Vitagora celebrates 20 years of innovation in the service of the agri-food industry

On Tuesday, April 8, the Vitagora association celebrated its 20th anniversary at its annual general meeting. This symbolic moment was marked by a change in leadership: Oisin Morrin, CEO of Tippagral, succeeded Pierre Guez, who had been president since 2006. It was an opportunity to look back on two decades dedicated to innovation and excellence in the agri-food industry, in figures and images.

Proposal documents for the Vitagora cluster in 2005
The story of Vitagora began in 2005, on the initiative of Greater Dijon and a group of business leaders led by Thomas Derville, former CEO of Amora-Maille and executive at Unilever: the young association obtained its certification as a “competitiveness cluster” with the unique strategic focus of placing consumers at the heart of the competitiveness challenges facing agri-food companies. Twenty years later, Vitagora has established itself in the economic landscape as the agri-food innovation cluster for the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Île-de-France regions.

As the representative in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté for the actions of the National Association of Food Industries (ANIA) and a member of the ARIA Network of France, it is considered a major player in the agri-food ecosystem, not only in France but beyond. Vitagora brings together 680 members from all over France—companies of all sizes, laboratories, and higher education institutions—and from around the world. It has taken on an international dimension through the various missions it organizes (partnership missions, presence at trade shows and events, etc.), partnerships around ambitious projects with foreign research centers or centers of expertise, and above all the establishment of an office in Kumamoto, Japan.

Vitagora offers its member companies a wide range of services and tools designed to improve their competitiveness. These services, provided in conjunction with the French government and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, cover all strategic aspects of business management and development: human resources (recruitment, training, management), quality, production, logistics, markets, innovation, and more. Qualiopi-certified, the competitiveness cluster has developed a catalog of training courses tailored to the specific needs of agri-food companies: in 2024, 26 training courses were organized, attended by nearly 250 people.

Vitagora has thus positioned itself as the key point of contact for all players in the agri-food sector, while contributing to the emergence of initiatives that are shaping its region. Since 2022, it has taken over all the activities of the FoodTech® association, an entity created under its impetus, in line with the initiatives promoted by FrenchTech, and specialising in supporting innovative agri-food startups. FoodTech® is now a national network coordinated by Vitagora, bringing together nearly 300 innovative gems within six regional ecosystems. In addition, Vitagora supports the creation and development of startups through its ToasterLab acceleration program, which has already supported 75 innovative young companies since 2017. Together with the French National Institute for Agricultural Research and the Environment (INRAE), it has also been instrumental in the creation of AgrOnov in Bretenière, near Dijon, an agro-environmental hub that is helping to develop the agriculture of tomorrow, capable of feeding the planet healthily while respecting the environment. He is currently working on the creation of a Living Lab[1] in Dijon, enabling consumers to co-develop solutions for the food of tomorrow with businesses.

The start-ups of ToasterLAB's first cohort in 2017
A monitoring and resource center for the industry, now headquartered next to the Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin, within the Village by CA, which specializes in supporting young companies, Vitagora organizes numerous events, with the support of its partners, which contribute to promoting the expertise of its members while attracting decision-makers and key players within its ecosystem. These include its annual Vita'Connect event, an international conference bringing together companies, research centers, and higher education institutions in the food industry. The 2025 edition will take place on Tuesday, April 8, at the Palais des congrès et des expositions in Dijon on the theme: “Population aging: what opportunities for growth and performance for agri-food companies?”

Infographic: Vitagora at 20 (click to enlarge)
"With our events and expertise, we support companies in the sector, both regional and national, in their growth, innovation, and international development strategies. But Vitagora is also, and above all, the fusion of energies to which I have always been very attached: together—companies, public and private laboratories, universities, and grandes écoles—we have built a formidable tool for the development of businesses and territories. "

Pierre Guez, president of Vitagora (2006-2025)

"We can look back on our first twenty years with great satisfaction! We bring together companies of all sizes, from start-ups to leading agri-food companies, including SMEs and promising new businesses. From a handful of founders, we have grown to 680 members. Our success has enabled us to bring together and foster dialogue between economic players and those in the academic world, who previously had little contact with each other. Vitagora is now an undeniable asset for companies seeking to improve their industrial performance and grow in their markets."

Christophe Breuillet, director of Vitagora

[1] The Living Lab for sustainable food, led by Vitagora, is part of the ProDij food transition policy and is supported by Dijon Métropole, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regional Council, and the French government, as part of France 2030 “Territoires d'Innovation” (Innovation Territories).

Photo gallery© Vitagora

Press contact

Marthe Jewell, marthe.jewell@vitagora.com, 06 60 65 87 16