After two very successful Future of Food events, we are thrilled to announce our third installment. This year, we aim to broaden the scope of our discussion to encompass the vast potential of food tech and sustainable innovation, while also addressing the limitations and challenges facing the industry. We will explore the difficulties of competing in this market and effecting real change. We are fortunate to have a diverse panel of experts from IKEA, Havredals, Tufts, and Inari. The event will commence at 5:00 PM with a classic Fika, sponsored by BeanTrust and IKEA, followed by an engaging panel discussion and Q&A session. Finally, we will wrap up the evening with delicious plant-based burgers from Havredals.
WHEN: May 1 @ 5PM - 7PM
WHERE: Two Education Cir, Cambridge, MA 02141
TICKETS: FREE! Just make sure to sign up fast - since the tickets are limited.
Katie Stebbins is the Executive Director of the Tufts Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute and was previously Secretary for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Massachusetts, where she led state investment efforts in cybersecurity, health tech, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. She is formally trained as an environmental/urban planner and worked in post-industrial cities for nearly twenty years addressing the challenges of economic disinvestment and the opportunities for systems change.
Anya has spent her career at the intersection of agriculture, energy and climate change. She currently leads Sustainability at Inari Agriculture. Prior to Inari, she worked with Alphabet’s global accelerator, Launchpad, and Google's renewable energy department. She's done policy work in DC with the National Farmers Union; research and consulting with the Noble Foundation; and cowboy'd on sustainably managed ranches in Australia, New Zealand, Montana, and Oregon. Anya has dual degrees from Cornell University and hails from an Oregon farm.
Katerina has spent the past 15 years immersed in the global Food Tech community, having founded two successful food-focused startups, served as CEO of Just Add Cooking and VP of Operations at Suvie in Boston. Her entrepreneurial acumen has garnered attention from organizations like EY, and she's participated in the Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Program. Currently, Katerina is the CEO of Havredals, where she's applying her extensive experience in building food companies with US nationwide distribution. Her mission is to drive innovation and accelerate the transition to plant-based meat.
James has been with IKEA for the last year and a half as the store Loyalty manager, overseeing all local marketing, communications, and community engagement. A major role he plays in the store is bringing IKEA mission and values, as well as sustainability goals, to the forefront for customers, coworkers, and the community at large.
Jamie Suttmiller is a Commercial Restaurant Manager at IKEA Stoughton. His scope of responsibilities at IKEA includes overseeing the Swedish Restaurant, Swedish Food Market, and Swedish Bistro. With over twenty years of restaurant and retail management experience prior to joining IKEA, Jamie is very excited for the opportunity to be part of the Future of Food Panel. IKEA has very ambitious and impactful sustainability plans that he is excited to share.
MODERATOR
Kerstin Sjöberg has been working at SACC-NE for a year as a Business Development intern. Drawn to Boston for its reputation and commitment to innovation and sustainability, her enthusiasm for these values inspired her to continue the Future of Food event. Kerstin is pursuing her undergraduate degree in Business and Management at the Royal Holloway University of London and completed a year abroad at Boston College. Kerstin's natural curiosity and passion for innovation and sustainability allow her to offer unique and insightful perspectives to the panel.
We would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to our sponsors. Firstly, we extend our thanks to Education First (EF) for generously hosting us at their HQ in Cambridge, providing us with a fantastic space for our event. We are also thrilled to have Beantrust as our sponsor, who will be serving their delicious coffee, and IKEA for providing plant-based cinnamon buns. We are also excited to have Havredals on board to provide plant-based burgers that will conclude our event on a high note. Your support and generosity mean a great deal to us, and we look forward to a successful event with your help.
