Jaarbeurs acquires Food and Agri innovation platform Foodbytes from Rabobank
Utrecht, 2 June 2026 - Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs is acquiring the innovation platform Foodbytes from Rabobank. Foodbytes has been an international hub for startups, corporates and investors active in agri and food since 2015. The platform brings together parties in areas such as regenerative agriculture, alternative protein production, robotisation and automation of agriculture, and innovations in seaweed production. The acquisition was announced today at VIV Europe 2026, the international agritech fair taking place in Jaarbeurs these days.
Jaarbeurs has been active in the agri and food business worldwide for over 40 years with VIV Worldwide, a global network of events. Jeroen van Hooff, CEO of Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs: "With Foodbytes, we are taking a leap forward in digital opportunities for our community in that sector. Live meetings are and will remain crucial, with Foodbytes we additionally broaden our online offering of relevant meeting places for decision-makers, investors and entrepreneurs. It is not only part of our digital strategy, but also part of further developing our position in this sector. With Foodbytes, we gain insights and knowledge that we can in turn share in the food and agribusiness community to help them grow. Rabobank and Jaarbeurs know each other as reliable and inspiring partners. And we are literally neighbours in Utrecht. In short, we are delighted to continue our cooperation, also in the context of Foodbytes."
Foodbytes has grown rapidly in recent years and is poised to enter the next growth phase. Roland van der Vorst, Strategic Advisor
of the Rabobank board and as former head of innovation responsible for the launch of Foodbytes: "It is impressive how the team has grown Foodbytes from a physical event to a fully-fledged international digital innovation platform. As Rabobank, we are proud of what we have developed, and also see the potential for Foodbytes to grow outside the walls of a strictly regulated financial institution. With Jaarbeurs , we have found the ideal party to make that happen: we will continue to work closely with Foodbytes as a strategic partner, and the combination of digital and physical events is promising."
Rabobank customers will be able to continue using Foodbytes as they are used to, as the close cooperation with Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs and Rabobank continues. Foodbytes will become an independent company within the Jaarbeurs group. Van Hooff: "In addition, we will explore new markets together, such as Health and Energy. In those sectors too, we expect that this proposition as an online hub can be of great added value to the Jaarbeurs portfolio."
About Foodbytes
Foodbytes started in 2015 as a pitch competition for promising food and agri startups. In recent years, Foodbytes has evolved into a collaborative innovation platform to help companies and investors collaborate with startups and scale ups. Rabobank remains closely involved in Foodbytes as a strategic partner
