Join us as we host a large group of innovative European food and beverage companies for a morning networking event with New Frontiers in Food, to learn about the cutting edge technologies and companies emerging in the international market.

With just three stops in the U.S. on their innovation tour - this is an opportunity you don't want to miss. CFBN is bringing global innovation, best practices and collaboration right to Chicago!

Co-Hosted by New Frontiers in Food - Fast Forward NF4, a collaborative group of food and food technology representatives organized by the European Union, including: the Netherlands (FoodValley), Spain (Clusaga), Belgium (Wagralim), France (Vitagora & Vilorial).

Together, these 5 clusters are characterized by world class innovative food-related solutions and by collaboration.  They are combining forces to develop a joint internationalization strategy to enhance the competitiveness of their SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises) and to encourage the development of emerging industries in Europe and easier access to emerging markets.

Speaker:  Jeroen Wouters, Program Manager Sports & Nutrition, Sportcentrum Papendal; Representative, FoodValley NL  

Jeroen Wouters, PhD, is Director International at the food innovation cluster Food Valley NL (www.foodvalley.nl). In this role Jeroen provides guidance and support to stimulate innovation and cooperation in food and nutrition. Jeroen joined the team of Food Valley NL in 2014. The key focus area in his activities is “Specialized Nutrition” in which food products or services are aiming to meet the nutritional demands of specific target groups. A specific international activity is the EU-supported cluster collaboration project New Frontiers in Food Fast Forward (NF4, www.newfrontiersinfood.eu) in which the internationalization and innovation collaboration of SMEs is supported to selected target countries, including the USA.  Jeroen has been active in food innovation management for his entire career. He is a food technologist by training and obtained his PhD in food microbiology at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. In 2002, he joined NIZO food research where he has held management positions in the areas of food fermentation, food safety, flavour, health and nutrition. In the period 2004-2007 Jeroen lived and worked in the USA for NIZO food research as business manager USA being active in Dutch-American food innovation and R&D collaboration. Since 2012 Jeroen  is Innovation Manager Sports & Nutrition, located at the national Sportscentre Papendal, the Olympic training facilities in the Netherlands (http://www.sportcentrumpapendal.nl/innovatie). In this role Jeroen coordinates, stimulates and facilitates innovation in the field of sports and nutrition. As a part of the activities he is chairman of Eat2Move, the hub for innovation in sports and nutrition (www.eat2move.nl). Jeroen has (co-) authored over 40 scientific publications.

Speaker:  Alan Reed, Executive Director, Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network

Alan Reed is the Executive Director of Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network. Prior to this role, Alan was Executive Vice President, Strategy & Innovation at Dairy Management, Inc., and was responsible for creating and driving innovative strategies to grow dairy demand. Alan has a degree in Telecommunications from Indiana University and an MBA in Management & Strategy from Northwestern University.

Following the morning's event, NF4 will be hosting a few additional guests for a special discussion (11 am - 12 noon) on the Chicago Business Ecosystem.  This presentation will include insights from:

Serhat Cicekoglu, Sente Foundry LLC:  A Structured Approach to US Market Entry

Andrea Jett Fletcher, The French American Chamber of Commerce

Networking events with The Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network are an opportunity to access an inclusive network dedicated to bringing together all of the industry players of the greater Chicagoland area, and beyond, to develop meaningful and mutually beneficial business connections.  The event provides a great opportunity to enjoy light refreshments and an opportunity to mingle - forging new connections and circling back with contacts from other events, all while experiencing the power of the CFBN network!

European Cluster Companies - Click HERE for more information!

The European Cluster, New Frontiers in Food, Includes: