The Estonian company Thormi won first place in the Best Read-to-Eat Product category at the Gulfood Innovation Awards 2025 ceremony in Dubai, the international food and beverage industry fair. “This award is an international confirmation for our innovation – our development work and unique solutions are globally competitive,” said Thormi CEO Peeter Tava.

This year, 19 Estonian companies are participating in the world’s largest food fair, Gulfood, where the Estonian stand is on display for the eighth time. The Gulfood Innovation Awards 2025 winners were announced on the fair’s opening day. Thormi’s plant-based ready-to-eat food, “Shredded Chickenless in Coconut-Curry Sauce”, which was launched last fall, won the main prize in the Best Ready-to-Eat Product category. It is an analogue of chicken fillet made from pea protein in an Asian-style sauce.

The victory will increase the company’s credibility in the eyes of retailers, partners, and investors, believes Peeter Tava, CEO and founder of Thormi. “It is also proof that plant-based food can be tasty and attractive to a wider range of consumers – winning in the Best Ready-to-Eat Product category shows that plant-based food is no longer just a niche product but that we are on the right track and can offer products that appeal to both vegetarians and meat-eaters.”

The recognition will also increase the company’s export potential and open new doors, added Tava. “We will leverage this recognition as a strategy in Estonia and export markets, targeting retailers, the Horeca sector, and end consumers.”

The company offers a turnkey factory solution

At the fair, which runs until February 21, the company provides its technology and equipment, not finished products, to interested parties. “Although we have had several interesting meetings about selling potential private label products in both the Gulf region and Europe, our main goal is still to find license partners for our technology,” said Tava.

He believes that the preference for local food will grow compared to importing food from around the world. “This approach makes food more environmentally friendly, beneficial to local economies, fresher, and better aligned with local consumer preferences. We aim to find food manufacturers interested in starting or expanding the production of plant-based protein products using our technology,” Tava specified.

The company launched the ThromiTech license solution a year ago at the Gulfood 2024 fair. The license solution offers a so-called turnkey factory with technology, production equipment, and recipes.

“We are currently in discussions with more than 10 potential partners from Asia, Europe, and the US. By 2025, we hope to finalise at least one license agreement,” said Tava.

Thormi expects a big breakthrough this year

Thormi‘s product range currently includes various plant-based sausages, sauces, ravioli, dumplings and burger patties. This year, the company has set a goal of increasing turnover by more than 150%. Growth is expected primarily from the resale of extruded plant-based protein products to other food companies in foreign markets.

“Our extrusion unit allows us to produce various textured plant-based protein products, which we can adapt to market needs in our various products. This gives us greater flexibility and better cost efficiency,” said Tava.

Thormi is currently engaged in discussions with over ten companies regarding the sale of various extrudates, and it hopes to finalise sales agreements with some of these partners within the next few months. “These potential partners are in Scandinavia, Central Europe, and Western Europe. We are just beginning to explore the potential of this market. For example, this week, we sold our first batch of extruded plant protein to a pet food company,” said Tava.

According to Tava, a major breakthrough for the company is that technological advancements have brought it very close to a point where plant-based “meat” costs less than animal meat.

Tava anticipates that gaining international recognition will attract new investors, contributing to the company’s faster growth and enabling the launch of a technology licensing business in larger markets.

ONE QUESTION

You won the Innovation Award at Gulfood for your “Shredded Chickenless in Coconut-Curry Sauce” product. There are other manufacturers of plant-based meat alternatives around the world. What makes Thormi’s product innovative?

Peeter Tava, CEO and founder of Thormi, answers:

The key to Thormi’s success lies in several essential elements of innovation. The most significant factor is our plant-based shredded chickenless’s unique texture and taste. We developed this product using special technology that guarantees a meat-like texture and juiciness, which the competition jury likely appreciated.

We have invested significant resources in the development of this product. To refine the flavours, we collaborated with Estonia’s leading food scientists from TFTAK and some of the country’s top chefs. This product represents the expertise of top professionals from various fields whose contributions have helped bring this achievement to Estonia.

The fact that this product is entirely free from artificial additives and allergens cannot be underestimated. Since one of our team members is a well-known food safety activist and the leader of the food information channel, Fuudish, she contributed her expertise to ensure that this product line is made without any artificial substances. We are confident that this will strongly appeal to health-conscious consumers, and I believe we also gained additional points from the competition jury for this commitment.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Enterprise Estonia is hosting a joint stand of Estonian companies at Gulfood for the eighth time. Nearly 5,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries will participate in the fair this year.
• The following companies will be part of the joint stand for Estonia at Gulfood: A. Le Coq, Balsnack, BabyCool, CoffeeCrystal, EBM Grupp, ICONFIT, Haage, Wösel, FoodStudio, Punch Club, Revala, Eternal Youth, Saku Õlletehas, Salvest, Sume, Sunfly, Valio, Thormi, YOOK.
• At the Gulfood Innovation Awards, Estonian manufacturers received nominations in several categories. FoodStudio’s ramen broth was nominated in the ready-to-eat category, while Haage’s rowan-apple water and Eternal Youth’s collagen and coconut milk coffee drink were nominated in the beverages category. Revala’s two different ice cream powders were also nominated in the dairy products category.

FACTS

• Currently, for every 100 kg of meat and meat products consumed in Europe, approximately 1 kg of meat alternatives are consumed. While today, the sales volume of meat alternatives is 1% of the market, Barclays Bank predicts their sales will grow to 10% over the next decade.
• Globally, 1.2 trillion euros worth of meat and meat products were consumed last year. With the growth of plant-based meat alternatives, 10% of this would be 120 billion euros.

Source: Thormi

This content is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU

Are you interested in trading with Estonia? Enterprise Estonia is providing sourcing services for foreign enterprises. Contact Estonian export advisors or use our free e-consulting service to start trade with Estonia.