Innovation Challenge – UCC Coffee
Are you working in hydrogen management or energy infrastructure, and do you have the expertise and technology to help UCC prepare one of their coffee roasters for hydrogen? Would you like to secure a new client and showcase your innovation on the global stage at the World Expo in Japan?
UCC’s Transition to Hydrogen
UCC currently roasts its coffee using natural gas. To continue producing high-quality coffee in a sustainable future, this Friesland-based roaster with Japanese roots is preparing for a world beyond natural gas.
Their ambition is to move from natural gas-powered roasters to hydrogen-powered roasters. As a first step, UCC wants to adapt its largest roaster to run on both natural gas and hydrogen. This pilot project will allow them to test the technology and build experience with hydrogen as a fuel source. In the long run, once hydrogen becomes cost-competitive with natural gas, UCC aims to make a full transition.
Why Join?
Do you have the technology, know-how, or expertise to help UCC convert its roaster? Then sign up for the TopDutch Innovation Challenge.
The winner will be awarded the contract to carry out the conversion. On top of that, the winning team will join UCC and NOM at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, in September 2025, where they will jointly present the innovation.
Japanese Challenges, Dutch Innovations
The World Expo in Osaka offers a unique stage to celebrate and strengthen the innovative collaboration between Japan and the Netherlands. Through this challenge, two leading companies in the Northern Netherlands with Japanese parent organizations are teaming up with Dutch start-ups to co-create solutions for pressing global challenges.
