FCSI’s 2019 Start Me Up Innovation Awards: winner announced

At HostMilano 2019, the SCRAEGG Pro unit from SCRAEGG GmbH beat fellow finalists Print 2Taste and Tablee to be the ultimate winner of FCSI’s inaugural Awards, sponsored by Electrolux Professional

From the 27 start-up companies who originally entered their exciting new products into FCSI’s 2019 Start Me Up Innovation Awards, a judging panel of FCSI Professional members and the Design Director of Electrolux Professional has awarded the SCRAEGG Pro unit from SCRAEGG GmbH as its winner.

On Sunday 20 October 2019, in a final round of live judging at the FCSI booth at HostMilano 2019, the 3d food printing system Procusini 4.0 from Print2Taste GmbH, the SCRAEGG Pro unit from SCRAEGG GmbH and the Tablee platform from Tablee had one last chance to impress judges and make a final pitch to win the coveted trophy.

The three finalists had 10 minutes on stage each – five minutes to present and five minutes for questions – in a Dragon’s Den/Shark Tank-style format. The judges, consisting of five FCSI Professional member foodservice consultants and the design director of Electrolux Professional, then decided on their winner over lunch.

Game-changing impact

Chris Rapp from SCRAEGG (pictured, right), which can whisk and heat eggs soups and porridge to 96°C using a patent-pending steam nozzle, was presented with the award later that evening during FCSI’s Sponsor Recognition Party at the ‘& Restaurant’ in Fiera Milano.

The Awards, sponsored by Electrolux Professional, were launched in May 2019 to celebrate innovative ideas from start-up businesses with the potential to have a game-changing impact on the commercial foodservice, beverage and laundry industry. 27 start-up businesses across the world entered the awards, with product entries as diverse as plumbing equipment, automated cocktail makers, 3D food printers, apps, cloud-based kitchens, washing technology, food waste devices, robotics and commercial rotary convection ovens. Entries came from Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Malaysia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, UK and the US.

Commitment to innovation

“The Start Me Up Awards showcase FCSI’s proud commitment to innovation in this industry,” says Nick Vaccaro, executive director of FCSI Worldwide. “It has been an exciting campaign, with so many great entries and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the overall winner, SCRAEGG, and the other finalists.”

Alberto Zanata, CEO of Electrolux Professional, echoed this sentiment. “We are proud to support this Awards, which reflect Electrolux Professional’s commitment to innovation in foodservice, beverage and laundry. The Awards have a worthy winner in SCRAEGG, but all of the finalists presented excellently and all three have exciting products.”

In receiving the award, SCRAEGG’s Chris Rapp (pictured above with Zanata and Foodservice Consultant‘s Michael Jones; plus Remko van der Graaff FCSI in addition below), said: “For us, this is a very big thing and an honour to win. It proves that our concept is a genuine innovation, but for an organisation such as FCSI to see our great potential makes me proud. I thought the organisation of the event was great, from the beginning to the end. It was so easy to enter and it never felt like hard work, even during the presentation stage. It was a great outcome for us.”

In summation, the judges described the winner as “a brilliant idea”, praising the SCRAEGG Pro unit for its “accessibility to everybody” and “interesting use of technology”. The judges said it was “beautiful in its simplicity”, offering “almost limitless possibilities” and was most exciting “because of its scalability”.

“It was a very emotional experience being part of the jury of as the presenters were proud and full of excitement about their products,” says consultant judge Bettina von Massenbach FCSI. “The three finalists all did a great job of presenting and all have exciting, innovative products. It was very hard to pick a winner, but SCRAEGG has a bright future ahead.”

Judge Alexander Hofer FCSI agrees. “I found it incredibly exciting how my fellow judges had different views on the final candidates, depending on which target markets they pursue. I would like to compliment all participants in this fantastic contest, especially the three finalists. I enjoyed judging the awards. The idea from ​​SCRAEGG is really great. it will change something sustainable in the hospitality sector. It is sticky and simple. This is often the formula for success.”

