EIT Food will reward SMEs and startups that work in the value chain of the olive sector in Europe

Deadline: 15th May 2021

This year, for the first time, EIT Food will collaborate with the Juan Ramón Guillén Foundation Awards, with the aim of including a new European category. The new prize is called ‘New Business Ideas Transforming the Olive Value Chain Award’ and it is focused on start-ups and SMEs working along the value chain of the olive sector in Southern Europe.

The value of the prize is 4,000 euros, consisting of a direct payment of 2,000 euros and the participation in a mentoring program which is worth a further 2,000 euros. The deadline to submit applications is the 15th of May 2021, and the rules can be found here.

EIT Food Award nominees can be rooted in different fields: from cultivation to processing, and from distribution to retail. The key is that “with their innovative activity they transform the value chain of the olive sector in Europe”, as the rules of the prize explain. The award will reward a company that “through its innovation is changing one or several parts of the value chain, making it better for the environment and/or for people’s health”.

The Juan Ramón Guillén Foundation Awards have two other partners, Caja Rural de Jaén and Coosur. This is the second edition of the awards, that seek to reward initiatives that contribute to the development and improvement of the olive sector, which is strategic in the Spanish and Andalusian economy. 

In addition to the European EIT Food Award, the Juan Ramón Guillén Foundation Awards include three other national awards: the Young Farmer Award, with a 4,000 euro prize; the Rural Innovation in the Olive Sector Award, with another 4,000 euros; and the Professional Career Award, with a special mention.

Check out the Juan Ramón Guillén Foundation Awards website here for more information.