AND THAT’S A WRAP!

2025
FINALISTS &

WINNERS

CONGRATULATIONS & SEE YOU NEXT YEAR -

24th November 2026!

Meet the 16 finalists who WOWed the judges and celebrate the Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners who took the spotlight!

The Future of Food 2025 was an extraordinary showcase of creativity, collaboration and forward-thinking solutions.

The 2025 finalists brought their A-game, presenting bold ideas that could redefine industries and address some of the world’s biggest challenges.

From innovative technologies to ground-breaking sustainable practices, these finalists made us believe in a brighter, tastier, and more sustainable tomorrow. After an exhilarating day of pitches and discussions, our expert judges crowned the winners who stood out for their vision, execution and potential impact.

View WInners

MEET OUR 2025 JUDGES

Douglas Lamont

CEO at Tony’s Chocolonely, joining in October 2022 from innocent drinks where he was CEO for nine years. A passionate advocate for business as a force for good; he co-chairs The Better Business Act.
Nicola Waller

Buying Director at Ocado Retail responsible for >55% of Grocery purchases. Previously front line of food innovation at M&S & leads the strategy as Director of Food and Selfridges.
Ed Devlin

Financial Editor at The Grocer magazine. Ed is omnipresent across all things Food covering financial activity from fundraising and M&A to annual results and key movers and shakers.
Thea Alexander

CEO of YF, the leading consultancy for high growth FMCG brands in the UK and abroad. is widely considered the ‘voice of the FMCG challenger community,’ championing branded innovation in the market.
Phil Hails-Smith

Partner at Commercial Law firm, Joelson. He advises on mergers, acquisitions and commercial contracts across diverse sectors, acting for buyers, sellers and management teams in PE and VC-backed businesses.
Vicky Grinnell-Wright

Director and Lead on Food Tech at Lloyds Corporate and Institutional. With extensive experience at the intersection of finance and food technologies, Vicky leads initiatives that drive innovation to deliver greater resilience within the food system.

CONGRATULATIONS

AND THE 2025
WINNER WAS…

Congratulations!

No More Lids

Taking GOLD No More Lids presents The Good Cup is a revolutionary, fully recyclable, and compostable hot & cold drinks cup with an integrated fold/lock lid-eliminating the need for separate plastic lids and linings. Founded by Cyril Drouet, The Good Cup uses a unique aqueous coating with no PE or PLA, making it recyclable as paper or home-compostable in under 12 months, even in landfill.

In just over a year, No More Lids, led by Christopher Brown, has helped place over 4 million cups across major retailers and institutions-including Coca-Cola, NHS Wales, Red Bull and 32 universities-reducing single-use plastic waste by 16 tonnes. The cup’s patented design saves 40% space, requires 35% less energy to produce and works for both hot and cold drinks and food service, offering a scalable, sustainable solution.

Winner of Packaging of the Year at the Responsible Packaging Expo London and finalist for the Big Southern Sustainability Award, No More Lids and The Good Cup are transforming single-use packaging across the UK.

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SILVER WINNER

WILDFARMED

REGENERATIVE FARMING

Wildfarmed, founded by Andy Cato, George Lamb and Edd Lees, puts nature restoration at the heart of food production. Launched to address the environmental costs of conventional farming, they work with a community of regenerative farmers who produce wheat, barley, and oats, ensuring positive outcomes for soil, biodiversity, water, and carbon. Their Wildfarmed Standards ensure that every crop is traceable and grown in living, healthy soil.

Wildfarmed supplies leading bakeries, restaurants, breweries and QSRs, and their own regenerative bread is now in Tesco, Ocado and Waitrose. By guaranteeing premium prices, they de-risk the transition to regenerative methods, creating a scalable, farmer-led model that rewards better farming while giving consumers a direct role in restoring ecosystems. Recognised with multiple food and sustainability awards, Wildfarmed proves that delicious, high-quality food and ecological restoration can thrive together, transforming the future of farming, one field at a time.

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BRONZE WINNER

KLURA LABS

FOOD WASTE TECHNOLOGY

KluraLabs is revolutionising food with technology that extends shelf life, reduces waste, and enables clean-label ultra-processed foods. Launching commercially with Marks & Spencer this November, and running trials with retailers in Canada and Dubai, KluraLabs is meeting global demand for smarter food systems.

