“Of all the food conferences I’ve ever been, LYST stands out as the place where actions truly speak louder than words. The Icelandic people are leaders to watch in the future of food” said Tim West, one of the headline speakers at Lyst – The Future of Food on Wednesday at the Ocean Cluster House at Reykjavík Harbour.
A crowd of 200 listened to a great menu of international and Icelandic speakers at LYST, which is best described as a forum on the future of food. The President of Iceland opened the forum. Other speakers included Sarah Smith at The Institute of the Future, Jon Staenberg investor and wine maker, Tim West, co-founder of FoodHackathon, analyst and consultant Brita Rosenheim, Roger Berkowitz the President and CEO of Legal Seafood and many more.
“It was an honor to be part of the first LYST, which was an amazing convening of people who are making the future of food. The Ocean Cluster is a great example of the kinds of multidisciplinary partnerships needed to shape our food system in the next decade.” said Sarah Smith, designer and manager at the Institude of the Future in California.
Jon Staenberg, a wine maker and serial entrepreneur from Seattle was also impressed, “LYST changed the way I look at the world and think about food. The entrepreneurial spirit imbued the whole conference. Big things will come from this gathering.”
„The part of the seafood value chain where we should have direct contact and dialogue with the end consumer is one of the weakest link in an otherwise strong value chain which emphasizes quality,“ says Thor Sigfusson, CEO of the Iceland Ocean Cluster. „We are mainly in a dialogue with wholesalers abroad and sell our proteins in large boxes. The challenge for a small country is that we do not have a large domestic market where we can try out new ideas and design products for niche market segments in a serious way. We have also never been in direct relationship with our customers – only our dealers abroad.“
„More interest for Iceland and interest in small scale food manufacturers can open interesting opportunities. But I believe the game changer will come with a new generation of Icelandic food entrepreneurs, foodies, investors and restaurateurs. They will lead the way in the food revolution in Iceland“ says Thor.
LYST marks the beginning of the annual festival Food & Fun in Reykjavík.
