Ready meals and snacks have a bad reputation. This is particularly due to the fact that in the past they were filled with additives, preservatives and flavour enhancers. However, Janina Otto – founder and CEO of “Frau Ultrafrisch” – proves that ready meals and a tasty, healthy diet are not mutually exclusive.
For those who don’t know Frau Ultrafrisch yet, would you like to introduce your products and the company?
With Frau Ultrafrisch, it’s my intention to offer a genuine alternative to everything that is currently out there. Many foods that are industrially produced and sold in supermarkets dazzle us consumers with false promises. That’s why I decided – unlike Maggi, Knorr and Co. – to offer honest, practical and above all tasty ready meals and snacks that only make promises they can really keep. So we are launching a combination that doesn’t yet exist for ready meals: practical, tasty, quick to prepare and simply excellent! Besides our packet soups and lunch dishes, we also have our unique Frau Ultrafrisch Smoothie Snacks.
What channels does “Frau Ultrafrisch” use for sales?
Our products can be ordered through our online shop. You can also buy our ready meals in some Denns-Bio supermarkets, as well as at Edeka or Kochhaus. In addition, our soups, lunches and snacks have already been successfully brought to people in certain cafés and hotels. On our website, you can see exactly where we are stocked. We have set ourselves the goal of reaching globetrotters and frequent travellers, as our dishes fit perfectly into every piece of luggage.
What customer group are the products aimed at?
Frau Ultrafrisch is aimed at all urban and modern people who don’t have the time or the desire to spend a long time cooking, but still want something tasty and well-balanced on the table. Our dishes are perfect for everyone! We don’t exclude any target group. That means Frau Ultrafrisch is perfect for singles, students and management consultants – or even families and seniors. We simply want to help you get through the day in a healthy and easy way, even if there is no time to cook.
Snacks and soups: Why such a contrary and diverse product development?
My goal is that you will soon be able to eat quickly and easily all day without a guilty conscience. We started with the soups and lunch dishes. They’re good for lunch or dinner. We have also succeeded in developing a delicious and exciting snack product in the form of our smoothie snacks. At the moment we are working on our breakfast line, so you can really eat ultraeasy, ultralight and ultragood all day long!
Are further products planned for 2018 or the next few years?
As I just mentioned, there will soon be a breakfast line. Other soups and lunch dishes are also in the pipeline. More details will be revealed soon on our social media channels!
How do you see the development of veganism in an economic context?
All Frau Ultrafrisch products are gluten-free and vegetarian, often vegan. Personally, I think that nothing should be forbidden, life should be fun! Nevertheless, the level of meat consumption in our world is enormous. We are eating far too many animal products. This is a big burden for the environment and we, with Frau Ultrafrisch, want to offer tasty meatless alternatives. We’re showing how delicious vegetarianism and veganism can be, without using chemicals. Vegetarian convenience products in particular often contain many additives. We are showing that there are other ways.
How do you expect “Frau Ultrafrisch” to develop over the next 5 years?
We want to get things moving and reach all people who want a tasty, fast and balanced diet! To this end, we will expand our product range and existing categories. We want to grow organically and to offer our all-round worry-free package internationally in the future. But above all, we want to establish a nationwide presence in Germany. Collaborations are a good way for us to make our brand better known. We are currently targeting the hotel industry, but also offices. Even managers realize that their employees can be more productive if they have eaten something good during the lunch break.
