It's Protein is a young team of students creating a platform for plant-based eating accessible to people with dietary restrictions.
• Fundação VerakiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership for Visão 360° project consisting of bimonthly free webinars on human nutrition topics presented from multiple perspectives. The project presents topics through experts from different fields of knowledge.
• PRCEU USPminorOthers · 1 January 2020Institutional support received for research projects, acknowledged in academic publications.
• Santander UniversidadesminorOthers · 1 January 2020Institutional support received for research projects, acknowledged in academic publications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• DSM-Firmenich: Global ingredient and food science company combining nutrition, ingredient R&D and flavor expertise with broad commercial scale; relevant incumbent whose R&D arm overlaps ESALQ Food's ingredient work.
• Ingredion: Global ingredient solutions provider with significant R&D capabilities in clean-label, plant-based and sodium-reduction applications - areas directly addressed by ESALQ Food's proprietary research.
• GEA Group: Global industrial food processing equipment and engineering group with adjacent food technology consulting and pilot-plant services; relevant incumbent operating at vastly larger scale than ESALQ Food.
• Bühler Group: Swiss food processing technology and equipment provider with R&D services for grain, chocolate and protein applications; broader incumbent offering food industry support spanning equipment and process expertise.

Direct peers

• Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV: German applied-research institute offering contract food R&D, formulation, shelf-life and packaging services to industry - directly comparable to ESALQ Food's university-affiliated, research-driven service model.
• Sterling-Rice Group: Boulder-based food-and-beverage innovation consultancy offering brand strategy, product development and trend research to food entrepreneurs and CPG clients; overlaps ESALQ Food's food R&D and innovation focus.
• Mattson: Silicon Valley-based food and beverage product development consultancy serving CPG companies and entrepreneurs with formulation, sensory and commercialization services - directly analogous in business model and customer base to ESALQ Food.
• Campden BRI: UK-based independent food and drink research association providing food science R&D, training and regulatory guidance to industry - the closest analog to ESALQ/USP's academic extension consulting model.

Others

• Eurofins Scientific: Global food testing and product authenticity services provider; not a direct competitor but an adjacent laboratory-services provider operating in the same food R&D ecosystem.
• Intertek: Global testing, inspection and certification company with extensive food and agri testing and consulting services - an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct consulting peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/esalqfood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esalqfood
• Instagraminstagram.com/esalqfood/?hl=pt-br

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ESALQ Food