The Retter Kräcker is Coming  [08.12.20]

Picture: University of Hohenheim / ZBS Food UG (Zero Bullshit Company)

Startup profile "Zero Bullshit Company" for ZBS Food UG (limited liability)

Briefly explained: The business idea in 3-5 sentences!

Around 150 kg of food is wasted per capita each year in Germany. We - Sandra Ebert, Pascal Moll, and Lisa Berger - want to change that: We declare war on food waste. The Zero Bullshit Company stands for the efficient use of natural resources by developing innovative food from leftovers of food production.

New, different, better: Why does the company have potential?

During the production of many foods, such as oil or juice, tons of press cake or marc are produced daily. Although still full of valuable proteins, fiber, and minerals, these leftovers are almost never used for human consumption and often end up in animal feed or the biogas plant. With the Zero Bullshit Company we want to turn these remnants into raw materials again. The first product in our Rescuer range is the Retter Kräcker, which consists of over 50% of such remnants and carries the Nutri-Score A due to its high-quality ingredients.

Das Team: Lisa Berger, Sandra Ebert und Pascal Moll promovieren am Lehrstuhl für Lebensmittelmaterialwissenschaft.

Inspiration: How do you come up with something like that?

The foundation for the Zero Bullshit Company was laid by the EIT Food Solutions Master Class 2018 - a collaboration of four European universities, including the Department of Food Materials Science (150g) at the University of Hohenheim. Although we already knew how to produce food through our studies in the field of food technology, it was only in this project that we were sensitized to the fact that there are often byproducts to this process. With the first prototype we won the innovation award and thus set the foundation for the company.

Team: Who are you and what do you do otherwise?

Our team consists of Sandra Ebert, Pascal Moll, and Lisa Berger. The three of us are doing our doctorates at the Department of Food Material Science (150g) under Jochen Weiss with a focus on alternative, plant, and/or animal proteins. Like everyone else, we enjoy spending our free time with friends or doing sports and cooking. At the moment, however, we often sit together to talk about new product ideas, pitch events, and applications. We are also preparing the market entry of the Retter Kräcker at the beginning of 2021.

Impulse: How has your dissertation or your studies at Hohenheim influenced your project?

Of course our studies prepared us for the challenge of the Zero Bullshit Company. We were able to use our knowledge to develop the first prototype and scale it together with a manufacturer, i.e. design it for large-scale production. But also in the future, we are constantly keeping an eye out for further byproducts from the production processes known to us. We are therefore well prepared for subsequent products. Because of our doctorates, we were also able to learn a lot about time management and independent work and would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the support we got.

Founder feelings: What motivates you?

Food waste is more and more present in the media and many of us know this: Wasting food not only harms our wallet, but also the climate! With our knowledge we would like to actively contribute to a more efficient use of our natural resources. We also take a lot of energy from our community, which consists of other sustainably oriented startups and snackers. We inform them not only about our products and company, but also about everything to do with food, sustainability, and the startup scene. At this point a big thank you to our great crowd!

Looking back: What has occupied you in the last months? (for example: Highs, lows, challenges, surprises, motivation, change of perspective...)

I think we can speak for many startups: Almost every day we go through all of these emotions in rapid succession. Together with our community we have always developed further. There have been two name changes, both in the brand and the name of the product. Our packaging layout has been completely revised. We were allowed to pitch here and there - sometimes with success, sometimes simply with a great gain in experience. We thankfully take all this as professional and personal experiences and are looking forward to the next months.

Looking forward: Where do you see your startup in a year?

As already mentioned, in a few weeks' time we will be launching the Savior Cracker in the first herb-onion flavor. It will be followed in the middle of the year by the second and third, namely Paprika Chili and Sea Salt Pepper. While we are marketing our snack, we also want to further develop our ideas to be able to offer a wide range of Retter products under the Zero Bullshit Company in the long run. In addition, some of us are about to finish our doctorate. So next year around this time we hope for another exciting interview in which we will have a lot to report.

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