The pilot AgriScale Spain 2026 took place Faunus Hub taking part in a three-day internationalization tour to Spain, led by Aggrator partner and Spaniard Salvador Baille.
When Aggrator developed the concept behind AgriScale, the ambition was clear from the start: the program was not only intended to provide market knowledge, but also to create real business opportunities for Norwegian agrifoodtech companies abroad.
After three intense days of customer visits, meetings with key market players, and participation at one of Europe’s largest food and food technology trade shows, we can confidently say that the goal of creating real business opportunities was achieved. At the end of the tour, Faunus Hub, led by CEO Tom Reinert Johansen, secured leads, demo agreements, and a commercial offer from one of Spain’s largest egg producers.
During part of the journey, Salvador Baille, Partner at Aggrator and project manager for the pilot, reflected on the experience.
Day 1: market insights and support in Madrid
The first day started in Madrid with meetings with two key supporters of Norwegian companies in Spain: ICEX og Innovation Norway. The participants gained concrete insights into market opportunities in the fields of agritech and foodtech, with a particular focus on the areas of interest of the Faunus Hubs, relevant regulatory issues, and the challenges that market players wish to address.
ICEX presented support programs for foreign startups looking to establish themselves in Spain, including how companies can qualify for these schemes. Innovation Norway, for its part, presented its prioritized business areas and the mechanisms it uses to support Norwegian initiatives locally. A common message was the close collaboration between the two institutions, representing a valuable network for companies considering the Spanish market.
The day ended with sharing experiences from Nofence, a Norwegian export success with an established presence in Spain. The advice from Nofence was practical and directly based on own experiences from the market entry:
«Start with pilot farmers, inform and use subsidies, build local ambassadors, and adapt the solution regionally. Spain is a large country where each region is different. Make the solution simple and thoroughly familiarize yourself with the farmer’s daily life.»
It is this kind of insight that is difficult to acquire in any other way than through personal experience, and that is precisely why such exchanges of experiences and meetings are a central part of the AgriScale program.
Day 2: The customer meeting that resulted in a quote in less than an hour
On the second day, what AgriScale is meant to be in practice was demonstrated. After a targeted selection process of relevant companies for the Faunus Hub, a meeting was held with Huevos Velasco. The company is one of Spain’s largest egg producers with around two million hens and an annual production of approximately 360 million eggs. Faunus Hub presented its SaaS solution for optimizing chicken production, and the response exceeded expectations. The interest was immediate and concrete, and already during the meeting the client requested a quote. In less than an hour, a real commercial race was set in motion, which rarely happens without thorough preparation and precise matchmaking in advance.
Day 3: International exposure at Alimentaria in Barcelona
The program was concluded at Alimentaria in Barcelona, one of Europe’s largest trade shows for food and food technology. In one day, the Faunus Hub achieved ten meetings with potential customers from three countries, three follow-up meetings were scheduled, and two video meetings with demonstrations were planned. The response from the trade show floor confirmed what had already become clear throughout the week: there is real and broad demand for technology that can improve efficiency and production management in the poultry industry, and this demand extends well beyond the Spanish market.
Structured market work provides quick results
AgriScale Spain 2026 followed a deliberate logic to give Norwegian companies the fastest possible path from market entry to an actual business opportunity.
Before departure, thorough preparations were made, including the selection of relevant customers. During the actual trip, day one began with establishing market insights and access to the support team. Then, day two included targeted customer meetings that provided both potential business and first-hand understanding of the customers’ needs. The final day’s program was used to extensively expose the company to international players.
After testing and validating the program and structure in 2026, we look forward to continuing AgriScale in 2027, scaling up several agrifoodtech companies.
Contact Salvador at interest.
Photo: Tom Reinert Johansen (CEO, Faunus Hub) and Salvador Baille during AgriScale Spain 2026