Articles & Podcast Interviews
Food
inspiration
I believe that impactful innovation creates stories. A good fuckup is a fucking good story: a story that connects people, inspires action and ultimately shapes a better, more sustainable world for future generations.
Betere Namen Smaken Lekkerder
Mary van Hoek-Hendriks te gast in de Namarama show van Floris Hülsmann Deze aflevering neem ik je mee naar de Horecava. De grootste food- en hospitalitybeurs van Nederland. Een plek waar smaken, concepten en vooral namen samenkomen. Tussen de stands en gesprekken door...
The Supermarket as Curator
If we curate museums, media and fashion because people cannot assess everything for themselves, why do we expect them to do so with food, the single most influential system for our health? In the art world, the concept of a curator carries an almost magical weight. A...
The success factors of sustainable food innovation
The success factors of sustainable food innovation: sustainability must be in your DNA CHANGE INC, By editor Maaike Kooijman, published 2 January 2026 From beet-based steaks to pea milk, from hybrid meat to rescued-vegetable soup: every year, countless new sustainable...
What the Food?! Podcast
Het hing al even in de lucht! De postcast die er móest komen…. What the Food?! Een frisse, korte, 2-wekelijkse podcast waarin Marc en ik food innovaties onder de loep nemen. What the Food?! Dé podcast waarin Mary en Marc food innovaties en mislukkingen, producten,...
Innovation starts with real people…
What do Heilige Boontjes, Oma's Soep and Mama's maaltijden have in common? In all three cases, the social mission originates directly from the founders. Meet the Founders Heilige Boontjes: coffee as a compass for a second chance. Heilige Boontjes (in English Holy...
The Sustainability Manager is the Food Innovator of the Future!
This week, the Impact Award of the Healthy Innovation Awards (Gezonde Innovatie Awards) van Food Personality en FoodLog was presented. The first prize was received by the Sustainability Manager of retailer Lidl. The similarities between her work as a sustainability...
Dutch Design Week 2025 – Where to go – Mary’s favourites
With only three days to go, I’m sharing my favourites of this year. It all started back in 2013 with a small ‘must-see’ list for students from HAS green academy, — those with an extraordinary interest in the future of food, innovation, design, and sustainability, to...
Mastering Food Innovation Festively Launched Among ‘The Crazy Ones’
Rotterdam, Wednesday 24 September 2025 Today, the book Mastering Food Innovation was celebrated with a launch at the very place where innovation is literally in motion: Floating Farm Rotterdam. A select and colourful group of food innovators, entrepreneurs,...
Bouncing Ideas, Building Legacies: Meet the Design Fools
I absolutely love this photo! Let me take you behind the scenes of how it came to be. For years, I’ve been a fan of Foodmaker. I first met Lieven Vanlommel many years ago at an event where he spoke about the journey leading up to building Starmeal and Foodmaker. He...
Food Innovation Fun Tear-Off Calendar 2026 – Open for Order
For the second year in a row: the Food Innovation Fun Tear-Off Calendar! What started last year as a “I-don’t-have-the-right-structure-for-my-book-Mastering Food...
The Food Innovator as Chameleon: One Mission, Many Forms
What is a food innovator? A trendwatcher? A product developer? A project manager? A keynote speaker? A writer of vision documents? Or someone down to earth working with farmers on local food chains? The answer is simple: all of the above. A true food innovator is a...
PRESS RELEASE New book Mastering Food Innovation puts innovation in motion, how to make an impact in the food sector
Eindhoven, 10 June 2025 With the publication of Mastering Food Innovation | Impact by Design, innovation strategist and food impactor Mary van Hoek-Hendriks introduces a powerful new standard for anyone working on the future of food. The book offers both a strategic...
New book ‘MASTERING FOOD INNOVATION | Impact by Design’ offers Food Innovators a roadmap to successful market launch
Absolutely over the moon! Today, Friday 30 May, my book ‘MASTERING FOOD INNOVATION | Impact by Design’ goes live on Amazon. Since I release the Start a Food Story newsletter every the last Friday of the month I was determined to align this month’s newsletter with the...
Firing Up Food Innovation: The Concept Roast That Sparks Change
Today, I had the honour of reviewing all your innovations – a true privilege! In preparation, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. This final roast is my unfiltered, uncensored, no-holds-barred, raw opinion. If you need resuscitation after this roast, require life-saving IV...
From Idea to Success – The Power of a Food Incubator
The food industry is constantly evolving. New concepts, sustainable innovations and healthier products are essential to meet changing consumer demands. But how do you turn a brilliant idea into a market-ready product? This is where the power of a food incubator comes...
Drive Impactful Innovation
Tomorrow's Bites with Andrés & Sjacco Mary van Hoek-Hendriks, a lecturer and expert in food innovation, reflects on her industry journey and the crucial role of fostering impactful innovations. She defines food innovation as creating new, feasible, and desirable...
Innovatie als ondeugd van de CEO
De FMCG Innovatie Podcast met Theo Toering Bamboo Brands In deze aflevering, deel 2, praten we verder met Mary van Hoek-Hendriks over o.a. haar boek, design tools, design rules en design fools, hoe een innovatie als breekijzer in je schap kan fungeren èn innovatie als...
Innoveren gebeurt niet tussen 9-17, eerder tussen 17-9
De FMCG Innovatie Podcast met Theo Toering Bamboo Brands In deze aflevering gaan we in gesprek met Mary van Hoek-Hendriks. Mary heeft 10 jaar in het bedrijfsleven gewerkt bij diverse foodbedrijven en nu alweer ruim 10 jaar in het onderwijs. Altijd focus op product...
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