Barilla opens calls for startups in 2026

PARMA, ITALY — The Barilla Group has opened applications for startups as part of its eighth annual Good Food Makers program intended to co-develop and test new solutions with startups “inside real industrial environments.”

Founded in 2019 with Italian open innovation hub Almacube, the Good Food Makers program has involved more than 1,100 startups from 50 countries, leading to 26 pilot projects and more than 20 currently active projects using solutions developed by the program’s alumni. Some programs include solutions for supply chain traceability, now applied to more than 400 jars of Barilla pesto, and digital platforms for operational knowledge management, which have improved efficiency and internal knowledge sharing at multiple productions sites.

“Through Good Food Makers, we continue to invest in an open innovation model capable of generating measurable and scalable impact,” said Laurette Defranco, head of open innovation and intellectual property rights at Barilla. “Collaboration with startups is a key accelerator to test solutions that create value across our entire value chain, from product development to industrial processes and consumer experience.”

Applications are open from May 25 to July 10.