A design bootcamp to rethink future food transitions

At a time when plant-based proteins are attracting growing interest across the agri-food industry, the international “Sexy Beans” bootcamp aims to make leguminous plants more appealing, accessible and relevant to new audiences, beyond consumers who are already aware of their benefits.

Launched in 2023, the programme has evolved into a travelling Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), a short-term mobility initiative developed within the Erasmus + framework.

Each year, it brings together four design schools engaged in food-related practices and research: Elisava, l’ISIA Roma Design, Köln International School of Design and L’École de design Nantes Atlantique, through its Food Design Lab.

Following its first edition in Nantes in 2024 and its second in Rome in 2025, the third edition took place in Cologne, bringing together nearly 50 students from a wide range of countries. Over the past three years, the programme has involved around one hundred students, as well as teachers, doctoral researchers, experts, chefs and local partners, resulting in around twenty innovative design projects.

During this third edition in Cologne, students carried out fieldwork in collaboration with the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture, LeguNet, the Raiffeisen cooperative and other local stakeholders. They explored the regenerative impact of legumes on soil health, compared products, places and food experiences across four countries, and translated their findings into concepts and prototypes through four design lenses: behaviours, forms, places and services.