The story about Piesta Hackathon: Sustainable Use of Apple Pomace

Piesta Hackathon Sparks Innovation in Apple Pomace Valorization

The BioBoosters Piesta Hackathon, held on 15–16 May at the Pärnu County Development Centre’s Innovation Hub, successfully brought together international teams and mentors to develop sustainable, practical solutions for valorizing apple pomace – the nutritious by-product of juice production at Piesta Kuusikaru Farm. Organized in collaboration with the international BioBoosters network, this event was a landmark opportunity to link circular economy innovation with real-world rural business needs.

Bringing Together International Expertise

Five teams from Estonia, Germany, Sweden, and Finland worked intensively to generate actionable ideas tailored to small-scale production. The participants included: Klareva (Estonia), I.L.U. (Germany), Biohumus (Sweden), NPO Veggies (Estonia), and POMA-VALOR (Finland). Mentorship came from both technical experts and industry peers – including fellow apple product producers – helping spark collaboration and even new solutions for their own side streams.

Highlight of the Hackathon

Klareva was selected as the jury’s top choice for their black soldier fly solution, converting apple pomace into high-value animal protein and fertilizer. The Audience Favourite, voted during the event’s first-ever livestreamed final pitch, was I.L.U. from Germany with their innovative approach to create fruit fillings via extrusion technology. Their consumer-oriented vision gained much attention online and offline.

Lessons from Going Live

While the livestream concept was an exciting first for BioBoosters, it came with its own challenges. A last-minute delay due to LinkedIn’s server issues tested the organizers’ resilience. The key takeaway: stay flexible, remain calm, and trust the process. A high-energy professional moderator played a crucial role in keeping spirits up and smoothing transitions. As Kaydi Tomson from Pärnu County Development shared, ‘Even with surprises, the experience was inspiring and energizing. The lessons we learned from going live are valuable for future events.’

Despite the hiccups, the decision to stream the final publicly was a meaningful one – it broadened the reach of the ideas shared and offered insights to many other producers facing similar challenges. The format allowed new connections and dialogue to emerge between teams, mentors, and industry representatives.

Reflections from the Challenge Provider

Külli Eller, co-owner of Piesta Kuusikaru Farm, emphasized how impactful the event was for a small rural producer: ‘It’s not every day you have five international teams developing solutions for your specific challenge. We’re grateful to the Pärnu County Development Centre for the fantastic organization, and we’re excited to explore the solutions further.’

Conclusion

The Piesta Hackathon showed the value of combining regional challenges with international expertise and entrepreneurial creativity. The lessons learned – from technical innovation to resilience in live event management – are already helping shape the path ahead for other BioBoosters hackathons.

Svea Uusen, Project Manager, BioBoosters Project

Email: svea@parnumaa.ee | Mobile: +372 505 1797

Pärnu County Development Centre and Innovation Hub

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