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Pedro Álvarez, Founder and CEO of -ivoro food innovation lab, leads an innovation hub dedicated to accelerating progress in the food industry by improving processes, transforming business models, and creating new food products. He also collaborates with the Akademia innovation program. The core challenge -ivoro addresses is how to sustainably feed the growing global population while respecting planetary resources. Technological advancements in agriculture are seen as key solutions to enhancing sustainability and reducing food waste. Pedro believes Spain is well-positioned for food production but must embrace innovation to meet future food challenges.
A notable example of food innovation in Spain is Mimic Seafood, a startup founded by Pedro that develops plant-based seafood alternatives to meet the rising demand as ocean fish stocks decline. Their flagship product, Tunato, is a 100% plant-based substitute made from tomato that replicates the texture and flavor of raw tuna. Tunato is versatile and can be used in dishes typically featuring raw tuna, such as sushi and ceviche, and is already available in some restaurants. Pedro emphasizes that such innovations are not mere animal substitutes but tailored alternatives for specific culinary uses. Through initiatives like Mimic Seafood, he envisions contributing to a more sustainable and better world by rethinking how we produce and consume food.
We interviewed Pedro Álvarez, Founder and CEO of -ivoro food innovation lab and Mimic Seafood, about innovation in the food sector.
Pedro Álvarez, Founder and CEO of -ivoro food innovation lab, tells us what they do in -ivoro, an innovation hub where they help the food industry to accelerate innovation as a process of improvement, change of business model or creation of new products and food. In addition, Pedro is a collaborator of our Akademia innovation program.
The challenge posed by -ivoro is to answer the question of how to feed the entire current and future population while respecting the planet’s resources. The use of technology in agriculture is one of the possible answers to improve sustainability and reduce food waste.
In Pedro’s opinion, Spain is very prepared to produce food, but it needs to innovate to address the challenges that arise for the future of food.
After the examples of Impossible Foods, with hamburgers made from vegetables or with meat made in the laboratory, a case of innovation in the food sector in Spain is Mimic Seafood, a startup founded by Pedro that is dedicated to creating plant-based alternatives for seafood, whose demand increases every day and will not be possible to satisfy since the sea is not an inexhaustible source of fish.
The Mimic Seafood product is not an alternative to the animal, it is an alternative for a specific use. In this case, they have created Tunato, a 100% plant-based food that imitates raw tuna in texture and flavor but is made from tomato. It can be used in a wide variety of dishes that use raw tuna: sushi, poke, tartare or ceviche. In fact , you can already try it in a restaurant.
And you, would you taste the food of the future?
Pedro reminds us that with this type of initiative we can contribute to building a better world. Below, you can watch the full interview:
