This time, our 7 questions go to the startup Wisefood. The food company recently moved to the Technology and Startup Center Gate and has developed an environmentally friendly drinking straw. The straw lasts for about an hour in the drink, after which it can simply be eaten. The founders already presented their German-made straw on 'The Lion's Den'. One of the founders, Philipp Silbernagel, tells us more in an interview.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
We are a food startup founded in April 2017. We have developed an environmentally friendly drinking straw. The 'Super Straw' is an innovative alternative to plastic straws. It is stable in beverages for 60 minutes and is edible.
“The world’s first drinking straws made from plant fibers”
We at Wisefood With the 'Super Straw,' we have developed the first edible drinking straw with fruit fibers that not only tastes great but is also environmentally friendly. By using fruit fibers, we can offer a delicious and fiber-rich alternative to conventional plastic drinking straws, while simultaneously preventing unnecessary plastic waste. Furthermore, our innovation enriches the enjoyment of beverages and generates attention, which can be used to convey advertising messages.
We have been developing and producing our innovative drinking straw since 2017 and are constantly working on improvements. Our customers include food retailers and hospitality businesses such as hotels and restaurants. We also market our innovation directly to end customers through our online shop.
2. But that has been around for a long time!
While other biodegradable drinking straws already exist, these cannot be consumed or decompose quickly. They are often simply burned. An alternative are drinking straws made of glass or stainless steel. However, due to the cleaning effort, these are not particularly suitable for the catering industry.
We've reinvented an everyday product. Drinking straws aren't a global innovation, but they've become an indispensable part of our lives. Since our straws are the world's first made from plant fibers, and they're not only sustainably produced but also edible, we can say: protecting the environment doesn't have to mean sacrifice!
The 'Superhalm': Made in Germany from regional products
With apple pomace and grain, we use natural raw materials that can easily be sourced in Germany. Apple pomace, a waste product from apple juice production, would normally be thrown away. Thanks to our super straw, we can reuse this raw material effectively.
Our innovative and sustainable lifestyle product stands in stark contrast to the wasteful use of resources in the production of plastic drinking straws. Because we use waste materials, we also see a clear advantage over plastic-free alternatives made of glass, paper, and metal.
3. What are the three main ingredients for your recipe for success?
A key ingredient in our recipe for success is certainly our perseverance.
We successfully completed our first production in 2017, the year our startup was founded. Despite challenges like finding a suitable production facility and creating the perfect recipe for long-term stability, we persevered. This perseverance ultimately led to us now being able to produce millions of straws per month.
High demand due to trend towards sustainability
Another ingredient for success is, of course, that our product is not only innovative but also – especially in a time of striving for sustainability – is in great demand.
The third ingredient forms the foundation of our success: our young and dynamic team. We all share a vision of sustainability and a strong desire to avoid waste, and therefore strongly identify with the product.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
In 2018, we produced over 5 million drinking straws. This enabled us to replace several million plastic straws with our environmentally friendly alternative. Our goal is to significantly increase this year. Having large customers—such as Edeka and Rewe in Bavaria—and many hotels and restaurants as our customers, we have laid a solid foundation. We will build on this.
5. What does Munich mean to you?
Munich is our production site and also our office location. This ensures good and fast cooperation with our local partners. Furthermore, the Entrepreneurship nearby, whose team of experienced entrepreneurs, scientists, and managers helps us further develop our ideas and provides us with advice and support. Apart from that, there are, of course, other important and personal contacts that connect us to the beautiful city of Munich.
Wisefood: Waste prevention through edible drinking straws
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
With our Super Straw, we've created an edible and environmentally friendly alternative to plastic straws. Our goal is to continue this on a large scale. We're already preventing millions of unnecessary plastic straws, but we want to significantly increase our efforts. With an average of one billion plastic straws used every day, there's plenty to do!
Regarding our personal development, we're experiencing strong demand, even including our first clients from abroad. For example, we have prospective clients from the Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, and even Asia.
What makes us special is, on the one hand, our good “Made in Germany” quality and, on the other hand, our strong network of partners and customers.
7. Hiking or beer garden?
Beer garden!
