On Thursday 30 March, Flikweert Vision Technologies was awarded as the ‘Best Food & Agri Start-up 2023’.

According to the jury, their optical potato sorter the most innovative and is already proving itself as a sought-after product in the market.

The Zeeland founders, Lars, Martijn and Stefan, can hardly grasp it yet, but are ecstatic about winning the prize - €2,500 and an innovation coach from the Top Sector. Martijn Flikweert commented on their win: “It is fantastic that we have achieved this. As a young and dynamic team, we are trying to introduce our technology to the sector. An award like ‘Best Food & Agri Start-up 2023’ like this helps enormously. It acts as a springboard to increase our brand awareness beyond our own customer base.”

Winning this election has encouraged the winners to think more deeply about their product, the QualityGrader. “It is great that we have won and that we have introduced more people to our potato sorting technology,” Flikweert said. There are numerous ideas to expand Flikweert Vision Technologies; for example, sorting onions, where the prize money will come in handy. “But we are also open to a fun team outing.”

Flikweert brings together expertise and practical experience

Besides Flikweert Vision Technologies, NoPalm Ingredients and Multiphase Drying were also nominated for the award. Jury chairman Jan Vullings said choosing a winner was “extremely difficult”. “These three companies are very different and all have significant potential for the agrifood market. Yet at Flikweert we see a product where knowledge and practical experience come together within a young team. They also demonstrate that there is demand for their product, given their current sales. The jury also concluded that their concept is easy to scale up and that they address food waste in the early stages of the food chain.”