Leaders in the Field: Expert Jury Announced for PotatoEurope 2025 Innovation Award

The organizers of PotatoEurope are proud to announce the members of the expert jury for the PotatoEurope 2025 Innovation Award. In collaboration with PotatoWorld magazine, which - like PotatoEurope – focus on innovation, this prestigious award recognizes the most groundbreaking developments in the potato sector. The trade fair will take place on September 3 and 4 at the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) Open Crops location in Lelystad, the Netherlands.

Together with PotatoEurope, PotatoWorld magazine is organizing the Innovation Award to highlight key innovations within the industry. The professional jury consists of Johan Warringa, Business Unit Manager at WUR Open Crops in Lelystad; Jan Gottschall, Policy Officer at the Dutch Potato Organization (NAO); Rob Donker, Director of the National Cooperative Council and Chairman of the AgrofoodCluster; Roger de Groot, Mayor of the municipality of Noordoostpolder—home to World Potato City Emmeloord; and Jaap Delleman, Editor-in-Chief of PotatoWorld magazine. With this diverse composition, various links within the potato sector are represented in the expert jury.

Warringa will bring his research-oriented perspective to developments in potato cultivation, while Donker, with his roles at NCR and AgrofoodCluster, will focus on innovations and industry collaboration. Gottschall, who represents the interests of Dutch trading companies in both consume and seed potatoes at a national and international level, will assess innovations from this perspective. As chairman of the jury, Mayor De Groot will emphasize innovation within the context of Emmeloord as World Potato City. Delleman complements the jury with his journalistic expertise and international outlook on the sector.

Innovation as a Driving Force

Roger de Groot, Chairman of the Jury:

"Innovation is essential for the future of the potato sector. Within World Potato City, we strongly focus on progress and collaboration. The PotatoEurope Innovation Award provides a platform for the latest advancements that will drive the sector forward."

PotatoEurope 2025 is the key event to showcase groundbreaking potato innovations that contribute to sustainable and efficient solutions for the entire supply chain. The jury will select three companies that, in their view, offer the most innovative product or pioneering service. During the opening event on September 3, bronze, silver, and gold awards will be presented.

The deadline for registering for the Innovation Award is June 16 and can be done on the website of PotatoEurope: https://potatoeurope.nl/innovation-award/

Nearly sold out

The organizers have announced that the trade fair is nearly sold out.

Kuno Jacobs, Event Organizer at DLG Benelux:

"The well-known elements of the event, such as machinery demonstrations, trial fields, and the Innovation Award, continue to be major attractions. Once again, we see strong interest from both national and international players in the potato supply chain. Not only familiar faces but also new exhibitors are finding their way to PotatoEurope 2025."