More than seventy project proposals collected in seven weeks from Italy, Europe and the United States. These are the results of the “Terra & Tech | Innovation for the Wine Industry” initiative, the call for start-ups launched by Filiera Futura and I3P in December 2024 to search for innovative solutions and technologies to be tested in the field in order to contribute concretely to the evolution of the Italian wine sector.
The call, which closed at the end of January 2025, is part of the multi-year project called Terra & Tech, the open innovation program that has already involved more than 140 producers, professionals and researchers in the Italian wine sector thanks to the fundamental adherence and support of six Foundations of Banking Origin associated with Filiera Futura and active in the territories of northern, central and southern Italy: Fondazione CRC, Fondazione Cariverona, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, Fondazione Carifac, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Jesi, Fondazione CON IL SUD.
Technology for the wine supply chain
The initiative gathered technology proposals of start-ups and SMEs answering to three groups of innovation challenges, which were elaborated by the organizers to address the needs and critical issues noted during the discussion tables with wine producers.
Most of the proposers nominated a design solution for challenges in the vineyard (56%), such as automating irrigation processes, climate monitoring, and predictive analysis based on digital data; this was followed by proposals for challenges in marketing (30%), such as introducing new platforms and tools to enhance brands and optimize sales management, and those addressing challenges in the winery (14%), including the reduction of energy consumption and the improvement of thermal insulation.
About a third of the applications received by the Terra & Tech team include technologies based on electronic devices, sensors and Internet of Things (IoT), while a quarter of the proposals consist of artificial intelligence (AI), big data and machine learning applications. Projects employing biotechnology, drones, cloud computing, UX platforms, virtual (VR) or augmented reality (AR) and advanced robotics complete the picture.
Among the applications from Italy, the regions that expressed the most projects were Piedmont (16) and Lombardy (6). From abroad, the call received proposals by young companies based in France, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Moldova, Sweden, the United Kingdom and California.
Presenting, evaluating and field testing
The next steps of the initiative consist in the selection of the most promising project proposals, with the greatest potential for innovation and value for producers, to be presented to all Terra & Tech partners during an event dedicated to members of Filiera Futura, at its headquarters, the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (Cuneo, Italy), in late March. Each of the member foundations will have the opportunity to evaluate the identified technological solutions and propose a shortlist to their network of wineries in the area, in order to gather their willingness to start Proof-of-Concepts in the vineyard, winery or in marketing.
Field testing of projects, the ultimate goal of the initiative, will be launched during 2025, followed closely by Filiera Futura and I3P to facilitate exchanges between innovators and producers, as well as to collect data on the PoCs undertaken and document the most successful integrations. Thanks to the methodology of open innovation, start-ups and SMEs will thus have the opportunity to live-test their technological solutions together with the protagonists of the supply chain, while winemakers will be able to discover new cutting-edge tools with which to grow, produce and sell in an even more sustainable way.
