About ── A Gastronomic Innovation Center

Makeat is an innovation, design and product development studio focused on the gastronomic ecosystem. Based in Barcelona, we work at the intersection of thinking, making and experiencing, designing projects that transform ideas into systems, tools and experiences with real impact.

 

We understand gastronomy as a complex, living system where creativity, innovation, science, strategy, operations, technology and emotion coexist. Our work moves between analysis and creation, combining consultancy and design as two complementary ways of approaching the same challenge: understanding reality in depth in order to transform it with purpose.

 

Through Consultancy, we analyse contexts, processes and behaviours to define clear frameworks for decision-making, innovation and growth, and activate this knowledge through workshops, talks and tailored learning formats, designed to share methodology, align teams and open new perspectives. Through Design, we translate those frameworks into tangible solutions (products, tools, devices and experiences) where form, function and narrative are inseparable.

 

We work with materials, technology, processes and people. We collaborate with brands, operators and professionals from food, drinks, science, design and business, acting as a bridge between innovation and real use. From this way of thinking and making, initiatives like Tools by Makeat naturally emerge, expanding the possibilities of gastronomic design through creative tooling.

 

At Makeat, every project is an opportunity to explore new languages, question conventions and design with intention. We think through every detail, every texture, shape, scent and flavour, because we believe that meaningful impact happens when ideas are not only imagined, but carefully built.

| Our Methodologies

At the core of our work are the methodologies that guide how we think and how we build. Food Thinking allows us to approach gastronomy as a living system, connecting culture, context, technique, experience, science, innovation and creativity to develop projects with depth and meaning. FAC.U² structures the journey from analysis to creation, helping us turn understanding into action with clarity and coherence. Together, these methodologies are embedded in every project we develop at Makeat, across both consultancy and design, ensuring that ideas are not only creative, but also solid, intentional and executable.

A02 ── Team
| Juan Umbert
Co-Founder & CEO
| Adrià Colominas
Co-Founder & CTO
| Víctor Echevarria
Head of Strategy
| Alicia Cusco
External Consultant - Catao
| Carlos Clemente
Project Manager
| Pol Bernat
Conceptual Designer
| Chema Ortolano
Head of Consultancy & R&D
| Maria Rodríguez
Head of Communications
| Mariona Prats
Head of Production
| Alex Lahuerta
Creative Designer
| Lucie Levrard
Production Doer
| Samuel Colominas
Graphic Designer
| Marta Florido
Product Designer
| Manuel Mur
Senior Designer
| Javi Albo
Administrative Officer
| Ana de Sousa
A02 ── Our ecosystem

Lasarte | Disfrutar | SIPS |  Macallan | Aethos Mallorca | America’s Cup | Azurmendi | Bellus | Bombay Shapphire | Dewars | Salmón Gurú | Grosvenor House JW Marriot Hotel | Jumpers | Levi’s | Mo Barcelona | Rocambolesc | Moet & Chandon | NeoSpot | Popitas | Bacardi | Lluc Crusellas | Carles Codina (Four Seasons Madrid) | Welbilt | Paradiso | Grupo Esencia | Le Tribute | Miquel Guarro | Hofmann | Mamzel Marbella | Mr. Porter |

THINKERSFOOD UNIVERSE

Il Milione

| Project info

[Experience Design / Product Design]

| Sketch
| 3D Render
| Visual
Hacking the Michelin-star atmosphere.

Il Milione is a sensory exploration conceived to question and redefine how fine dining is perceived. Each course is designed through a neurogastronomy-driven approach, activating the senses, evoking emotion and immersing the guest in a carefully constructed experience that goes far beyond taste.

Led by Martín Berasategui and Paolo Casagrande, together with Joan Carles Ibáñez, António Coelho and Xavi Donnay, the project was approached as a complete rethinking of the Michelin-star experience. Makeat worked from a consultancy perspective to analyse, design and orchestrate the atmosphere of fine dining across every dimension: visual, tactile, olfactory and auditory..

 

Rather than focusing solely on dishes, the project centred on the construction of a coherent sensory system. Each decision, from rhythm and sequencing to gestures, materials and interactions, was designed to guide perception and place the guest at the centre of the experience. Neurogastronomy became a tool for understanding how stimuli interact, allowing each course to function as part of a larger emotional and sensorial narrative.

| Info

Within this framework, design emerged as a natural extension of the concept. Specific tools were developed to support and reinforce the experience, not as decorative objects but as functional interfaces between idea and ritual. Elements such as a custom butter knife and a personalised butter marker were designed to activate touch, attention and intention, translating abstract concepts into tangible gestures at the table.

 

These objects were conceived in direct response to the experience they needed to support. Their form, weight and use were carefully calibrated to integrate seamlessly into the flow of service, reinforcing the narrative without disrupting it. Design here acts quietly, amplifying meaning through use rather than visibility.

 

Il Milione transforms each dish into a sensory story, where gastronomy and design converge to create a unified ritual. A project that demonstrates how Makeat approaches consultancy at its highest level: not by adding layers, but by designing systems where every element, from concept to object, works together to shape an unforgettable experience.

Careers at Makeat BCN

We work with chefs, brands, and innovators around the world to turn imagination into matter — and we’re always looking for curious, restless minds to join us.

 

We value thinkers who build and makers who think. People who are comfortable with ambiguity, who see both code and cuisine as creative tools.

gestion@makeat.tech

Carrer Ramon Turro, 5,
Barcelona, Spain 08005
+34 646 044 137