Cereal from Rescued Bananas  [19.12.19]

Picture: BanaBooms

Start-up Profile: BanaBooms

Filled out by: Ines Kutzli, doctoral candidate in food technology and Inna Zhuravlova, Master's student in Bioeconomy

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

BanaBooms is the first breakfast cereal that consists mainly of rescued bananas from the retail trade. BanaBooms is crunchy and tasty and completely without added sugar and artificial ingredients. The product is also vegan and gluten-free - perfect for environmentally and nutritionally conscious young adults and families.

Our basic ingredient is overripe bananas, which can no longer be sold in food retailing. Every pack of BanaBooms is an active contribution in the fight against unnecessary food waste.

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

Various studies have shown that bananas are the most rejected fruit in European food retailing. The ripe bananas no longer correspond to the consumer expectations of a green-yellow banana, but they can be consumed without hesitation and are excellently suited for our novel approach of a breakfast cereal with a high proportion of fresh bananas. The business concept is based on the circular economy principle. The bananas are bought cheaply from supermarkets and then processed into a product with a new market value.

Ines Kutzli (l) und Inna Zhuravlova (r) wollen mit ihrem Startup BanaBooms ein Zeichen gegen Lebensmittelverschwendung setzen. Bild: BanaBooms

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

In 2018 we were part of the Hohenheim team in the EIT Food project "Circular Food Generator Track". The Belgian supermarket chain Colruyt asked three student teams from Europe to develop product solutions for food waste from retailers. That's how we got to know each other and laid the foundation for BanaBooms. We successfully completed the project and were able to prevail against the other teams in the final project pitch. Since April 2019, we have been implementing the idea as a team.

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

Inna Zhuravlova and Ines Kutzli are behind BanaBooms. We are both very interested in sustainability issues in our private lives and are volunteers in food sharing to combat food waste and to create a respectful way of dealing with food.

Inna Zhuravlova: I already have a Master's in International Economic Relations and this year I am completing my second Master's in Bioeconomy at the University of Hohenheim. I am the contact person for business management questions. In my home country, Ukraine, I have already gained experience as a project coordinator for an NGO.

Ines Kutzli: I am doing my doctorate in food technology at the University of Hohenheim and have practical experience in the food industry. I take care of product development, product safety, and production.

Impulses: How did your studies in Hohenheim influence your project?

Our studies, but also the Hohenheim start-up environment, gave us the necessary specialist knowledge and network to work successfully on this project.

Entrepreneurial feelings: What drives you? Why are you doing this?

It is well known that about a third of our food is not consumed, it is wasted. This is particularly serious in the case of the resource-intensive banana. We not only want to produce breakfast cereals, we also want to raise awareness of unnecessary food waste.

A look back: What has been on your mind in recent months?

We were always surprised how and where support could be found. We are currently planning a small project to save bananas with a German supermarket chain. So far everything has been completely uncomplicated and we are happy that our sustainable product idea is well received. We also convinced the juries in several pitch competitions and won the Female Founders Cup in Stuttgart in May and the Best Food/Tech Newcomer Award at the start-up night in Berlin in September.

In addition, it is always nice to see how people react to our product during tastings. We always get very positive feedback. Even the food retail trade is already interested in listing us and selling BanaBooms.

However, the search for a producer is a major challenge. Unfortunately, we have not yet had any success in this respect, but we are still working on it. Another challenge is of course the time management between studies, doctorate, start-up, volunteer work, private life etc. etc. etc. You have to plan well...

Future: Where do you see your startup in a year?

It is to be founded in spring 2020. Since we are still finishing our second Master's or doctorate, the start-up is in the pre-foundation phase.

We hope to be on the market by mid-2020 and to have saved the first 10,000 kg of bananas from the trash by the end of 2020.

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