Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Palimdu do? Please introduce yourselves!
Kati Eberhardt, Palimdu: I’m Kati (37) and I founded Palimdu Foods UG this summer, because I want to put a natural alternative to kids’ sweets on the market that is vegan, free of industrial sugar and traded under fair conditions. The aim is to playfully communicate values to kids that have to do with healthy nutrition, sustainability and fairness.
The first product is our Palimdu Drops. They are vegan cocoa drops with almonds as a milk substitute and are sweetened with coconut blossom sugar. They have four different kinds of filling – almond, strawberry, raspberry and passion fruit.
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Kati Eberhardt: Being an aunt of six, the idea came to me after noticing the following issue with sweets: Everyone likes to make kids happy by giving them fun sweets. But most confectionary products for kids contain a lot of sugar and unnecessary additives. On top of that, they’re usually traded and produced under poor conditions. That takes the fun out of it all and always leads to a guilty conscience. All of the alternatives either don’t taste good to kids or are too boring.
To solve that problem, I started to develop my own recipe for natural chocolate products under specialist guidance, which is how Palimdu Drops were created.
Berta the spectacled bear is Palimdu’s taste ambassador
Munich Startup: But that’s nothing out of the box!
Kati Eberhardt: It is true that there are already some fantastic natural sweets that are vegan, free of industrial sugar, fairly traded and sustainable. But what makes Palimdu special is that the sweets are specifically made to meet kids’ needs and are meant to be fun. The entertaining part is taken care of by Berta, the spectacled bear from South America. Her mission is to make the world a happier place and she has lots of exciting stories to tell.
Munich Startup: What have been your three biggest challenges so far?
Kati Eberhardt:
- Deciding on a name – a rollercoaster full of creative highs and lows…and trademark law
- Searching for the right manufacturer who is able to work with my recipe and produce relatively “small” amounts while simultaneously living up to my values.
- Right now: the crowdfunding campaign for the initial production of Palimdu Drops
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, and where in five years?
Kati Eberhardt: In one year, I will have put the Palimdu product collection, based on the Drops, on the market. The products will be available both in the Palimdu online shop and in brick-and-mortar stores.
More sweets in addition to chocolate
In five years, Palimdu will have established a firm foothold in the German market and be listed in various grocery and health food stores. In addition to chocolate, there will be other sweets, such as gummy bears. The first markets in other European countries will have also been tapped into.
Munich Startup: What do you think about Munich as a startup location?
Kati Eberhardt: For me, there’s no better place to be. There is an excellent network in the startup scene and Munich residents in general are very open when it comes to healthy nutrition and the food trends that come along with it.
Munich Startup: Home cooking or takeout?
Kati Eberhardt: If there’s enough time, I really enjoy home cooking. But in a pinch, there are fortunately excellent delivery services.