“First, we had to explain to people that this is food”

Both founders started out in the financial sector. A banker and a management consultant, they often found themselves in the office late at night, not having had chance to eat. For lack of a healthy alternative, they would reach for a chocolate bar or biscuits to keep their hunger pangs at bay. They wanted to change that and – as the name suggests – yfood was initially meant to address the needs of people of their own age: Gen Y or millennials.

Today, yfood not only is the European market leader for complete meal drinks, it has also recently expanded its product range to include bars, shakes and bowls, and employs more than 200 people. According to the founders, two-thirds of Germans are now familiar with their products. This is partly due to the broad-based, sometimes provocative campaigns with celebrities and influencers – and not least to the packaging design with its striking lettering.

That was after our first successful financing round, which was in 2018. Up until then, we had to keep very tight reins on our cash flow, we were always sailing along with zero in our account. The smallest mistake could have been an existential threat to the company; it was like walking a tightrope. There was never any guarantee that scaling up with so little money would work. Securing our first financing gave us a financial buffer for the first time. And it was one of the most experienced food tech investors who believed in us. Having someone from outside of the company validate what we were doing was enormously important. They confirmed that our model had potential.

In the early days, we were always sailing along with zero in our account.Noel Bollmann, co-founder and CEO, yfood

I would say we had two. First, we had to do a lot of explaining. After all, we were launching a completely new product category on the market. We were not a diet or protein shake; we wanted to consciously distance ourselves from that. The second problem was finding someone to make the product with us. We had several rejections; people thought we were crazy. Only when we agreed to produce at least one billion bottles did it finally work out.

We had originally expected a very narrow target group, but we noticed during our first attempts that we were actually reaching much wider circles. We soon realised that our product is for anyone who wants to eat a balanced diet but doesn't have time. Doctors and nurses, long-distance truck drivers. One of our first influencers was a truck driver influencer. Our marketing activities were largely digital to begin with, so it is true that we grew through the younger target group in the first few years. But we noticed that we have strong spillover effects, for example, to parents. We are now also investing more in mass media to increase our reach. And the gender ratio is now very balanced, we are now what you might call a unisex brand.

We are now what you might call a unisex brand.Noel Bollmann, co-founder and CEO, yfood

We always wanted our products to be available quickly and easily. That was essential to us and was practically the reason we even founded the company. Quick like at the petrol station or in the supermarket; easy by shopping online. We cooperate in Germany with some major retailers such as the supermarket chains REWE, Edeka, and Kaufland, as well as drugstores Rossmann and Müller. In the countries where we have local teams and offices, we are building up local dealer structures. We currently sell yfood in retail outlets in Switzerland, England, the Nordic countries and Spain. And we ship from our online shop to more than 30 countries.

Yes, we still believe that our brand has great potential in the US and that our slogan “Smart Food instead of Fast Food” will be well received there. Our strategy for the US is to produce locally. We are also looking towards China. We made our first online sales there recently and are very excited to see how this develops. In general, there are several new countries where we are currently focusing our attention. That’s really exciting!

Global expansion is important. Our dream would be to have our products in a supermarket in Los Angeles and in a Seven Eleven store in Shanghai. At the same time, of course, we are constantly developing our products. We test a lot and have the luxury of being able to do that online first. We have a very active social media community and receive direct feedback and suggestions. Many ideas also come from our own teams. We are the experts for our products and have developed a good gut feeling.

One thing we continue to see increasing is how many people take food with them to consume on the go. “To go” is still on the rise. Our products fit in very well with that.

Another very clear trend is towards personalised food. In recent years, research has given us so much more knowledge about how the body works - for example, that we need more magnesium or protein after exercise. Providing the right product for the right type of person for the right time will be a major driver in product development in the food sector in the coming years. And one that will drive us, too, of course.

Exactly. Of course, it mustn't become too complex; we still need to be able to scale it. In terms of personalised products, we would first break things down into archetypes and develop products for each of those. The emerging products will be quite close to people’s individual needs without them being tailored specifically to individuals.

We have made huge progress in packaging and our bottles are manufactured using 100 percent recyclable material.

Our production has been carbon neutral since 2021 and we have recently been B-Corp certified. For the milk we use, we work a lot with dairies that are close to our manufacturers. And for those who want to completely avoid animal ingredients for ethical or sustainable reasons, we have a vegan line.

There are enormous regional differences, but overall, across all regions and age groups, chocolate wins.

Always focus on your long-term vision. Growth doesn't happen overnight; it needs consistent action, continual adaptation and the right team. Always think one step ahead and react flexibly when something changes.