Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Mingagreens: We're three friends who have been playing tennis together for several years, pursuing our personal passions exclusively. The pandemic brought us together online, and the idea of starting a joint project quickly arose.
We are all three fathers, and so we quickly came to the topics of health, enjoyment, and finally microgreens. We would also like to be involved in aquaponics in the field of Urban / Vertical Farming started, but the situation in Munich with free space then forced us to smaller dimensions in cultivation.
We quickly got started with the first microgreens, and in the first year we were able to convince several organic supermarkets of our products. And that's exactly what makes Mingagreens Not only a high-quality, organic-certified product, but also a highly diverse team with different strengths.
Gernot is our key man for microgreens. As a biotechnologist with a doctorate, he brings a wealth of experience and a keen eye for detail to make our products unique. Florian, a former physiotherapist at FC Bayern Munich and now head physiotherapist at the Olympic training center, has the largest network. In his own practice, he and his patients continually generate new ideas for Mingagreens and successful partnerships. He is also our devil's advocate, challenging Gernot and Thomas at the right moments when it comes to procurement and business development. And last but not least, Thomas, the management consultant, supports Mingagreens in its structures, processes, and visions.
“We solve a pleasure problem”
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Mingagreens: Today, we're solving a problem of enjoyment. For most of our customers, microgreens are still completely unknown, and with our presence, we're filling this gap in the world of enjoyment. Furthermore, we're able to offer local products in Munich and the surrounding area, rather than sourcing them from far and wide.
In the future, we hope to encourage other microfarmers in Germany to grow and sell these delicious products in their regions, reducing logistics chains and operating sustainably. To this end, we are currently developing a modular system to source the infrastructure locally.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Mingagreens: Of course, and that's been the case ever since vegetables were invented. However, in recent years, awareness of our food has never been as high as it is now.
Munich Startup: What have been your three biggest challenges so far?
Mingagreens:
A) Customer acquisition in the restaurant industry during the pandemic – impossible!
B) Manual processes with growing sales – the product was important to us, not automation.
C) To get to know each other professionally and to understand how we work best together off the tennis court.
Successful cooperation with organic supermarkets
Munich Startup: How are things going?
Mingagreens: Our business has been performing very satisfactorily since our founding in February 2021. Sales actually only really picked up with the collaboration of regional organic supermarkets, as the restaurant industry was at a standstill. Today, we generate monthly sales of €15,000 and see potential growth with microgreens as well as other food products and services.
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Mingagreens: Munich is probably the most important startup location in Germany, alongside Berlin. There are so many companies and startups with whom you can quickly connect and take advantage of shared opportunities. We're very happy to have started our business here.
Munich Startup: Risk or security?
Mingagreens: Both, but what company doesn't have that? We are aware of the potential risks, but we are highly motivated to address them and not give risks a chance.
