Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Kraftvoll do? Please introduce yourself!
Frank Matthiesen, Kraftvoll: I’m Frank Matthiesen (36), the founder of Kraftvoll – plastic-free organic superfoods from Germany. I’m a trained banker. After my studies in business economics, I worked as a financial controller in recent years. Yet I somehow felt something was missing. For many years, I’ve been interested in good nutrition and I really like to cook – preferably with seasonal and local organic ingredients. One thing led to another, and now I’ve founded my own startup for regional, organic superfoods.
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Frank Matthiesen, Kraftvoll: Kraftvoll stands for 100 percent vegan, plastic-free and sustainable organic superfoods from Germany! Not only produced in Germany, but also products from small organic farmers in Germany. Without genetic engineering or flavorings or preservatives that you can’t even pronounce. Pure, all-natural flavor! Honest, natural products!
Of course I could have, like the majority of others who sell superfoods, imported goods from all over the world. But why? We have it all right on our doorstep! Quinoa doesn’t need to be transported 10,000 kilometers from Peru or Bolivia to end up on our plates. Goji berries, aronia berries, quinoa and many other fantastic organic treats already grow here. On top of that, I offer these organic superfoods in plastic-free packaging. It’s made of wood cellulose that is biodegradable. And our shipping boxes are made of grass paper. These are the first truly sustainable superfoods! True to the motto: Good for you and good for the environment!
Plastic-free and sustainable organic superfoods from Germany
Munich Startup: But that’s nothing out of the box!
Frank Matthiesen, Kraftvoll: Superfoods have been a trend for quite some time. You also find lots of vendors in the industry who offer organic-quality products. But plastic-free and sustainable organic superfoods from Germany weren’t available yet. And especially not in the abundant selection that we have to offer.
Munich Startup: Was there a point when you nearly failed?
Frank Matthiesen, Kraftvoll: I wanted to open a plastic-free organic shop in Munich a year ago. It unfortunately didn’t work out because I didn’t receive the financial support from banks. So then it was a matter of either being discouraged and giving up on the idea of my own company or launching a new idea. As you can see, I decided on the second option.
Munich Startup: How is business going?
Frank Matthiesen, Kraftvoll: I launched Kraftvoll online this year on 1 July. I’ve noticed that becoming known online is anything but easy. That’s why I’m trying out some ideas on Facebook and Instagram right now. I’ve also already collaborated with some influencers on Instagram – with varying degrees of success. My products are now also available in the first organic shop in Munich, the cute little organic shop around the corner – Naturkost Hollerbusch. So after such a short time on the market, I really can’t say how business is going, except that there’s potential for development.
Kraftvoll is looking for support
On that note, if you know someone who could help me with marketing in exchange for a humble contribution, do let me know. And I would be happy to hear from anyone who is familiar with easy programming with Shopify.
Munich Startup: What do you think about Munich as a startup location?
Frank Matthiesen, Kraftvoll: Munich is a pretty good startup location. There are points of contact you can get in touch with, talks and events from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), the Münchner Existenzgründungsbüro (MEB), Munich Startup Night, various founders’ round tables and the trade fair Existenzgründermesse. I would recommend that every founder works on networking.
Munich Startup: Public transportation or bike?
Frank Matthiesen, Kraftvoll: When the weather is nice, my bike is the top choice! Otherwise public transportation, but only with a mask.