Ken Schwartz FCSI, also a judge, felt that the Awards perfectly mirrored the commitment to innovation he and his fellow consultants maintain in the day-to-day business. “At SSA we strive to create and design innovative solutions for clients; therefore, it was a sincere honour to be selected as one of international judges for the Start Me Up Innovations Awards. The 27 entries provided an array of ideas that benefit the foodservice industry. It was hard to pick one winner but in the end the standout was SCRAEGG. Congratulations to them, those that entered and to those who create innovative solutions every day.”

About the winner:

Company: SCRAEGG GmbH

Product: The SCRAEGG Pro

About: The SCRAEGG Pro unit whisks and heats to 96°C using a patent-pending steam nozzle. In approximately 15 seconds, a delicious scrambled egg with a fluffy, creamy consistency is produced and all without the need for additional oil. It can be prepared with either liquid or fresh eggs. The appliance can also be used to prepare small meals in a matter of seconds.

SCRAEGG GmbH was founded in 2018 and is based in Wiesloch near Heidelberg, Germany.

Further details: scraegg.com

More information:

The inaugural 2019 Start Me Up Innovation Awards were created by international member body Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) and Electrolux Professional to give a platform to new products, services, systems or concepts from global start-up businesses with the potential to have a game-changing impact on the commercial foodservice, beverage and laundry industry.

The judges for the finals:

• Bettina von Massenbach FCSI
• Ken Schwartz FCSI
• Joseph Schumaker FCSI
• Alexander Hofer FCSI
• Brandon Kua FCSI
• Michele Cadamuro, Design Director, Electrolux Professional

The awards will showcase new products or concepts for commercial foodservice, beverage and laundry from independent start-up companies

FCSI and leading provider of hospitality solutions Electrolux Professional have teamed up to create a new awards campaign that celebrates innovative ideas from start-up businesses.

The inaugural 2019 Start Me Up Innovation Awards will give a platform to new products, services, systems or concepts from global start-up businesses with the potential to have a significant, game-changing impact on the commercial foodservice, beverage and laundry industry.

Innovative and impactful

The awards, launched on Thursday 16 May 2019, are open to any independent, start-up business that has launched a new product or concept for the sector since 1 January 2018. It is free of charge to enter the awards and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete the application form on the FCSI website, here: fcsi.org/startmeup. The final date of entry for the awards is 1 September 2019.

A panel of FCSI Professional Members and executives from Electrolux Professional will judge the award entries prior to HostMilano 2019. The judges will then decide from a shortlist of entrants based on how innovative and impactful they believe the entries could be for the industry.

The shortlisted products or concepts selected for the final stage will have the chance to make a Dragons’ Den/Shark Tank-style ‘pitch’ to the judging panel in person at an event at the FCSI booth on Sunday 20 October at the HostMilano 2019 show in Milan, Italy.

Representatives from each start-up business will get 10 minutes to demonstrate to judges why their entry is worthy of first place. The winner will be announced at the FCSI show party later that evening.

Championing innovation

The winner of the Start Me Up Innovation Awards will receive extensive media coverage across the FCSI website and its magazine, Foodservice Consultant, as well as across Electrolux Professional channels and additional industry media outlets. They will also receive exclusive access to leading FCSI Professional Member consultants and executives from Electrolux Professional.

“These awards represent what FCSI stands for and truly believes in: that innovation is the lifeblood of the foodservice industry,” says Nick Vaccaro, executive administrator of FCSI Worldwide. “We look forward to seeing some great entries from a host of exciting start-up companies.”

This is echoed by Alberto Zanata, CEO of Electrolux Professional: “We are delighted to be supporting these wonderful awards, which celebrate innovation at the heart of the industry. This is an exciting opportunity for any start-up business serving the commercial foodservice, beverage and laundry industry around the world.”

Further details:

2019 Start Me Innovation Awards entry: https://www.fcsi.org/startmeup.

For more information on the awards please contact editorial@foodserviceconsultant.org.

Keep up to date with the awards campaign on the FCSI website and via FCSI and Electrolux Professional’s social media channels by following the hashtag #SMUAwards19.