Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs is acquiring the innovation platform Foodbytes from Rabobank. Since 2015, Foodbytes has been an international hub for startups, corporates, and investors active in the agri and food sectors. The platform brings together stakeholders working on areas such as regenerative agriculture, alternative protein production, robotics and automation in farming, and innovations in seaweed production. The acquisition was announced at VIV Europe 2026, the international agritech exhibition currently taking place at Jaarbeurs.
Jaarbeurs has been active worldwide in the agri and food sector for over forty years through VIV Worldwide, a global network of events. Jeroen van Hooff, CEO of Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs:
“With Foodbytes, we are making a significant step forward in creating digital opportunities for our community in this sector. Live encounters are and will remain crucial; with Foodbytes, we are also expanding our online offering of relevant meeting spaces for decision-makers, investors and entrepreneurs. It is not only part of our digital strategy, but also of the further development of our position in this sector. With Foodbytes, we gain insights and knowledge that we can share with the food and agri community to support their growth. Rabobank and Jaarbeurs know each other as trusted and inspiring partners—and we are literally neighbors in Utrecht. We are therefore very pleased to continue our collaboration, including in the context of Foodbytes.”
Foodbytes has grown rapidly in recent years and is now ready to enter its next phase of growth. Roland van der Vorst, Strategic Advisor of the Board of Rabobank and as former Head of Innovation responsible for launching Foodbytes:
“It is impressive how the Foodbytes team has grown from a physical event into a fully-fledged international digital innovation platform. As Rabobank, we are proud of what we have developed, and we also see that Foodbytes has greater potential to grow beyond the confines of a strictly regulated financial institution. With Jaarbeurs, we have found the ideal partner to achieve this: we will continue to work closely with Foodbytes as a strategic partner, and the combination of digital and physical events holds great promise.”
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