Potato chips and popcorn are well-known to us Germans. Surely there’s not much that can be improved or redesigned? But that’s the mission of the dedicated team at Heimatgut. The dynamic new company works on “healthy snack alternatives” and strives to develop products that make “snacking without regrets” possible every day. This is definitely a trending topic; that’s why vegconomist asked Heimatgut for an interview to talk about the company, its current range and future developments.
Where does Heimatgut currently stand in an economic context?
In recent years we’ve taken supermarket shelves by storm with Heimatgut: in January this year alone we were able to deliver almost 700,000 bags of our delicious products. Our mission is to become Germany’s largest healthy snack producer. And the feedback has been fantastic. After beginning with the seemingly futile search for a healthy, tasty snack as a kind of experiment in our home kitchen, we’re now an internationally growing company. We’re very proud of this.
The slogan for your campaign is: “Out of love for goodness”. Is this also the slogan for a (new) growing market?
Our philosophy is definitely our product. More and more people understand that with better food you can significantly increase your well-being. Heimatgut makes it easy for everyone to eat better. Even on the road or on the sofa it can be enjoyed without remorse, and with plenty of fun. It’s particularly important to us that we don’t compromise on production. The Heimatgut brand stands for honesty and authenticity. With every bite, our customers can rely on experiencing a natural snack experience made from high-quality ingredients – without any frills.
How does homeland and coconut fit together?
It’s a perfect match. Of course, we’re all aware that the German climate is not suitable for palm trees, so we can’t use regional soil areas. So we offer not only good things from home, but also good things for home. We felt that coconut chips were a great alternative to other, more sugary sweets. Our coconut chips are available in three varieties – and chocolate is definitely our bestseller. The coconut chips are coated with a soft cocoa coating and are therefore the perfect alternative to conventional chocolate. And if you take a look at the back, the ingredients are very minimal and all of them are of natural origin. We attach great importance to naturalness at Heimatgut!
What are your (planned) campaigns/marketing messages for the industry?
Our basic message is always the same: We offer alternative products for a conscious and varied diet! We are unique and meet a demand for snacks that can be eaten with no reservations. In our opinion, abstaining is not the solution to the problem, because the body has a certain need for nutrients that must be covered in order to have an intact immune system, to feel physically good, to contribute to the processes within the body and to prevent deficiency symptoms. We use good ingredients and offer products for different target groups so that there is something for everyone.
The product range has been expanded with popcorn and coconut since the start, are there any further plans for new products?
We’ve just launched our peanut quinoa flips – and the feedback is already fantastic! Like all our products, these flips are 100% natural, vegan, gluten-free and of the finest organic quality. Our team is constantly working on new product developments and we still have some big hitters in the pipeline!
In the meantime, many imitators have entered the market with similar products. To what extent has this affected your market position?
Competitors will always appear, regardless of what kind of consumer good it is. For us, this is an incentive to emphasize our transparency to our customers even more intensively, to demonstrate even more transparency, and to be even more present. The first step in this direction was the relaunch of our corporate identity. We’ve developed a new logo for the brand, and each product has received a new packaging design. The results are consistently positive, the feedback has been excellent and the visibility of our product in the food retail sector has been enhanced. We were the first and will remain the first. (laughs)
How do you manage to hold your own against the competition?
With unique products and outstanding quality. Our goal was to launch a completely new product onto the market – not just yet another type of potato chip. With our savoy and kale chips we are pioneers on the German market. Every Heimatgut product is vegan, gluten-free, not fried and 100 percent natural. No additives are added to the products, nor are there any acrylamides. And above all, our production method distinguishes us from other suppliers on the market. Our products are dehydrated at just under 40 degrees over an extended period of time. Of course, this is much more time-consuming and therefore cost-intensive than simply frying everything. In return, however, many more vitamins are preserved.
Where does Heimatgut stand in terms of exports and are there plans to expand even further from “the homeland”?
So far we have been able to supply our products to several countries. Of course, everything is unpackaged. To Sweden and Japan, among others. In Austria, our products are available in retail outlets and we are currently in a negotiating process with Switzerland. Of course we are continuously engaged in maintaining our contacts and opening up new markets, so the topic of exports is still a very important one, which we do not ignore but focus heavily on.
More information about Heimatgut and its products can be found here.