The UK wastes 1.3 billion meals yearly, costing £9 billion and driving greenhouse gas emissions. Food spoilage causes 80% of supply chain waste. KluraLabs’ breakthrough embeds food-safe preservatives into packaging, creating an antimicrobial environment that slows spoilage without additives in the food itself. Developed by PhD scientists and engineers, the tech cuts spoilage by 50%+, benefiting farmers, packers, retailers, consumers and the environment.

Seamlessly integrating with existing packaging lines, KluraLabs offers a scalable, cost-effective solution with proven ROI. Their innovations drive progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals on responsible consumption and climate action, fostering a healthier and more sustainable food future.

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MEET THE 16 FINALISTS

Get to know the trailblazers behind the ideas. Each finalist was selected for their ingenuity, dedication and ability to shape the future:

Head to THE COLLABORATIVE

2025 SCHEDULE

Pre-view for VIPs

11:00

Attendees Arrive & Networking in the Ondaatje Theatre

12:00

Klaxon Rings Everyone to the Theatre

12:45

Welcome by Barney & Meet the Judges

13:00

Henry Dimbleby – Exited Co-founder of Leon Restaurants, Co-founder of Bramble Partners, Co-author of the UK Food Strategy, Author of Ravenous

13:15

Andy Cato – Groove Armada DJ, Clarkson Farm extra, Co-founder Wildfarmed - Regenerative farmer

13:35

Meet the Finalists - 1 min pitches

14.00

Attendees Circulate Pitch Tables

14:30

Popular Vote open on Slido

14:30

Klaxon Rings Everyone Back to the Theatre; Popular Vote Delivered to Judges

15:30

Miranda Ballard – Leads Small & Medium-Sized Business Teams Europe and Global at NielsenIQ

15:45

Judges’ Summation

16:00

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Announced; Prizes Awarded

16:45

It’s a Wrap! - We must leave the building by 5.30pm

17:00

HEAR FROM
EXPERIENCED
VISIONARIES

2025 EXPERT INTRODUCTIONS

Gain exclusive access to invaluable insights and expertise from our esteemed keynote speakers, who will set the scene with their own experiences. Join us as these visionaries delve into their perspectives on the Future of Food, offering unique inspiring discussions.

HENRY DIMBLEBY
The Food System

Henry is a vanguard in food system reform. Exited co-founder of the acclaimed Leon restaurant chain, he’s driven by a passion for sustainable, healthy eating.

As the architect of the UK’s National Food Strategy, Dimbleby has shaped policies to tackle obesity, enhance food security and promote environmental restoration.

He is now the co-founder and Managing Partner of Bramble Partners, which invests in food businesses which are playing an active role in fixing the system and advises companies, governments, and NGOs on how to accelerate us towards a healthier and more sustainable system.

His 2023 bestseller, Ravenous: How to Get Ourselves and Our Planet into Shape, critiques modern diets and offers bold solutions. A dynamic advocate, he’ll inspire competition entrants to rethink food’s future with purpose and innovation.

MIRANDA BALLARD
The Analyst

Miranda leads the Small & Medium Size Business teams across West Europe at NielsenIQ - the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth.

She has been a butcher, an author, and a former food company founder.

She'll use the data to show the value and impact of Future of Food ideas that have made it to our shelves already.

She is hyper passionate to inspire the next generation of food brands and can see in the data how important they are:

“31% of the growth from Small & Medium Businesses in the UK retailers last year came from just a handful of brands.”

ANDY CATO
The Farmer

Andy, co-founder of Wildfarmed, is a visionary, blending music and regenerative agriculture.

Known as one-half of the Grammy-nominated duo Groove Armada, Cato traded the stage for the soil after a revelation about industrial food systems. Selling his music rights to buy a farm in France, the stark reality of degraded soils led to a decade of trial and error to find ways of growing food whilst restoring soil health and biodiversity.

Now back in the UK , farming as a tenant of the National Trust , Andy and the Wildfarmed team partner with over 150 farmers to grow regenerative cereals, producing nutrient rich food from nature rich fields.

A speaker at this year’s Future of Food, Cato will set the scene from a farming point of view; how food production depends on nature restoration rather than being in conflict with it , and how to make quality good from nature rich landscapes a commercial reality.

OUR 2025 SUPPORTERS - A BIG THANK YOU

TRUSTED BY INDUSTRY LEADERS & GLOBAL PARTNERS

This event is intended to be entirely free to enter and attend to encourage accessibility for all. Event funds and prize money has been donated through philanthropic means. We are, however, extremely grateful for the continued support of the following outstanding supporting businesses.

If you or your company would like to join our journey in some way, please contact us here