ICHE LAB
ICHE CULINARY INNOVATION LAB
Iche Lab is located in northern Manabí, together with the Food and Hospitality School and the Iche Restaurant for culinary innovation, which was created to promote territorial development through research and innovation applied to Manabi cuisine and all of Ecuador.
The network of laboratories and the acceleration of culinary businesses will have an open and innovative institutional arrangement that promotes financial sustainability.
At IcheLab, we are currently working to contribute to the transformation of different local value chains to generate new products and culinary processes, as well as knowledge. This allows for improvements in nutrition with a local approach in a healthier and more sustainable manner. The lab provides services to companies and other product ideation, prototyping as well as to development organizations for the generation and transmission of knowledge, the creation of recipes and the implementation of public policy projects.
In addition, in order to support and promote local value chains, Iche Lab also focused on micro-producing different food products that contribute to a more equitable, sustainable and healthy society.
Flavors of Ecuador
The project seeks to develop a gastronomic ecosystem that promotes:
i.
the generation of shorter and more localized value chains that favor local consumption models and that respect the biodiversity and traditions of each region
ii.
the inclusion of technology, to ensure sanitary standards, quality, traceability and innovation in food preparation; and,
iii.
a change of focus in gastronomic development in which health and environmental sustainability will be fundamental pillars in creating a value proposition for the growing number of consumers seeking a healthier and more ecological lifestyle.
Additionally, the initiative seeks to contribute to the post-Covid economic reactivation.
As a solution to this problem, the establishment of an ecosystem of open innovation and entrepreneurship is proposed through the following strategies:
1
Strengthening the capacities of rural producers, entrepreneurs and consumers;
2
Creation of a network of Culinary Innovation Laboratories as catalysts of the gastro-food innovation ecosystem;
3
Establishment of a food accelerator that supports innovative startups.
The proposal is innovative on 3 levels:
TECHNOLOGICAL
COMMERCIAL
INSTITUTIONAL
The network of laboratories and the acceleration of culinary businesses will have an open and innovative institutional arrangement that promotes financial sustainability.
Co-created prototypes and driven ventures access markets and generate inclusive economic development.
The network of laboratories and acceleration of gastronomic businesses will have an open and innovative institutional arrangement that allows its financial sustainability.
The first national network of culinary innovation laboratories and the first gastro-food accelerator in Ecuador has been established to co-create and incubate gastronomic prototypes combining traditional and scientific knowledge.
Co-created prototypes and driven ventures access markets to generate inclusive economic development.
The network of laboratories and the acceleration of culinary businesses will have an open and innovative institutional arrangement that promotes financial sustainability.