EP&C and Rival Foods: joining forces for a sustainable world

In 2019 Rival Foods was the big winner of EP&C's Masters of the Future innovation competition. It was a well-deserved win, because the innovative technology developed by Rival Foods makes it possible to produce plant-based meat substitutes that go beyond the familiar sausages, minced meat or hamburgers. These are all substitutes for processed meat. Right now there are no fillet pieces, also known as whole muscle products, available on the market yet. These products have the texture and mouth-feel of a chicken breast or steak.

Thanks to the innovation of start-up Rival Foods, this is going to change in the future. EP&C is happy and proud to contribute to this by patenting the technology. We are helping this start-up company to protect their technology and in doing so are contributing to a sustainable world.

Co-founder Birgit Dekkers of Rival Foods talks about the market's need for their product: "Lots of people say they want to eat less meat, but when it comes down to it they don't. Meat consumption is actually increasing. This is also due to the diversity of alternatives. We see it as our mission to spread the technology that provides a good substitute for the meat that people like and that they can prepare in the same way. So not a steak that has the mouth-feel of a hamburger, but that has the texture of a steak."

Innovative patents for innovative technologies

For a start-up, the need to properly register intellectual property is not always self-evident, but it is a very important step to take. Newcomers often lack the experience and financial clout of their larger competitors. And investors are more willing to cooperate if the innovation is patented.

Half of the €10,000 prize money that Rival Foods won was to be spent on EP&C's services. And because EP&C feels strongly committed to Rival Foods' mission, we are happy to help them protect all of their Intellectual Property rights. This is important because it is precisely at this stage that establishing Intellectual Property rights and having a good insight into the rights of others are crucial to future success.

We try to make applications for patents and other forms of protection as innovative as the actual technologies themselves and not to get bogged down by the limitations of the moment, but to come up with a solution that works for everyone.

Solid approach to Intellectual Property protection

Smart Intellectual Property protection starts long before the first application is filed. How do you set up the organisation in such a way that innovative solutions are identified and reach those who are dealing with protection?  How do you assess your ideas and make a responsible choice about exactly which rights you lay down? How do you usefully arrange your protection for that smart invention in itself and also looking at the big picture?

This is what we are working on, together with Rival Foods. And of course we will not lose sight of the rights of Lightyear's competitors.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

EP&C is about innovation and innovation is about the future. But without a critical look at the present, a healthy future is not guaranteed. Where possible, we therefore like to go the extra mile for sustainable initiatives, such as the new generation of meat substitutes by RivalFoods, electric cars by  Lightyear and the bicycle conversion kit by social firm Tworby.

The better we care for people and the environment now, the longer we can continue doing what we love: working with progressive entrepreneurs.