Hydroponic farm with rows of leafy greens under LED lights.

Future of Food

Discover how Switzerland’s food ecosystem can fuel your company’s innovation, growth, and market expansion.

1
st place

Switzerland ranks #1 globally for R&D collaborations

19

big-brand food and nutrition corporates are either Swiss or headquartered in Switzerland

2
nd

FoodTech is the 2nd most patented domain in Switzerland

The Swiss food industry blends innovation, sustainability, and global collaboration. Home to industry leaders like Nestlé, Mondelez Europe, Bühler, Firmenich, and Syngenta, it offers a culturally diverse test market, specialized talent, and strong global connections that make it the ideal hub for scaling up and forging strategic partnerships.

Why Switzerland

Drone flying over a scenic town with mountains in the background.

Ecosystem

Develop partnerships to scale your business

Switzerland hosts major food and nutrition conglomerates like ADM, Nestlé, Bühler, dsm-firmenich, Mondelez Europe, Givaudan, Syngenta and Tetra Pak. This can give your company valuable access to decision-makers for pilot projects and business partnerships. Geneva serves as a hub for international organizations such as the UN, making it easier to identify opportunities that will allow your solutions to scale globally. Switzerland is a springboard into Europe. It is a culturally diverse and multilingual country with low bureaucratic hurdles and innovation-curious consumers. Consequently, many leading international companies have recognized Switzerland's value as a test market to assess product or concept viability across various consumer segments before expanding.

Scientists in white lab coats examining leafy greens in a vertical farm.

Regulatory

Enjoy a safe and innovative legal framework

Switzerland is culturally diverse, with four official languages and a mix of regional cultures. This diversity provides an ideal ground for testing the response to your product among various consumer segments. With a well-established regulatory framework for food safety and labeling, Switzerland is an ideal entry point if you want to scale new services and products globally and enter other European markets. The place of origin label “Made in Switzerland” stands for high-quality products.

Robotic arm watering plants in a greenhouse.

Innovation

Collaborate pragmatically with leading research institutes

Switzerland leads the Global Innovation Index for 13 consecutive years and ranks 4th globally for R&D spend. 14 Swiss companies, including Nestlé and Givaudan, are part of the global list of groups that invest the most in research. Switzerland’s academic institutions contribute a third of the total investment, driving food science and technology research. But this knowledge isn’t kept under lock and key: Switzerland also ranks 1st globally for R&D collaborations. Benefit from Switzerland’s strong innovation infrastructure and resources that help transform scientific findings into scalable solutions. Innosuisse and corporate accelerators by Unilever and Nestlé provide support to facilitate partnerships with research centers, giving you access to the equipment you need to bring your solution to market.

Worker in greenhouse monitoring plants on screen.

Talent

Attract and retain the best people

Thanks to its exceptional quality of life and the strength of its education system, Switzerland topped the IMD World Talent Ranking and the Global Talent Competitiveness Index in 2023. Many globally renowned Swiss academic and research institutions offer programs in food technology and biotechnology and conduct agricultural and food research. Along with a thriving start-up scene in food tech that works on innovations in sustainable food production, alternative protein sources and precision nutrition, Switzerland attracts and retains entrepreneurial talent and quickly absorbs new technologies. 160+ FoodTech startups were founded between 2017 and 2020, and 19+ big-brand food and nutrition corporates are either Swiss or headquartered in Switzerland.