The Hamburg spice trader Ankerkraut got into a veritable shit storm with the sale of its majority stake in the food company Nestlé. On Facebook alone, the Ankerkraut account received more than 20,000 comments by Friday – and almost all of them were negative. The situation was similar on Twitter and Instagram. Many accuse the founders Anne and Stefan Lemcke of having betrayed their values and are announcing a boycott of Ankerkraut products. A number of influencers, including LeFloid, are also turning away from the company, which became known primarily through its appearance on the television show “Die Höhle der Löwen” (DHDL) in 2016.
The founding couple Lemcke were obviously surprised by the intensity of the protests. A spokeswoman initially said, “if of course someone now says, ‘Bye Ankerkraut’, then that’s just the way it is,” Anne and Stefan Lemcke later called on critics to be moderate and admitted that the protests had left their mark on them and the employees. The company stands for “a close exchange with our fans,” said the founding couple of the dpa news agency. That’s why we shouldn’t close the debate now. “What we don’t accept is online hate and insults against the people who work at Ankerkraut.”
The resentment of the critics is directed exclusively at the choice of the new partner. The Nestlé group has been criticized for years. Many accuse him of making profit with his products at the expense of the poorest. But he is also on fire because of the clearing of the rainforest, the exploitation of water resources and, most recently, because of deals with Russia during the Ukraine war.
LeFloid – known for his interview with the then Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) in July 2015 – wrote to his approximately 685,000 Instagram followers: “Since a cooperation with Nestlé is out of the question for us, we see no other option than working together to finish with Ankerkraut as soon as possible.” The founding couple emphasized that they were determined to prove “that we mean business when we say: Ankerkraut will remain Ankerkraut, we will continue to operate as an independent company”.
The founding couple Anne and Stefan Lemcke were surprised by the violent reactions of the fans.
(Photo: Henning Kaiser/dpa)
According to their own statements, Ankerkraut now has more than 230 employees and, with the sale of more than 500 spices and spice mixtures, sauces, teas and accessories, achieves sales in the mid double-digit million range. Anne and Stefan Lemcke, who want to remain on board as shareholders and brand ambassadors, also apologized to angry cooperation partners. “We are sincerely sorry that we were not able to inform you in advance and that you were surprised by the news.”
Support came from the “Lion’s Cave” judge and investor Frank Thelen, who had taken Ankerkraut under his wing at the time. “Wow, who would have thought that at your DHDL appearance?!? Now you are a lion yourself and you win with Ankerkraut Nestlé as a partner”, he congratulated on Facebook. Love for the product, passion for the team and strong communication have made Ankerherz one of the most successful food startups. “We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you, respect and wish you continued success.” Ankerkraut, founded as a start-up in the south of Hamburg in 2013, announced on Wednesday that Nestlé was acquiring a majority stake in the company. The group has taken over the shares of the previous investors – EMZ Partners, Thelens Freigeist Capital and Knälmann Ventures – as well as parts of the management shares and will thus become the majority owner of Ankerkraut GmbH.