Inside FoodYoung’s Mission to Rethink Clean-Label Foods, from Formulation to Scale

The clean-label food industry faces a pressing challenge: bringing new products to market is often slow, costly, and complex. 

Startups are held back by high minimum order quantities, long development timelines, and the need to juggle multiple partners across formulation, production, and branding. 

This fragmented system makes it harder to launch innovative, healthy products at speed, without compromising on quality or clean-label values.

Enter FoodYoung, who are enabling entrepreneurs, startups and CPG brands to create breakthrough food and snack products with science-backed formulations, pilot production and scale production across 6 core categories: functional snacks, bean to bar chocolates, clean-label cereals and baked snacks, next-gen protein bars, elevated ready frozen meals, specialty spreads & gelato.

At the helm is Abouzar Rahmani, a serial food entrepreneur with a family legacy spanning over 145 years in the agro-food sector. After partially-exiting his previous venture, Mani Food Snacks (operating in Dubai and Belgium), and undergoing a personal health transformation, Abouzar founded FoodYoung in Switzerland in 2012 to build a new generation of clean-label food brands with purpose and performance at their core.

FoodHack caught up with Abouzar to learn how FoodYoung is reimagining what it takes to launch a food brand today; how their full-stack platform blends science, speed to take products from idea to shelf in as little as six weeks and the central role clean-label ingredients play across both in-house and partner brands.

From Idea to Shelf in 6 Weeks

From as few as 50 units for early testing to 50,000+ for scaling, Swiss-based full-stack food innovation company FoodYoung has infrastructure designed to meet brands where they are, scaling from idea to market in as little as 6 weeks. 

Housed under one roof in Switzerland, the company combines a formulation lab, test kitchen, co-manufacturer, and food innovation studio combined allowing it to develop products up to 10x faster and cheaper than most corporates or even startups.

“A Swiss entrepreneur recently launched a clean-label protein bar with us,” says Abouzar. “We started with 300 bars to test the market. 10 weeks later, we scaled to 20,000 without changing partners or compromising on taste, clean label, or quality.”

Full-Stack for Food Founders

For founders and creators with big ideas needing technical experience, FoodYoung is removing the barriers to entry, offering full-stack support across ideation and formulation to branding and go-to-market support, including a venture studio for deeper collaborations.

“We typically work with consumer food and food tech startups, innovative retailers, and influencers with a strong vision. Our team of food engineers, scientists, culinary chefs, and craftsmen bring tens of thousands of hours of R&D and manufacturing experience to each project,” explains Abouzar.

Clean Label with Science and Soul

At the heart of every product developed at FoodYoung is a strict commitment to clean-label standards. 

But what does this mean in practice? 

“For us, clean label means no ultra-processed ingredients,” says Abouzar. “No refined sugars, inflammatory seed oils, artificial flavorings, preservatives or additives.” 

Instead, the team prioritises organic, local, and fairly sourced ingredients, and emphasizes sustainable packaging. And can formulate for nearly every dietary need: vegan, paleo, high-protein, high-fiber, gluten-free, and more, always ensuring taste leads the way.

9 In-House Brands and a Growing Pipeline

Beyond working with clients, FoodYoung is building its own portfolio of in-house brands. The team has launched 9 brands so far, each focused on under-innovated categories like ice creams, protein bars, nut spreads, and trail snacks. 

ZAZ, Mellody, Bonnap and CimaNorma are just a few of these house brands which are listed with leading retail partners like Erewhon, Pop Up Grocer, Coop and Manor CH.

“These are long-term plays,” Abouzar tells us, “they reflect our formulation philosophy and clean-label values. Clients often come to us for commercial versions of what we’ve already developed internally.”

Solar Foods Collaboration with FoodYoung

FoodYoung Labs collaborated with Solar Foods to bring Solein® protein into a new generation of protein snacks.

Solein is not just another alternative protein - it is produced from air and electricity through a fermentation process, making it one of the most sustainable and pioneering proteins in the world.

With its neutral taste, complete amino acid profile, and unmatched environmental credentials, Solein offers a breakthrough foundation for creating foods that are clean, functional, and climate-resilient.

By combining this groundbreaking ingredient with FoodYoung’s expertise in clean-label formulation and product innovation, the collaboration demonstrates how science and culinary craftsmanship can converge to shape the future of food.

Where Science Meets Strategy

FoodYoung fuels its innovation pipeline through strategic collaborations with universities, tech providers, and venture studios to power its pipeline. “We work closely with universities-especially for talent in food science, engineering, and culinary innovation,” notes Abouzar. “We also partner with venture studios in Switzerland and the U.S., to bring product ideas to life.”

These partnerships are feeding into the company’s next big push: advancing clean-label enablers. “We’re expanding R&D in key enablers like alternative proteins, solid fat replacements, and natural stabilizers and binders,” says Abouzar. These are critical for clean-label performance across our categories-snacks, bars, spreads, baked goods, frozen meals, and ice creams. 

“Our goal is to bridge food science with culinary craftsmanship,” he adds. “Always with joy, taste, and health at the core.”

Next: Team up to Scale up

Whether you're an early-stage startup, a retail chain looking for innovation, or a creator ready to bring your food vision to life, FoodYoung’s platform blends science, agility, and purpose, without compromising on taste to create a recipe for success.