Popular food company
Nestlé buys spice manufacturer Ankerkraut – the fans are appalled
Stefan Lemcke (left) and his wife Anne founded the “Ankerkraut” brand
© Ankerkraut
The Hamburg spice manufacturer Ankerkraut was once known for “The Lion’s Den” and developed into a multi-million dollar business. Now Nestlé takes over the majority – which many fans don’t like at all.
The food group Nestlé buys the Hamburg spice manufacturer Ankerkraut. As the two companies announced on Wednesday, Nestlé is acquiring a majority stake in Ankerkraut, making it the new main owner. However, the founding couple Anne and Stefan Lemcke and the current management will remain shareholders and will continue to run the company.
“Ankerkraut’s current management team will continue to run the business independently,” Nestlé said. And Ankerkraut also emphasized via Twitter that nothing would change in the operational business.
One is convinced that “we can learn a lot from each other and bring the best of two worlds together,” says Nestlé Germany boss Marc Boersch. “For example, how brands are built, trends are picked up and innovations are created, or how a portfolio can grow successfully.” Anne and Stefan Lemcke explain in the statement: “This step is a great opportunity for us, because we want to continue to drive our growth and our professionalization.”
Ankerkraut is now a million-dollar business
The Lemcke couple founded Ankerkraut ten years ago and became known to a wide audience in 2016 through an appearance on the start-up show “Die Höhle der Löwen”. At the time, investor Frank Thelen invested in the start-up, which grew rapidly in the years that followed.
The spice mixes are sold online and in supermarkets. According to the company, the annual turnover was 40 million euros, and the trend is still rising. The founding couple not only built up the company operationally, but also ensured the hip image in the otherwise rather sleepy spice business. The success of the brand is based not least on very successful social media marketing.
Fans criticize Nestlé takeover
This image is likely to be subjected to a severe stress test with the sale to Nestlé. Negative comments from disappointed fans are piling up under the Ankerkraut tweet announcing the takeover. In the core target group of Ankerkraut customers, many apparently do not like the Nestlé group at all. The comments range from “disappointing” and “very sad” to “You’re through with me downstairs. The main thing is to make money.” In the past, the Swiss Nestlé group has repeatedly been criticized in connection with environmental destruction and exploitative business practices.
The founders Lemcke had already sold part of the company in 2020. At that time, the investor EMZ took over 30 percent of the company, but the founders remained on board as leaders. How much Nestlé paid for the majority of Ankerkraut was not disclosed.