#7 How Manna turns data into results in the food industry

About this episode

Geert Vromman interviews Kristof Janssens about Manna Foods' AI journey and the practical applications of AI in the food industry.

In this episode, Geert Vromman talks to Kristof Janssens, Finance Manager at Manna Foods, a Belgian SME known for its sauces and condiments, serving both retail and foodservice clients. Together, they reflect on Manna’s AI journey: from their first CROPLAND workshop to real operational changes. Kristof shares what worked, where the challenges were, and how cross-department collaboration turned AI into action. Geert explores what sparked engagement inside Manna, how concrete projects emerged from a single moodboard session, and why you don’t need to be ‘techy’ to get started with AI. It’s an honest conversation about starting small, thinking together, and making AI practical – even in a classic production environment.

People in this episode

Host: Geert Vromman

Guest: Kristof Janssens

Topics covered

• AI in food industry
• data-driven results
• cross-department collaboration
• operational changes
• starting small with AI

Keywords

• AI
• food industry
• Manna Foods
• CROPLAND
• data
• operational changes
• collaboration
• sauces
• condiments

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Manna Foods, CROPLAND

Places: Belgium

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