Fruit and vegetable suppliers Grosbusch have joined up with the Luxembourg Open Innovation Club (LOIC) to take its innovation processes one step further through collaborations with international startups.

LOIC was founded last summer by nyuko in collaboration with the Lux future lab, Luxinnovation and the Technoport, in order to help companies to multiply their innovation efforts by matching them with promising startups around the world. 

It counts close to 20 members and revealed its full potential with a recent innovation call for the Grosbusch company.

The family-run company has specialised in importing and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables in Luxembourg  and the Greater Region for more than 100 years and relies on innovation to differentiate itself from its competitors.  

Goy Grosbusch, director of supports and marketing, had a specific topic to work on and was looking to get some constructive feedback and eventually startups with an interest of collaborating on common projects. 

Luxembourg is too small to host many startups matching Grosbusch’s expectations, and it is almost impossible for a traditional company to reach many startups without a dedicated network. That is why Grosbusch worked with the LOIC who launched a worldwide innovation call for startups in the food tech sector. 

“We leveraged our international networks to attract the most relevant startups in the food sector that could best complement Grosbusch’s innovation strategy.” explained Itzel Lerma, manager of the LOIC for nyuko. 

“The whole approach is really modern and new, so it was a pleasure of being part in such a new adventure” said Goy. 

Among the dozens of applications received, the company selected eight startups to interview and is now deepening its collaboration with one of them. The process took a few weeks but aims at long-term relationships. “In my idea this is the way we will exchange ideas and eventual business opportunities in the future.” he added. 

The collaboration between the company and the startups is only starting but Grosbusch is already pleased with the result. Goy Grosbusch emphasised. “I think that it makes sense for every company to, at least, listen to start ups and discover all the new possibilities that are popping up everywhere. From there on it is a personal choice whether to collaborate or not, but in my eyes it is a real opportunity that no company should miss.”

Image: Itzel Lerma and Goy Grosbusch