Ecotrophelia Switzerland
Give your students a real-world stage
Why
Ecotrophelia Switzerland is built with universities, not just for them.
By bringing your students into the competition, you give them hands-on experience in food innovation — and a direct connection to the Swiss food industry.
From concept to pitch, they work alongside industry experts, develop real market-ready products, and compete for the chance to represent Switzerland at Ecotrophelia Europe.
What your students gain?
For your students:
Ecotrophelia is not a classroom exercise. Students work as a real team to develop an eco-friendly, market-ready food product from concept to pitch — supported by industry experts, food technology mentors, and SFNV's network. They leave with skills, confidence, and connections that no lecture can provide.
For your institution:
Participating in Ecotrophelia positions your university at the heart of Swiss food innovation. It creates visible industry partnerships, showcases your talent to leading companies, and gives your faculty meaningful touchpoints with the ecosystem. The winning team represents Switzerland at Ecotrophelia Europe — putting your institution on an international stage.
In their words
Ecotrophelia is a unique platform where students can apply their knowledge to real-world challenges in the food system. It not only fosters innovation, but also helps build the skills and confidence needed to bring new ideas to market."
— Sandra Galle, Professor of Food Technology and Biotechnology, HES-SO School of Engineering in Sion
The support behind every team
Industry experts
Direct access to specialists in food technology, packaging, business development and sustainability — available throughout the competition.
Industry Insight Day
Teams get hands-on access to industry partners before the National Final to refine their product and sharpen their pitch.
EIT Food Entrepreneurship Training
All students receive free access to EIT Food's entrepreneurship training programme — building the business skills to take their innovation further.
Pitch coaching
Teams can receive dedicated coaching to learn how to pitch and a critical review of their pitch deck.
Flexible by design
Your team
- 2 to 10 students per team
- Bachelor's or Master's level welcome
- Any course or programme
- Cross-university teams encouraged
Your product
- Eco-friendly and market-ready food product
- Go as far as you can — we're here to support the journey
- Real innovation is the goal, not perfection
No team yet?
We can connect your students with others looking to participate or with existing teams.
Just reach out!
The Swiss rules
The Swiss competition rules are adapted from the official Ecotrophelia Europe regulations — simplified to fit the student level while maintaining the key evaluation criteria.
See the full document for details on product requirements, the technical dossier, and assessment criteria.
Yearly timeline
Autumn
Students form teams, sometimes across universities, and start shaping their first sustainable food product concepts.
Winter-Early Spring
Teams develop their product, gaining direct access to industry experts at the Industry Insight Day to refine it before facing the jury.
May - June
Teams pitch their finished product to a jury of industry and academic experts at the National Competition, competing to represent Switzerland.
Summer
The winning team refines its product and prepares its case for the European stage.
October
Switzerland's national champion competes against the best student food innovations from across Europe at Ecotrophelia Europe.
Let's build this together
Intrigued? We'd love to explore how Ecotrophelia could work for your university and your students.
This is a young competition and we want it to grow in a way that truly works for Swiss universities — you know your students, your calendar, and your constraints better than anyone.
Let's talk about what format works best for you and how we can make participation as smooth as possible.
Previous Swiss teams
Sorgood
A fermented beverage based on sorghum for a more resilient food system.
Gold — Ecotrophelia Switzerland 2026
HES-SO Valais
Selected for Ecotrophelia Europe
TAM's
A high-fiber Provençale snack made of low-glycemic index ingredients and by-products.
Silver — Ecotrophelia Switzerland 2026
HES-SO Valais
Appi
A fermented beverage based on sorghum for a more resilient food system.
Bronze — Ecotrophelia Switzerland 2026
HES-SO Valais
BUZZZ
A high-protein, high-fibre crackers made from mealworm flour.
Gold — Ecotrophelia Switzerland 2025
HES-SO Valais
Selected for Ecotrophelia Europe