What is a popular banana bread in the Münster café Glowkitchen has become a food start-up that can now be found in supermarkets, organic food shops and even on board Deutsche Bahn trains and Lufthansa aeroplanes. With organic ingredients and clear values, the team shows that enjoyment and responsibility go hand in hand. Be inspired by the founding story of Glowkitchen!
Sometimes the best business ideas are born where people come together every day - as is the case with Café Glowkitchen in Münster.
The café was founded by Mark and Charly. Hannah and Laura worked there while studying nutritional sciences at the University of Münster. Behind the counter, the foursome quickly realised which product was particularly popular: banana bread.
"Some people came in and wanted a whole kilo of banana bread to take home," recalls Laura. Many guests came in specifically to buy it.
Step by step, a business idea emerged from this observation. So Marc, Charly, Hannah and Laura decided to set up together. They started with their own savings and founded their limited company. With the support of the Coesfeld district business development organisation, they also received a start-up grant and took out a KfW start-up loan. Their idea: to rethink the classic cake shelf in the supermarket. After all, the same brands and products have dominated there for decades.
In their search for a suitable producer, they realised that many manufacturers wanted an early insight into the recipe or demanded very high minimum purchase quantities. It was only after numerous discussions that the founders finally found a producer in southern Germany who was open to the project.
The first step into the trade was made via the organic retailer denn's Biomarkt. The founders easily found the contact via the website's legal notice. The organic retailer quickly recognised the potential of the baked goods and ordered them directly, securing the first production run.
After that, it was all about door-to-door canvassing. The team presented the product in person at the headquarters of Super Bio Markt in Münster as well as in Rewe and Edeka branches and made contacts with other partners at trade fairs. Today, Glowkitchen banana bread can be found at Rewe, Edeka, organic retailers, Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa, among others.
At Glowkitchen, the focus is not only on flavour and enjoyment, but also on clear values: Sustainability, responsibility, quality and transparency. All ingredients are organically grown and the team favours suppliers who share these values - for example bananas and cocoa. Glowkitchen also shows responsibility for the environment when it comes to packaging by using recyclable film.
Anyone sitting on the train or on board Lufthansa today and enjoying a banana bread might not realise that it all started in a café kitchen in Münster. For Marc, Charly, Hannah and Laura, this is exactly the proof: a good idea doesn't need a big budget - but the courage to try it out and test it early on.
