Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Kristina Schreiner, Co-Founder & Managing Director: Chewsome is the first startup in Europe to develop frozen, tangible, non-pureed baby and toddler meals, specifically for Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) and children aged 6 months to 6 years. Baby-Led Weaning means that babies eat independently instead of being fed. It promotes motor development, strengthens intuitive eating habits, and helps build a healthy relationship with food from the very beginning. This requires solid food that babies can grasp themselves – not pureed puree. In this way, we solve a problem that many parents are familiar with: They want to offer their child fresh, healthy food, but have neither the time nor the energy to cook every day. At the same time, the range on offer in stores is dominated by jars and squeezable snacks, which are not exactly what you would call "real food."
Chewsome brings real, nutrient-rich meals to the freezer. 100 percent organic, without additives, and designed so children can eat independently.
“We are currently creating a new category”
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Kristina Schreiner: That's exactly what we thought. And then we started researching: While there are countless varieties of purees and squeezable snacks, not a single product that's BLW-compliant, baby-friendly, clean-label, and truly practical. Organic frozen foods for children are also extremely rare, and if they do exist, they're only for children 3 years and older, and often contain added salt, sugar, or stabilizers. We're currently creating a new category: frozen baby food that looks homemade but is industrially produced safely.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Kristina Schreiner: Chewsome began with my own child, or more specifically, with a problem with eating. My eldest son wouldn't eat puree, so I switched to baby-led weaning (BLW). I was thrilled with how much it encouraged his independence and interest in real food. But at the same time, I faced a dilemma: I had a demanding job and simply didn't have enough time to cook fresh meals every day.
The products I needed simply didn't exist. So I started developing them myself. Chewsome was born from this very personal experience, and now we are three founders who share the same conviction to promote better child nutrition: healthy, accessible, and without compromise.
Big challenge: raising capital
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Kristina Schreiner: Clearly, it's about sourcing baby-food-grade raw materials. We test every batch for over 200 potential contaminants. This is expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to implement for many ingredients. Baby-grade spinach? Only from China or South America—neither of which is an option for us. At the same time, we had to strike a balance between regulatory safety and everyday practicality for parents. And, of course, financing. Raising capital with "baby food" is still not easy, even though the market is huge.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Kristina Schreiner: In one year, we aim to establish Chewsome in brick-and-mortar stores across Germany, with at least three product lines. In five years, we want to be the leading brand for frozen baby and toddler food in Europe – with a product range that supports parents through every stage of their child's development. Our goal is to rethink convenience and responsibility, without compromise.
“We had to move our production to NRW”
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Kristina Schreiner: We love the network in Munich; there are many dedicated founders, great events, and a growing community of female founders and impact startups. What we lack, however, are open-minded, flexible food producers. We had to relocate our production to North Rhine-Westphalia because we couldn't find partners in and around Munich who could meet our requirements for baby food quality, small batches, and innovation.
Nevertheless, we haven't given up hope that local organic retailers and the regional food scene will become more open to new concepts like ours in the future. Munich definitely has the potential to be a strong location for sustainable food innovations. However, this requires more courage to collaborate beyond traditional organic standards.
Munich Startup: Outsource or do it yourself?
Kristina Schreiner: Both, but consciously. We do everything ourselves that has to do with vision, brand building, product development, and customer proximity. Our quality is not a coincidence, but the result of control, attention to detail, and many sleepless nights. At the same time, we know when it makes sense to bring in experts, for example, for regulatory issues or logistics. Our motto: think for yourself, but don't have to do everything yourself.
