Grupo Bimbo, the parent company of Horsham, Pa.-based Bimbo Bakeries USA, is currently accepting registrations for the second edition of “Bimbo Open Door,” its platform to invest in startups in the food industry.
“Bimbo Open Door was born with the dream of transmitting the experiences and knowledge of Grupo Bimbo to companies with potential for expansion through differentiated value proposals,” Constantino Matouk, Global VP of Bimbo Ventures, said.
Bimbo Open Door provides scaleups in the food industry with mentoring and help from Grupo Bimbo executives, while having access to the company’s global infrastructure as they develop their pilot project proposal. The program concludes with “Demo Day,” where proposals are analyzed by a forum of bakery executives for future product development. This year’s program will focus on the cookie and energy bar sector.
“In the first edition, which was a success, we received more than 250 requests from startups and scaleups from more than 20 countries,” Matouk said. “Our focus for this new cycle is to connect with more entrepreneurs to share knowledge and seek opportunities for future collaboration.”
Bimbo Open Door will accept proposals from entrepreneurs with validated products, operations or an expansion plan. The companies must also have annual sales of more than $250,000 and be available to be part of the program in Mexico for 12 weeks. Products should be in one of three categories – cookies and/or bars for children, innovative snacks, and artisanal products and/or traditional recipes.
“Through Bimbo Open Door, we seek to innovate and scale initiatives that allow us to continue surprising our consumers with products that satisfy their consumption habits,” Raúl Obregón, Chief Transformation Officer, said. “We are excited to connect with innovative entrepreneurs who, like us, are looking to nourish a better world.”
Applications will be accepted between September 20 and October 6.