Powering next-gen ingredients innovation

Future Food-Tech Chicago returns on 15–16 June 2026 as the meeting place for turning food innovation into scalable products, and real commercial outcomes.

Bringing together 400 ingredient providers, investors, founders and food and beverage brands, the summit focuses on the industrial reality of innovation: formulation, manufacturing, cost, and scale across today’s food system.

Over two days, the summit will showcase how the industry is closing supply chain gaps, commercializing novel ingredients, and scaling solutions that meet evolving consumer demands for health, functionality, sustainability, and taste.

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From fermentation‑derived fats and oils to sweetness and cocoa alternatives, and next‑generation beverages designed for metabolic support and GLP‑1 consumers, Chicago is where innovation meets capital and ideas turn into scalable business outcomes.

The program will explore investment priorities, biomanufacturing realities, formulation constraints, regulatory pathways, and go-to-market strategies across dairy alternatives, fats and oils, coffee and cocoa, and function-forward beverages. Join us to answer the question: Which ingredients will define the next five years of food and beverage?

With curated networking and a powerful 1‑1 meeting platform, Future Food‑Tech Chicago is where suppliers, brands, and investors identify high-value opportunities, explore partnerships, and accelerate commercialization.


 

Who Did You Meet in 2025?

The delegate list is packed with senior food-tech visionaries from across innovation ecosystem. See who joined us in Chicago in 2025:

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2025 Advisory Board 

Our Advisory Board in 2025 included senior executives from leading companies in food, ingredients, and investment. They ensure our agenda tackles real industry challenges and creates genuine value for attendees.

 

2025 Key Themes

Fermentation in Focus

Creating the next generation of proteins, fats and high-value ingredients 

Adapting to Regulation

Navigating the food innovation landscape under a new administration.

Sustainable Coffee & Cocoa

Finding scalable alternatives to bridge the supply gap

Alternative Fats & Oils

Delivering sustainability without compromising on taste or cost

AI in Ingredient Discovery

Accelerating natural product development with the power of AI

Supporting GLP-1 Consumers

Increasing the nutritional and protein density of daily foods

Scaling Biomanufacturing

Optimizing production technologies and bioprocessing efficiency

The Cultivated Economy

B2B business models shaping the future of cell-based foods

Hybrid Formulations

Blending novel and traditional ingredients for optimal taste and nutrition

Reimagining Food Colors

Enhancing food quality with healthy, sustainable food colorants

Building Collaborative Success

Partnership models driving breakthroughs in food-tech

Financial Growth

Attracting scale-up funding into the alt. proteins and ingredients space

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