Nomad Foods, Europe’s leading branded frozen food producer and owner of household name labels including Birds Eye, Ledo, iglo, Findus and Frikom, has announced that For Real! Foods and Miapuccia are the first companies selected to partner with the Woking, England-headquartered company through its Future Foods Lab, a venture clienting initiative in collaboration with global innovation network Innoget.
The two businesses emerged as winners of the Future Foods Lab’s Personal Peak challenge, which explored both ready‑to‑eat and ready‑to‑cook food solutions that support everyday wellbeing.
For Real! Foods is a Swedish frozen food startup founded by Daniel and Kristin Nowak (pictured above) that specializes in clean label, allergen‑friendly products made with carefully selected ingredients. Its range includes nutritious frozen pizzas featuring bases baked on locally grown cabbage, designed for consumers who value simple, transparent, tasty food. The company was selected due to its strong performance in the Swedish market, clear potential to grow, and collaborative way of working.
Miapuccia is a Spanish food manufacturer of ultra-frozen natural foods operating an IFS‑certified production facility in Alcorcón, Madrid. It specializes in nutrient‑dense, clean label products, with an initial focus on functional sweet snacks and energy balls. The company was selected for its unique combination of food technology, global culinary influences, and applied food science expertise.
Nomad Foods will now move forward with both partners into a concept development phase, sharpening their proposition with a strong focus on the consumer experience. If successful, this will be followed by in-market “test‑and‑learn” validation.
“When we launched the Future Foods Lab last year, our ambition was clear: to fast-track market-ready solutions to real business challenges, and to identify partners who are already proving what’s possible,” said Carly Arnold, chief research development and quality officer at Nomad Foods. “Our Personal Peak challenge was the first test of that ambition, and both For Real! Foods and Mia Puccia showcased the type of agile, delivery‑focused credentials that we want to work with. They combine strong technical capability with a clear understanding of consumer needs and a genuine openness to collaboration. We’re excited to move forward into the next phase together.”
Daniel Nowak stated: “We are genuinely impressed by Nomad Foods’ friendly, holistic and ambitious approach, as well as the way team members across all departments are driving the program forward.”
Luis Felipe Rego, founder of Mia Puccia, said: “What stands out most about the Future Foods Lab is that Nomad Foods treats us as a genuine partner, not just another startup in a program. Their willingness to open doors across their R&D, quality, and marketing teams has accelerated our innovation in ways we couldn’t have achieved on our own.”
As part of Nomad Foods’ innovation strategy, the Future Foods Lab explores market-ready solutions proposed by startups to address key business challenges, which can then be piloted and scaled across Europe.
