Food businesses are constantly on the move, but when it comes to labelling, many are still relying on outdated, time-consuming processes. From listing allergens to managing stock rotation and ingredient details, it’s a part of the job that’s often overlooked and yet essential. That’s the challenge Dill set out to fix, and it’s what’s earned them this year’s Wales StartUp Award for Mobile & Emerging Technologies.
Founded by Alex Coldea and Paul Balan, Dill is a mobile food labelling platform that takes something tedious and makes it smart, fast, and fully automated. It works straight from your phone or tablet.
From takeaway shops and bakeries to stadium kitchens and school campuses, Dill is helping food businesses of all sizes label faster, stay compliant, and spend less time on admin and more time doing what they do best.
While studying at Swansea University, Alex began exploring the food tech space with an early focus on food ordering. As new food labelling regulations came into effect; particularly Natasha’s Law, introduced in 2021 to improve allergen transparency on pre-packed food, he saw a more urgent, overlooked opportunity.
Natasha’s Law requires full ingredient and allergen labelling on all pre-packed-for-direct-sale (PPDS) food items. Recognising how difficult compliance could be for small kitchens and growing food businesses, Alex shifted his focus. He joined forces with Paul Balan, a Romania-based software developer with a deep technical skill set, and together they set out to build a mobile-first platform that could take the pressure off businesses and make safe, accurate labelling simple.
The result is a mobile-first system that’s remarkably simple on the surface but incredibly powerful underneath. Businesses can manage recipes centrally and push updates instantly across locations. Labels are generated automatically, pulling from cloud-based templates that keep allergen and ingredient data up to date. And because Dill works offline, it’s as reliable on a busy prep line as it is in an office.
What makes Dill’s journey even more impressive is how much they’ve achieved with such a small team. They’ve grown by building the right thing, listening to their customers, and solving a problem that’s been overlooked for too long. They’ve helped print over 1.5 million labels across hundreds of kitchens, including in schools where allergen safety is critical and in high-footfall hospitality venues where consistency matters.
From day one, Dill was designed to help people. It’s quick to set up, easy to use, and actually makes life easier for the teams using it every day. It’s also opening new doors.
Being named a regional winner at the UK StartUp Awards is a well-earned moment of recognition for the team and a sign that their best work is still ahead.
Reflecting on their success, Alex says, “Winning both Wales StartUp of the Year and AI StartUp of the Year is a huge milestone for us. We started Dill to solve a real problem for food and retail operators, making labeling effortless, accurate, and scalable. This recognition reflects the progress we’ve made and the impact our technology is having across the industry. We’re excited to keep building, keep learning, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with AI in food and hospitality.”
Dill is proving that labelling doesn’t have to be a bottleneck. With thoughtful design and a clear sense of purpose, it can become a competitive advantage.
We’ll see Dill again at the national final this September at Ideas Fest, where the best of the UK’s startup scene will come together to celebrate, connect, and look ahead. If you want to be part of it, grab your ticket now and meet the startups shaping the future. Until then, it’s back to business, one label at a time.