- Mr. Cindric, when did the idea of founding "Flocke GmbH" arise?
"The thought or the idea has been around since spring 2020 - at that time still under the project name Flockenmanufaktur. It then took a whole year before Flocke GmbH or FLOCKE was founded. In April 2021 we finally founded FLOCKE with the operational team and strategic investors who believed in us.
At this point, a big thank you again to the investors in the first round - they trusted in the basic idea at a very early stage and invested risk capital!
Afterwards we also enjoyed the REWE Startup Ticket Incubator and were able to benefit from the food retail experience and expertise of Heinrich Prokop, Marloes Voermans and Markus Kuntke. They accompanied us from the idea to market maturity."
- Was the first product immediately clear, or how did the idea come about?
"The first product was originally supposed to be a bar. However, I had to postpone the idea because in the product development at that time there was still an unresolved sugar issue, especially with binder- although our sugar sources in the form of honey and date puree were healthy and had a low processing level. Here it is the dose that makes the poison - but I will not give up the idea of a bar, but will perhaps be another exciting project together with Gutschermühle in the future.
Changing the initial idea wasn't that bad though, as we were able to create a great solution with the bites/cereal balls. It was an outstanding joint effort by FLOCKE (focus on nutritional medicine) & Gutschermühle (focus on industrial implementation)."
- How long was the development time?
"We started in May 2021 and the development lasted until late autumn/early winter 21 - about half a year. Working with Gutschermühle was very professional and uncomplicated. Also, there were some cool discussions regarding nutritional medicine. Thanks Dr. Timo Kuen (Customer Business Development Manager) I now have one more feedback provider with you - a doctorate in nutritional medicine.
In any case, big compliments to the entire Gutschermühle team!"
- How did you come to Gutschermühle?
"Thanks to Clever Clover and Heinrich Prokop. Heinrich found the philosophy unique and put me in touch with Gutschermühle relatively quickly. Without this connection email, FLOCKE would most likely still only be an idea..."
- Are there any other products planned?
"I want to release a second variety and a muesli with you as soon as possible. The second flavor makes me think of an apple/banana combination in the aftertaste. I don't know anything like that on the market and I personally love the combination already in my porridge. When it comes to muesli, I also think of a mixture of cocoa, apples and bananas.
In addition to other snacks + muesli there is still in the pipeline:
- Second type of herbal tea - probably the flavor of pear/chokeberry
- Flavored oat milk
- Main meal – that's what I'm looking forward to the most and will certainly be an exciting challenge"
- What was the greatest moment so far with and around "Flocke"?
"To be able to be part of the production live. I was allowed to be there and watch how the idea was turned into reality. Pure release of happiness hormones in the body!"
- What is your biggest goal?
"That FLOCKE will become the guide for autoimmune patients in German-speaking countries. In my opinion, nutrition plays a central role in dealing with autoimmune reactions, since a natural and high-fiber diet has a direct influence on our intestinal flora, and thus also on our immune system."
>> You can find more information about the products here: https://www.flockig.com/