circular gastronomy
Circular Gastronomy is a Swedish non-profit-style innovation platform that runs the annual Circular Gastronomy Challenge to support circular-economy ideas in Swedish restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafés, backed by a network of 16+ corporate, academic, and municipal partners including Vasakronan, Martin & Servera, and KTH.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What circular gastronomy does
Circular Gastronomy (Circular Gastronomy AB) is a privately held Swedish company, founded around 2021, that operates an annual innovation program called the Circular Gastronomy Challenge to identify and support circular-economy ideas originating from restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafés. Winners receive approximately one year of expert coaching, mentorship, and access to a partner network spanning 16+ organizations, including Vasakronan, Martin & Servera, KTH Food, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Accenture, Axfoundation, RISE, Malmö Food Council, and the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA, Nordic partner since April 2026). The company is headquartered in Stockholm (Arena Skrapan, Götgatan 78) with operational activity extending to Malmö and Gothenburg through municipal partnerships, and it organizes the annual Sustainable Gastronomy Day event on June 18 in collaboration with industry stakeholders. Headcount is small (1-10 employees), and the organization does not charge participants for nominations or support.
The underlying business is not a technology platform but a curated innovation program and convening function. Its core products are the annual challenge program, the Sustainable Gastronomy Day seminar, and a news/content publication that surfaces circular-gastronomy innovations to the Swedish and Nordic foodservice industry. The challenge is jury-led and supported through in-kind contributions from academic, consulting, and corporate partners who provide expertise, mentorship, and visibility.
The revenue model is sponsorship- and partnership-driven rather than commercial. No pricing model is disclosed; participants do not pay to nominate or be supported, and no equity funding has been disclosed. Economic sustainability is provided by a coalition of corporate sponsors (notably Vasakronan and Martin & Servera as core partners), research institutions, municipal governments, and the new SRA certification partnership. The go-to-market combines event-driven demand generation (annual challenge, Sustainable Gastronomy Day) with community-led engagement through partner networks, LinkedIn/Instagram/Facebook channels, and a bilingual newsletter. Geographic focus is Sweden and the wider Nordic region, with the SRA partnership representing a credible platform for Nordic-wide scaling of sustainability certification services.
circular gastronomy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- circular gastronomy
- Legal name
- Circular Gastronomy AB
- Website
- https://circulargastronomy.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Circular Gastronomy is a Swedish non-profit-style innovation platform that runs the annual Circular Gastronomy Challenge to support circular-economy ideas in Swedish restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafés, backed by a network of 16+ corporate, academic, and municipal partners including Vasakronan, Martin & Servera, and KTH.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
circular gastronomy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Foodservice Sustainability Innovation Programs
- akta.pro primary industry
- Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency (BPADALAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA) (EUAIANAH)
Keywords
Where circular gastronomy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
circular gastronomy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Innovation Program Operations: Circular Gastronomy operates as a non-profit innovation program that korar (awards) circular ideas and helps their creators realize them. Support is provided by organizations and individuals working within gastronomy, circular economy, and/or business development. The program appears to be funded through partnerships with various organizations and may receive grants or sponsorship.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
circular gastronomy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Circular Gastronomy runs the annual Circular Gastronomy Challenge, an innovation program that identifies and supports circular-economy ideas from people working in restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafés across Sweden. Winning projects receive one year of expert coaching, mentorship, partner-network support, and dissemination help, with learnings shared to inspire broader adoption. The organization also hosts the annual Sustainable Gastronomy Day event and publishes news and articles on circular gastronomy.
Product overview
Circular Gastronomy is an organization (Circular Gastronomy AB) that operates an innovation program called the Circular Gastronomy Challenge, which recognizes and supports circular ideas from people working in restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafés across Sweden. The organization also hosts the annual Sustainable Gastronomy Day event and publishes news and articles about sustainable gastronomy. The portfolio consists of the core innovation challenge program, the annual sustainability celebration event, and a content/news platform. This is not a technology product company but rather an advocacy and support organization for sustainable food systems in the restaurant industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Circular Gastronomy Challenge An annual open-nomination innovation program that identifies and supports circular-economy ideas from people working in restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafés in Sweden. Winners receive one year of expert coaching, mentorship, partner-network introductions, and communications support, with learnings shared publicly to inspire broader industry adoption.
- Sustainable Gastronomy Day event An annual seminar and networking event held on June 18 to celebrate Sustainable Gastronomy Day, featuring speakers and panels on sustainable food systems, organized in Sweden by Circular Gastronomy in collaboration with partners including Malmö Food Council.
- Food Made Good certification (Nordic rollout) Nordic-localized version of The Sustainable Restaurant Association's Food Made Good sustainability certification for restaurants, distributed by Circular Gastronomy as the official Nordic partner to drive the transition to circular and sustainable gastronomy across Sweden and the broader Nordic region.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 50 nominations received in 2025, over 40 in 2023 - demonstrates strong industry engagement
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use circular gastronomy
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
circular gastronomy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
circular gastronomy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA)coreCircular Gastronomy became the Nordic partner for SRA, whose Food Made Good certification is the world's largest sustainability certification for restaurants. The partnership aims to drive the transition to circular and sustainable gastronomy in the Nordic region. SRA encompasses over 15,000 professional kitchens in over 40 countries.
