At Food, Trends & Sustainability, Compass Group premiered Mavens Hule. The competition provided green, innovative entrepreneurs with a golden opportunity to access our 350 canteens across the country.
At Mavens Hule, five food entrepreneurs were invited to a pitch round where they presented their ideas for the future of food, with the prize being access to Compass Group’s canteens via our food supplier Dagrofa Foodservice.
The winner of Mavens Hule was Contempehrary. This startup specializes in producing tempeh—a product made from fermented soybeans, often used in vegetarian cooking due to its high protein content. Contempehrary develops tempeh based on traditional Indonesian fermentation methods but uses Danish legumes.
At Compass Group, we are on a sustainability journey where we aim to reduce meat consumption, increase plant-based meals, and always maintain top-notch flavor. Contempehrary’s tempeh is an excellent candidate to feature on the green plates of the future.
The judging panel, consisting of four food enthusiasts—Anne Ruberg, Purchasing Director at Compass Group, Jesper Knudsen, Head Chef at Compass Group, Nabil Habhabi, Market Manager at Dagrofa Foodservice, and Mads Marschall, Food Expert—unanimously agreed that Contempehrary should win Mavens Hule.
Jesper Knudsen, judge and Head Chef at Compass Group, explained what he focused on during the voting:
“I love working with new, exciting ingredients like tempeh, and Contempehrary’s quality is top-notch—in terms of taste, texture, and the ideas behind it. I see many uses for it in our kitchens, such as in a burger patty or as fried cubes in a curry. Plus, it has a high protein and fiber content, making it a great meat substitute.”
Right after their victory, we also got a reaction from the winning entrepreneurs:
“This means a lot to us, and we are super excited to have won. This type of collaboration is more than we dared to hope for. It makes so much sense to get our product into canteens where guests can enjoy a well-prepared meal and have a great first experience tasting it,” said Sabine Franciska Harboe and Tobias Noe Harboe.
Thank you to the other participants, Uuhmami, Havsmag, Manna Food, and Agrain, for inspiring pitches, all of which are fantastic suggestions for the future of food.