The world is stressed: tiredness, everyday stress and burnout dominate humanity. But there is a solution: Ingrid Reygers and her daughter Cecilia swear by Ayurveda. Their start-up “Alonga” sells spice mixtures that are supposed to solve all these problems. The magical mixtures are produced in a small private kitchen in Seeshaupt. Ingrid sits at the table with her friend Coco overlooking the garden, and is greeted with Ayurvedic tea. The native Brazilian is tanned; only a week ago she returned from a trip to India, which also served as her training. In Europe, Ayurveda has so far been known mainly in the context of “wellness”. Reygers hopes that this will change and that Ayurveda will also become known as a nutritional principle.
It literally bubbles out of her when she talks about Ayurveda. She explains that Ayurveda – a combination of experience and philosophy – is a healing art that has existed in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal for thousands of years. In India, the healing art is used in the areas of medicine, psychology, yoga, massage and nutritional advice. The subject must be studied at a university. In therapy, patients are treated with Ayurvedic oils and spices. Each person is viewed as an individual, and the traditional treatment is therefore adapted to each person.
The 61-year-old radiates inner peace. Her serenity comes from yoga and the Ayurvedic diet, she says with a broad smile: “It brings me back into balance.” At a yoga and Ayurveda congress in Brazil, Reygers once met David Frawley, an American author specializing in Ayurveda and Hindu philosophy. She then completed three years of Ayurveda training with Frawley. She learned the theory online, and the practice – cooking with various spices – in Brazil. Most of the spices needed are not only found in India, they can be found all over the world. “Fortunately,” says Reygers, “I never expected to end up in Europe.” She met her German husband in Brazil. Together with their now three grown-up children, they later crossed the Atlantic: a journey that lasted a total of four years with various stops from Argentina to Mallorca.
This trip had a lasting impact on the entire family. Especially on daughter Cecilia: “On the boat, my mother always cooked Ayurvedic food. So I grew up with it,” says the 27-year-old, “and learned to love it.” Her two older sisters studied on the boat via distance learning, but Cecilia was still too young for that. Later, all three of them completed their A-levels in Bavaria. Even during her school days, Cecilia was often asked by classmates for tricks for sore throats or other illnesses. “The Ayurvedic knowledge that I learned from my mother always helped me,” she says. But after school, she was initially a little clueless. “The people around me expected me to follow in my father’s footsteps.” So she studied International Business. But she quickly realized “that it just wasn’t right for me.” After completing her bachelor’s degree in Maastricht, she decided to follow her mother’s path: India and Brazil, Ayurveda training and yoga studies.
Cecilia Reygers now works as a cook on a sailing yacht and devotes her free time to the start-up. She is currently in Mallorca: Under the bright sun on the deck of a boat, she remembers the beginnings of her passion during a phone call. Now she shares her passion with the passengers even on the high seas. “Many guests now want my Ayurvedic cuisine. But even when I simply cook pasta or rice, I always have Ayurveda in mind and try to apply my knowledge,” she says. “The crew comes to me with all kinds of illnesses. I can almost always help them with Ayurvedic remedies.” In 2020, mother and daughter founded their joint start-up Alongawhich means “to expand” in Portuguese. “I can’t imagine a better business partner than my mother. We complement each other perfectly,” says Cecilia. Her mother smiles – and agrees with her daughter.
Ingrid Reygers got the idea for the company from her friend Anette. After her stays in Brazil and India, Reygers wanted to prepare the Ayurvedic spice mixtures for herself in Germany. So she ordered the ingredients from a pharmacist, but he would only deliver the desired products if she ordered a minimum of one kilogram. “So I suddenly had one kilogram of each of 20 spices on my doorstep,” says Ingrid Reygers – including a huge sack of bay leaves. “Nobody needs that,” she thought. “And then my friend gave me the idea of selling my mixtures.”
Mother Ingrid takes care of the products, daughter Cecilia takes care of the website and social media channels
It was also Anette who made her private kitchen in Seeshaupt available to her friend to make the mixtures. She first called the authorities to have the private kitchen certified. After the food and eco-inspectors gave their approval, the start-up was able to go online. Mother Ingrid has been responsible for manufacturing the products ever since. Cecilia monitors the website and social media channels and regularly uploads blogs on the subject of nutrition. Together they offer detox courses and retreats – i.e. relaxation trips for detoxification – in South Africa, Bali and Mallorca.
To demonstrate what lies behind the “magical” spice mixtures, Ingrid shows how one of her products is made: Coriander seeds, cumin, black pepper, liquorice, cloves, white lentils and a few other spices are ready in small bowls. “Many people think that Ayurvedic cuisine is always Indian,” explains Ingrid. But that’s not true: it is primarily seasonal cuisine. The ingredients you need can be found in almost every supermarket.
Indian spice blends “made in Seeshaupt”
Each spice is first carefully roasted individually. The smell of seeds, lentils and grains wafts through the whole house. Then everything is crushed individually by hand in a mortar until finally everything ends up together in an electric mortar. The finished product is currently only available for purchase online. The family business, which would not exist without the support of friends, offers traditional Indian spice mixtures “Made in Seeshaupt”. They are intended to make everyday life easier and prevent illnesses such as burnout, digestive problems or constant fatigue. “Many people only come to us when they are already ill,” explains Reygers. “If Ayurveda were more widespread in our society, these illnesses would often not occur at all.” Ayurvedic nutrition can act as a counterbalance to everyday stress. She also makes it clear that Ayurvedic detoxification is not about not eating: it is much more about eating “consciously and correctly”.
From India to Seeshaupt – Ayurveda has already made it that far. Many may think this is just spice hocus-pocus. But mother and daughter are sure that the traditional healing art will soon be an established part of the European diet.