EIT Food is looking for women entrepreneurs to break the gender gap in the agrifood sector

The registration period for the EWA (Empowering Women in Agrifood) program, which seeks to support projects led by women in the agrifood sector, is now open. For six months, EIT Food will accompany these emerging companies from Southern and Eastern Europe. The selected candidates will receive training and personalized mentoring for half a year in order to open up a niche in the market. At the end of the process, a prize of €10,000 will be awarded to the best-valued project.

Women entrepreneurs have until 12 June to submit their applications. The participants with the greatest impact on the agri-food system and specialized mentors will be selected. In July, the six-month program of personalized mentoring will begin, ending in December with the launch of the final project. In this way, the aim is to “encourage innovation in all phases of business creation”, explained Lara Rodríguez, Project Manager at EIT Food in Southern Europe.

Of all the applications received, 50 women will be selected from Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey.

In the previous edition, 130 women from 13 European countries participated, and the winner of EWA in Spain was Guiomar Sánchez from Cartagena, founder of the company BioProcesia. This business converts by-products from the food industry into proteins of high nutritional value for animal consumption, with the mission of “contributing to the design of a more circular and fairer food chain”. The winner in Turkey was Berfu Safranbolulu, head of Poriontech. This company manufactures a pocket-portable, easy-to-use and rechargeable biosensor for people with celiac disease that can detect gluten in all kinds of foods within minutes and at sensitive levels.

To apply and for more information, check the EWA Programme website.

For the fourth consecutive year, the aim is to break the gender gap that also affects the sector, as only 30% of women occupy managerial positions. In southern European countries this rate is particularly low.

This initiative, led by the European organization EIT Food, aims to help women entrepreneurs to grow and develop their businesses with a tailor-made approach. It addresses the specific challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, and the barriers that may limit their business activity due to other discriminatory factors.

The program has fulfilled its objectives in recent years by boosting female talent. More than 40 women-led agri-food start-ups in Spain have increased their number of clients and 20 new businesses have been registered.