The second day of Dreams #spainfoodtechnation focused on gastronomic innovation, addressing its role as a heritage and as a social and transformative force, improving not only systems and products, but also society in general.

We come from the sea and we must return to it if we want to live in a healthier and more sustainable way," warned Carlos Duarte, Professor of Marine Sciences at King Abdullah University in Saudi Arabia, who has just received the prestigious Japan 2025 Award. But for this to happen, the trend has to change - 50% of the ocean's biodiversity has been lost in the last 100 years - so 'we need to develop a blue economy that makes the ocean profitable while taking care of it, which will require conscious aquaculture and more algae farming'. He also recommended greater development of the canning industry and new ways of catering for blue superfoods such as sardines, mussels, anemones and sea urchins, but above all algae, the planet's food with the smallest carbon footprint.

At Dreams, it became clear that we are experiencing a definitive scientific and technological revolution that will change the lifestyle of all humanity in the very short term. But in Spain we are moving very slowly in terms of digital transformation, lagging behind the top 20 countries in the adoption of AI," said the vice-president of the European Foundation for Innovation (INTEC), Juan Francisco Delgado, providing data such as that "in 2050 it is predicted that 70% of consumer proteins will come from cell culture". Enrique García Gavira, CEO of the first Global Avocado Hub, "considered the fruit of the future, as an ingredient in other foods such as oil, flour or our sauces, with a shelf life of two years and exportable all over the world". Another innovation for the sector is the smart stopper for wine casks from the technology company NIGAL, "which monitors the evolution of the wine 24/7 in real time, reducing waste by 60% and improving the quality of the wine by preventing oxidation. We are not a threat to the winemaker, but a tool that improves his work,' explains Lara Neira, the company's CEO.

Innovation requires investment and patience

In addition to new products, we were also introduced to other types of agriculture, such as vertical farming, which could "save the world's beer", according to Yolanda Cortés, co-founder of the agbiotech company Ekonoke, as it proposes "the controlled cultivation of hops, an ingredient that gives beer its flavour and whose survival is threatened by climate change". A system that Neboda Farms also uses to produce basil, which he defines as "a model that requires a lot of specialisation and energy, but which is very useful in the agri-food industry because it allows a constant supply and continuous improvement of the products, which has an impact on their shelf life and organoleptic quality".

Moderated by María Jesús Abellán of ICEX's Food Innovation Department, Dreams opened its stage to the new challenges of foodtech and its application in different business models with another round table. For Charo Villarroel of Viscofan, the world leader in meat casings, "it is more than proven that excellent science is being done in Spain, but we need to take the next step and listen to the industry to understand the real innovation needs of companies. This is the only way to turn projects into profitable products'. This vision, that of a large company, was shared by Rubén Hidalgo of the dairy group Capsa Food, who added that "a lot of calm is also needed, because innovation in the agri-food sector takes a long time to mature". For Mariano Oto, CEO of Nucaps, "the weakness in Spain is that investors are looking for unicorns and are not boosting the growth of emerging companies to the size they need", an idea shared by Pablo Sosa Domínguez, co-founder of OSCILLUM smart labels, "a phenomenon that has led many companies to prefer to sell their business rather than their products".

Gastronomy is commitment and a social engine

Unique products from small towns in the hands of motivated people", was how Neus Monllor of Amaterra described her three interlocutors at another table, who showed that gastronomy is also a lever for change against the hollowing out of Spain. José Alfredo Martín of Apadrinaunolivo.org, an initiative to recover 100,000 ancient olive trees, is also the founder of the Rural Wake-up Calls platform, with which he has launched more than 15 rural development projects. We must be committed to our heritage, even if our products are not universal; it is important that we take care of the values that distinguish us and know how to pass them on to restaurateurs," he explains. For Luis Alberto Lera, chef at the Lera* restaurant in Castroverde de Campos (Zamora) and promoter of the local squab cooperative, among other initiatives, "we villagers are second-class citizens, and to change that we need less bureaucracy; we are different and we need different policies", he insisted. Finally, Jorge Jiménez Santos is the president of the Association for the Territorial Promotion of El Royo (APROTER), which has created an excellent production of organic raspberries in this region of Soria. This has been possible because 'we have promoted the cultivation of a product with added value that does not require a lot of land. Now a family can live on less than 3 hectares," he points out.

And from the pantry to the kitchen, Dreams gave a voice to some prodigal sons of the countryside, four young chefs who have returned to their roots after exploring the world. We're from the village, but we're not peasants," says Iris Jordán of the Ansils* restaurant in Anciles (Huesca), admitting that "the road hasn't been easy because mine was a generational change and people wanted to continue eating my grandmother Pilarín's dishes, but I wanted to have my own concept". Juan Carlos García also felt a family responsibility when he opened the Vandelvira* restaurant in Baeza (Jaén), "because I took my family with me; they even called me crazy and told me to go back to where I came from", he confessed. Xune Andrade, from Monte* in San Feliz (Asturias): 'My parents told me to open in Oviedo or Gijón, but I wanted to come back home and put down roots, enjoy this lifestyle that nourishes us and organically connects us with other people, even though our vision is very global in terms of the focus of the business'. Finally, Alejandro Hernández is happy that his restaurant Versátil* in Zarza de Granadilla (Cáceres) is "the second largest business in the village, with 18 employees, and contributes to its economic development, stimulating other businesses in the area".

At Dreams, there was also talk of gastronomy as a means of achieving a more sustainable and fairer world. Maxime Boniface, co-founder of plant-based cheese company Väcka, explained that 'the circular economy is one that does not produce waste, but we are very bad at it and we need to re-educate ourselves'. Alejandro Orioli, who runs the organic farming project that supplies the kitchen at the Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic, said that "we make our farmers aware of the use of technology, and we bring them into the kitchen to understand the work that is done there. The challenge is to change mindsets and overcome barriers to change. A future of circular agriculture that is "social and scalable, as well as sustainable, in order to thrive," warned Ingredalia CEO Miguel Ángel Cubero, who called for the future "of AI applied to genomic sciences, as it will personalise diets and make them more attractive.

Cooking as a social engine for change, especially in moments of emergency such as the recent fire at a chemical warehouse in the Spanish Levante region. Commitment is in our DNA and we feel obliged to take it out of our restaurants to give them all the love they need, in addition to a hot meal. There will be more and more emergencies and we need to be prepared and united,' said Pepa Muñoz of El Qüenco de Pepa (Madrid), who works with José Andrés' World Central Kitchen organisation, along with chefs Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo of Grupo Cañitas, who admitted to feeling very overwhelmed by 'our first disaster, which has left an indelible mark on us'. Along with chef Ricard Camarena, Girona-based Costa Brava Mediterranean also took part in DANA, and its communications director, Sara Terradellas, said that 'the resilience of the teams on the ground was fundamental'.

The day ended with an exceptional masterclass, sponsored by Caixabank and given by Ferran Adrià, "with which we help restaurateurs from all over Spain to manage their business", something so fundamental "that it will be the focus of 50% of the courses at the new Madrid Culinary Campus (MACC). He did so with one of his teachers, the innovation expert Víctor Caleya, the patron of the elBulli Foundation Ernest Laporte, and Sílvia Timón and Sílvia Sánchez from Thinknovate, a spin-off of the elBulli Foundation specialising in innovation and management, which brings the Sapiens methodology to the business world and applies it there.