🔥 FXT25: Test Kitchen – Innovation on your plate!

We are excited to announce an exciting addition to our speaker program: the FXT Test Kitchen! Inspired by Sweden Foodtech’s The Big Meet, this concept revolves around one simple truth: no product is complete until it is tested in the real world.

Developing new food tech products is expensive and complex, but in the FXT Test Kitchen we bring together top chefs, entrepreneurs and producers to test, refine and present innovative products.

Two top chefs, one mission

For this very first FXT Test Kitchen we are calling on two of Flanders’ leading food designers:

👨‍🍳 Maxime Willems (Foodlab Proef)

👨‍🍳 Steve Bonnyns (CIAGO Foodlab)

What makes this collaboration so special? Two ‘conculleagues’ who bundle their creativity under one roof, driven by a shared passion for food and startups. This fits perfectly with the mission of FXT Connect: building a Belgian foodtech ecosystem by stimulating collaborations.

💥 We expect nothing less than fireworks on our plates!

BIO - Maxime Willems (Foodlab Proef)

Maxime Willems, biologist and entrepreneur, is a driving force behind innovation in the food industry. As founder of Foodlab Proef, he helps companies and start-ups with product development, recipe optimization and the use of alternative ingredients. His expertise in fermentation, plant-based alternatives and functional ingredients makes him a much sought-after expert in the sector. "Anyone who does not experiment with new ingredients and techniques is putting themselves out of the game."

BIO - Steve Bonnyns (CIAGO Foodlab)

Steve has been active in the world of R&D for 20 years in his role as Lead Innovation Chef for Unilever. He has learned the ropes from his years of experience in Foodservice in the hotel sector, event sector and Hospitality. Since 2018 he has been active as an independent consultant with Boco Food Concepts, where he guides various companies in product & concept development. In addition to this activity, Steve is active in the world of Plant-Based in both Foodservice and Retail. Quality is the greatest common denominator on which everything depends. In 2024, Steve joined the CIAGO Foodlab team as a food designer.