The food and beverage sector is transforming. From sustainability and shifting consumer habits to volatile supply chains and rising costs, businesses across the industry are facing challenges from every direction.

Gastronomica, the new food and beverage innovation hub at Colworth Science Park, developed by Pioneer Group in partnership with Unilever, is designed to help companies maximise innovation – and to help the industry meet these challenges head-on.

Challenges for Food & Beverage Businesses

According to a 2025 report by Global Market Insights (GMI), the food and beverage sector has long been contending with a range of difficulties, many of which were made more acute by the pandemic.

For starters, sustainability is no longer optional, with many consumers actively rejecting packaging that doesn’t meet environmental standards. Demand is growing rapidly for compostable, recyclable, or biodegradable materials and circular economy principles are now a competitive requirement.

Consumer preferences are also shifting quickly as demand for organic and plant-based products continues to grow. GMI found that consumers are better informed and less loyal, quick to move towards brands that align with their health and nutrition priorities. Legacy products and slow-moving R&D teams are struggling to keep pace.

The regulatory environment is tightening too, adding yet another layer of pressure to food and beverage innovation and marketing. From a rise in carbon labelling to new criteria from the FDA for what can be labelled as “healthy”, innovative companies face increasingly complex compliance demands in a sector that is already subject to some of the strictest controls in the world.

All of this comes on top of the broader economic uncertainty hanging over the industry. Raw material price volatility, energy fluctuations and labour shortages – driven by global conflicts and supply chain breakdowns – are creating significant instability. According to the Food and Drink Federation, business confidence dropped to -47% in the last quarter of 2024, reflecting the scale of the challenge that manufacturers and distributors are facing.

Enter Gastronomica: A Food and Beverage Innovation Hub

Gastronomica has been developed by Pioneer Group in collaboration with Unilever and sits within Colworth Science Park, which is home to one of Unilever’s Global R&D Innovation Centres. The facility is designed specifically to support food and beverage businesses that are ready to tackle industry challenges head-on.

The space includes dynamic, cost-efficient workspaces, cutting-edge R&D labs, development kitchens, and flexible facilities tailored to food and beverage innovation. It brings together entrepreneurs, scientists, and food developers in an environment built for rapid iteration and collaboration.

In the words of Ivor Peters, Programming Director of Gastronomica Events: “Gastronomica is like an ideas farm – it’s where we harvest innovation.”

Supporting the Circular Economy

Gastronomica provides the infrastructure needed to push sustainable food and beverage innovation forward. The space is equipped for work on everything from alternative proteins to plastic-free packaging.

NotPla is addressing the global plastic crisis with a packaging material made entirely from seaweed and plants. Speaking at the first event in our Gastronomica Series, NotPla’s co-founder Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, said: “By 2050 – which is not that far away – there’s going to be more plastic in the ocean than fish. NotPla is a company with the mission of making single-use plastic disappear. Our product ‘Ooho’ packages water in edible seaweed-based pouches. It is vital to have physical places and networks like Gastronomica to support work like this.”

Adapting to Consumer Preferences

To keep pace with rapidly changing consumer tastes, businesses need access to the right tools. Gastronomica’s Commercial Kitchen and Tasting Room provides exactly that. The fully-equipped, professional-grade kitchen space supports:

• Recipe Development and Testing – Optimise flavour, nutrition, and functionality.
• Product Showcases and Demos – Host private tastings and investor presentations.
• Consumer and Market Research – Gather real-time feedback from targeted groups.

The facility also supports scientific R&D into food system transformation. The Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein, a European research initiative established to advance research in alternative proteins, was among the businesses speaking at the first Gastronomica Series event. Dr. Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro, Director of the Centre, says: “Our mission is to support the alternative protein revolution – making the global food system healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient. Collaboration is key, and it only happens when we share space, equipment, and ideas.”

Reducing Cost Barriers to Food and Beverage Innovation

Gastronomica offers pay-as-you-go access to microbiology labs, development kitchens, and innovation suites. This model is designed to reduce the cost of entry for food-tech start-ups and scale-ups, providing access to the same high-quality facilities used by major players.

Amid increasing economic uncertainty and rising costs, this is a practical way for smaller companies to accelerate product development and scale sustainably without overextending themselves.

Connecting the Food Sector

Solving global food and beverage challenges like nutrition, sustainability, and waste, requires collaboration across disciplines and sectors. Gastronomica enables this by curating an active community of chefs, scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs.

The Gastronomica Series, part of Pioneer’s Pioneer Presents programme, hosts events and forums featuring leaders in food, science, and sustainability.

Sign up to upcoming events in the series here.