The story behind an inspiring team that created an innovative packaging solution for a challenging product

If you’ve ever tried to buy a quick chocolate snack, you might have noticed two issues: most of the available bars are tasty but quite unhealthy – and many of them are wrapped in an unsustainable way. That’s what inspired the three founders of WEPA Ventures portfolio company The Nu Company, Mathias, Christian, and Thomas, to work on an alternative. What started in their student apartments’ kitchen three years ago is now a rapidly growing start-up with almost 100 employees in Leipzig. Some things haven’t changed, though: The Nu Company offers healthy snacks, e.g. chocolate and protein bars, protein powder and nut spread. Additionally, the team has developed biodegradable packaging in cooperation with a partner, tackling the difficult problem of combining sustainability and food safety requirements. They are also on a mission to plant one billion trees. “When we first talked to the founders, we were impressed by their clear commitment to their vision and by how successfully they had already solved food industry issues before”, explained Till Rösnick, Investment Manager at WEPA Ventures. You can buy their products not only online but also offline, among others at REWE or dm in Germany or at Whole Foods in the UK.

The Nu Company is also a perfect fit for the strategic focus of WEPA Ventures. We strive to learn more about sustainable packaging solutions. Stated Andreas Krengel, Managing Director of WEPA Ventures: “It can be quite a challenge to work on sustainable packaging solutions when the top priority is hygiene. Our team experiences this every day when we package our own products.” Through our investment, we receive first-hand insights into the start-up’s development. This way, we notice trends in the food industry and stay close to the sustainability-driven innovations of The Nu Company.