- VasakronancoreReal estate company and core partner in the Circular Gastronomy Challenge innovation program, contributing to the development and operation of the annual challenge.
- Martin & ServeracoreFood service provider and core partner in the Circular Gastronomy Challenge, supporting the innovation program's goals for the restaurant industry.
- KTH FoodcoreResearch center at KTH Royal Institute of Technology providing academic expertise and research capabilities to support circular gastronomy innovations.
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research InstitutecoreEnvironmental research institute providing expertise in sustainability and circular economy to support the innovation program's goals.
- AccentureminorGlobal consulting firm providing business development and technology expertise to support circular gastronomy initiatives.
- AxfoundationcoreSustainability foundation providing expertise in sustainable development and circular economy for food system transformation.
- Generation WastecoreCompany focused on making the restaurant industry more sustainable, providing expertise in food waste reduction and sustainability practices.
- Good Food CapitalcoreOrganization focused on sustainable food systems providing strategic support for circular gastronomy initiatives.
- RestaurangakademiencoreRestaurant academy providing industry expertise and connections within the Swedish gastronomy sector.
- RISEcoreResearch institute providing research capabilities and innovation expertise to support circular economy developments in gastronomy.
- KrinovaminorIncubator and science park supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the food sector.
- Göteborg & CocoreOfficial destination marketing organization for Gothenburg, supporting circular gastronomy initiatives in the Gothenburg region.
- Turistrådet VästsverigeminorRegional tourism organization for West Sweden supporting sustainable gastronomy development in the region.
- HälldeminorEquipment manufacturer providing support for the innovation program's goals in restaurant sustainability.
- Malmö StadcoreCity of Malmö supporting circular gastronomy initiatives and hosting Sustainable Gastronomy events.
- Malmö Food CouncilcoreOrganization bringing together food actors around a shared circular vision for Malmö, co-organizing Sustainable Gastronomy Day events.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
circular gastronomy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Forum for the Future: International sustainability nonprofit running programs including food-system transformation. Comparable nonprofit program-management model with global reach.
- EAT: Global nonprofit working to transform the food system through science, policy and partnerships. Comparable mission at a much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
- WWF Food (World Wildlife Fund): Global conservation organization with major sustainable-food and restaurant-engagement programs. Comparable sustainability-advocacy orientation, far larger scale and brand.
Direct peers
- The Sustainable Restaurant Association: UK-based nonprofit running the Food Made Good sustainability program for restaurants across 40+ countries. Directly comparable mission (restaurant sustainability) and is both a partner and a benchmark for Circular Gastronomy's Nordic rollout.
- Generation Waste: Swedish company focused on making the restaurant industry more sustainable and reducing food waste. Comparable target customer (Swedish restaurants) and adjacent circular-gastronomy mission; also a core program partner.
- Good Food Capital: Nordic/Swedish organization backing sustainable food systems. Comparable mission on food-system transformation and a core partner of Circular Gastronomy.
- Food Made Good: The flagship restaurant-sustainability certification brand operated by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Directly comparable offering that Circular Gastronomy now distributes in the Nordic region.
Regional players
- White Guide: Nordic restaurant guide that originally established the '100% Cirkulärt' sustainability prize from which Circular Gastronomy emerged. Comparable Nordic focus on restaurant curation and sustainability content.
- Krinova: Swedish food-sector incubator and science park that supports food innovation startups. Comparable regional ecosystem role and a partner of Circular Gastronomy's challenge program.
Emerging players
- ReFED: US-based nonprofit focused on reducing food waste across the value chain, including foodservice. Comparable advocacy/measurement orientation but with a U.S. geographic focus rather than Nordic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
circular gastronomy social profiles
Digital presencecircular gastronomy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
circular gastronomy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
circular gastronomy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
circular gastronomy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about circular gastronomy
What does circular gastronomy do?
Circular Gastronomy runs the annual Circular Gastronomy Challenge, an innovation program that identifies and supports circular-economy ideas from people working in restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafés across Sweden. Winning projects receive one year of expert coaching, mentorship, partner-network support, and dissemination help, with learnings shared to inspire broader adoption. The organization also hosts the annual Sustainable Gastronomy Day event and publishes news and articles on circular gastronomy.
Is circular gastronomy a public or private company?
circular gastronomy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was circular gastronomy founded?
circular gastronomy was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is circular gastronomy based?
circular gastronomy is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does circular gastronomy make money?
One revenue line is on record: innovation Program Operations.
Who are circular gastronomy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Forum for the Future, EAT and WWF Food (World Wildlife Fund). Direct peers are The Sustainable Restaurant Association, Generation Waste, Good Food Capital and Food Made Good. Regional players are White Guide and Krinova. ReFED is listed as an emerging player.
Does circular gastronomy have an API?
No public API is recorded for circular gastronomy.
What industry is circular gastronomy in?
circular gastronomy's product category is Foodservice Sustainability Innovation Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAM, Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency, with a secondary code of EUAIANAH, Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA).