true fruits

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true fruits

logo
legal form GmbH
founding 2006
Seat Bonn , Germany
management Marco Knauf, Inga Koster, Nicolas Lecloux
Number of employees 31
sales 43 million euros (2017)
Branch Food
Website www.true-fruits.com

true fruits was founded in 2006 by Inga Koster, Marco Knauf and Nicolas Lecloux in Bonn and was the first provider of smoothies in Germany.

Company history

In 2005, during a semester abroad in Aberdeen ( Scotland ) , Marco Knauf and Inga Koster discovered smoothies that had not previously been available in German stores. Together with Nicolas Lecloux, the two then started a research project at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences for the production and sale of smoothies.

They developed smoothie recipes and were able to win Streker Natursaft GmbH for the filling. A Bonn entrepreneur became aware of her after Koster won second place in a competition with a business plan that she developed as part of her thesis. Koster, Knauf and Lecloux received total start-up capital of 250,000 euros through the entrepreneur, a friend of his and through a KfW loan. Then the three founded true fruits GmbH in June 2006. In November of that year, they launched four smoothies.

In 2015, true fruits was named the market leader in the “chilled fruit” segment.

Products

true fruits currently has seven types of smoothie, a juice with chia seeds , two creamies and two smoothie bowls in their range. The company has also been offering green smoothies since 2014. These not only contain fruit purees and fruit juice, but also pureed vegetables . In 2017 the creamies, milk drinks without milk , came onto the market. At the beginning of 2018, true fruits was the first company to bring smoothie bowls onto the market, which, unlike conventional smoothies, are spooned and provided with toppings .

All products, with the exception of the smoothie bowls, are bottled at Streker Natursaft GmbH in Baden-Württemberg and have been vegan products since 2009 . True fruits products are available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The company does not use stabilizers, colorings or added sugar.

The smoothies are filled in glass bottles. In order to create a visual difference to the fruit smoothies and because the color of the green smoothies is not so bright and flashy, true fruits opted for green glass for these. The smoothie bowls are sold in a glass jar similar to baby food.

Limited editions

Special editions are an integral part of the concept. true fruits has released eleven limited editions of their smoothie bottles since 2010. The designs are chosen based on a specific occasion, for example for Valentine's Day , Mother's or Father's Day or for a company anniversary.

Controversy

Charge of sexism

In 2015, the company came under public criticism after allegations of lookism and sexism were raised. The reason for this was an advertising print on a bottle with the content “Have you ever found a date for an ugly friend who is absolutely dear? This is how we feel with the white, probably our most delicious smoothie, which unfortunately does not enjoy a crackling rendezvous with you due to its pale and fruity appearance. So what else could we do but switch off the light so that you can concentrate solely on its inner values? " This led to a media shit storm . The company declined an apology and stood by the designs. According to Michaela Westerhoff from MiGAZIN magazine , this incident is not an isolated incident at true fruits. The company received support from Pegida Nord Thuringia, among others .

Doubts about health suitability

According to Antje Gahl from the German Nutrition Society , you can "occasionally drink a smoothie", but in the long run, "the drinks are not a full substitute for fresh fruit and vegetables". A 250 milliliter bottle of “True Fruits Smoothie yellow” from the company has 150 kilocalories. This is "almost half more than the same amount of cola". Smoothies generally have a lot of calories, but compared to fresh fruit they have little mass and therefore a low satiety effect.

Discussion of offensive billboard advertising

In August 2016, the company launched a Germany-wide poster campaign on the occasion of new juices with chia seeds with slogans such as "Oral consumption - you won't get to enjoy the seeds faster" or "Shake well if the seeds jam". Before the start of the campaign there was already resistance: Deutsche Bahn and the cities of Munich and Stuttgart only approved the phrase "Besamt & fertilized". Because true fruits did not want to do without Deutsche Bahn and Munich, they withdrew from Stuttgart. The campaign was discussed in the press. Towards the end of the campaign, the German Advertising Council also intervened because of incoming complaints. But despite the complaints, the association decided not to publicly reprimand true fruits.

Accusation of racism after a poster campaign in Austria

In 2017, the smoothie bottles were advertised in a poster campaign in Austria with slogans such as “Even more bottles from abroad” and “With us you can't choose a brown”. The picture of a black bottle of the variety "Smoothie White" "was titled" Rarely makes it across the border. "The campaign was controversial in the media and specialist newspapers because of the racist connotation of the slogans. The company issued a statement:" We are discriminatory towards stupid people, because stupid people clearly exclude our kind of communication. [...] Karma does the rest and everything will be fine. Namaste, you sweet piss cloves *. (* No discrimination against cloves or other carnation plants intended!) Yes , we are discriminatory. "In February 2019, the smoothie was removed from the range, which the company did not justify with the" constant misinterpretations "on the part of consumers, but with insufficient purchase numbers. The company's questionable handling of its critics is also criticized.

Allegation of sexism 2019

The impetus for the criticism was a subject depicting a woman with an ejaculating penis painted with sunscreen on her shoulder. The slogan was: “Summer, when are you going to celebrate your cumback? #warm thoughts".

When Nicolas Lecloux, true fruits founder, wanted to appear at a large marketing conference in Salzburg (OMX), a wave of protests followed. Eventually, the organizers reluctantly dumped Lecloux.

Retail withdrawal

The retail chain Rewe took a drink called “Vagina” off the shelves in the summer of 2017. Rewe justified this step with the fact that the label "Vagina" has nothing to do with the product or customer information on a food item and therefore "has no place" on the bottle.

Trademark infringement by Maracuja gold and Maracuja red

In 2018, true fruits was guilty of infringement of the trademark law, as the limited edition no.11, Maracuja gold and the limited online edition Maracuja red, looked very similar to the packaging of the Marlboro cigarette brand . In addition, the bottles had warnings and comments such as “Smoothie drinkers are dying too”, which were modeled on the warnings on tobacco products. This triggered a real hype about the bottles.

Special award "Eggs made of steel"

In the same year, true fruits launched its own award. The “eggs made of steel” are awarded at irregular intervals to companies, private individuals or people in public who show courage, do their own thing and do not allow themselves to be bent to the satisfaction of their target group. An original print of the testicles of true fruits founder and CEO Marco Knauf served as a template for the award. In 2016, SodaStream was the first recipient of the “Eggs Made of Steel” special award. The soda maker from Bad Soden in Hesse has shown attitude and courage with its anti-plastic waste campaign “Shame or Glory” by turning the plastic lobby against itself and receiving several declarations of cease and desist.

Awards

  • 2007: World Star Award
  • 2007: iF design award
  • 2008: DLG gold and silver medals
  • 2009: red dot design award
  • 2009: The German Founder Award
  • 2011: Brand Award for excellent performance in brand management
  • 2012: InterBev Award
  • 2013: German Design Award
  • 2015: German Design Award in the Excellent Product Design - Kitchen category
  • 2013: Cannes Lion in bronze
  • 2014: "Ludwig"
  • 2014: German Packaging Award

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.true-fruits.com/promo/uber-uns/jahr-2007/
  2. ↑ a b Christine Scharrenbroch: Fruit porridge with lifestyle character. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. June 3, 2008, accessed August 14, 2016 .
  3. ↑ http://www.foerderland.de/gruendung/news-gruenderszene/news-gruendung/gruender-storys/gruender-storys/smoothies-upe/
  4. ↑ a b true fruits: founder Marco Knauf on the “juice shop” and its principle “100% fruit - no tricks”. aboutdrinks, January 19, 2015, accessed August 14, 2016 .
  5. ↑ The start-up scene in Bonn
  6. ↑ http://www.true-fruits.com/smoothies/
  7. ↑ http://www.true-fruits.com/fragen-und-endungen/green-smoothies-guide/#!was-ist-ein-green-smoothie
  8. ↑ http://www.about-drinks.com/neben-smoothies-gibts-jetzt-auch-creamies-von-true-fruits/
  9. ↑ https://www.true-fruits.com/fragen---lösungen.html#fragen-4
  10. ↑ http://www.about-drinks.com/smoothie-bowls-true-fruits-bringt-fruehstueck-trend-ins-kuehlregal/
  11. ↑ https://www.true-fruits.com/fragen---lösungen.html#fragen-6
  12. ↑ http://www.brandidee.com/de/blogbeitrag/true-fruits-100-frucht-no-tricks.html
  13. ↑ Felicitas Wilke: Expensive wins. In: sueddeutsche.de . October 20, 2015, accessed October 13, 2018 .
  14. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.true-fruits.com
  15. ↑ http://www.brandidee.com/de/blogbeitrag/true-fruits-100-frucht-no-tricks.html
  16. ↑ Hannah Pilarczyk: Style classics: Green smoothies in the test: "Yuck, that tastes like mold". In: Spiegel Online . November 27, 2015, accessed October 7, 2018 .
  17. ↑ http://www.klonblog.com/2013/09/06/true-fruits-gesunde-saefte-mit-neuer-verpackung/
  18. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from September 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / gallery.designpreis.de
  19. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from July 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / tvthek.orf.at
  20. ↑ https://www.true-fruits.com/fragen---lösungen.html#fragen-4
  21. ↑ https://www.true-fruits.com/fragen---lösungen.html#fragen-6
  22. ↑ https://www.true-fruits.com/limited-editions.html
  23. ↑ http://www.about-drinks.com/limited-no-3-true-fruits-zeich-geschichte/
  24. ↑ https://www.true-fruits.com/limited-edition-no--33.html
  25. ↑ https://www.true-fruits.com/limited-edition-no--83.html
  26. ↑ http://www.about-drinks.com/zum-10-jaehrigen-bestehen-true-fruits-im-goldrausch/
  27. ↑ https://www.medienartisten.com/2011/05/04/true-fruits-limited-edition-2011/
  28. ↑ https://www.ihk-bonn.de/fileadmin/dokumente/News/65e85eb3c5.pdf
  29. ↑ https://page-online.de/bild/illustrationen-auf-flaschen/
  30. ↑ https://www.ihk-bonn.de/branchena-zservicesregion/die-wirtschaft/unternehmensmeldung/unternehmensmeldung-einzelansicht/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3749&cHash=b831adf7fd36e25a72c32af0af57c14a
  31. ↑ http://www.migazin.de/2016/06/22/quotenschwarzer-rassismus-entstands-in-deinem-kopf/
  32. ↑ http://www.vice.com/de/read/smoothie-kontroversen-um-true-fruits-467
  33. ↑ http://www.news.de/wirtschaft/855594053/shitstorm-smoothie-industrie-true-fruits-schluckimdunkeln-seximus-vorwuerfe-und-heftiger-streit-auf-facebook/1/
  34. ↑ http://www.wuv.de/digital/shitstorm_true_fruits_begegnet_sexismus_kritik_mit_humor
  35. ^ Agr: "Howl, you son of a blackberry": Sexism allegations: Smoothie company grapples with Facebook users. In: Focus Online . April 8, 2015, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  36. ↑ http://www.stern.de/panorama/wissen/trendgetraenk-smoothie-fluessiges-gutes-gewissen-3267608.html
  37. ↑ http://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/inhalt.plakatkampagne-fuer-smoothies-mit-oralverzehr-und-samenstau-gesund-ernaehren.668437a1-5673-4431-81d4-013a59879b15.html
  38. ↑ Hendrik Wieduwilt: A smoothie that provokes. In: FAZ.net . September 1, 2016, accessed October 13, 2018 .
  39. ↑ http://meedia.de/2016/08/31/bei-samenstau-schuetteln-plakate-verboten-true-fruits-beklagt-zensur-der-stadt-muenchen/
  40. ↑ Stevie Schmiedel : True Fruits - Clear Case of Sexism? In: Pinkstinks.de. September 7, 2016, accessed August 11, 2020.
  41. ↑ http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/berlin/-samengenuss--werbung-berlin-diskutiert-ueber-zweideutige-saft-plakate-24692196
  42. ↑ http://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/bonn/stadt-bonn/Keine-R%C3%BCge-f%C3%BCr-Bonner-Saftladen-article3361350.html
  43. ↑ Ingo Rentz: The delicate political statement of the smoothie manufacturer in Austria. In: horizon . August 15, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2017 .
  44. ↑ "You can't choose a brown": Provocative campaign causes excitement. In: Small newspaper . August 16, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017 .
  45. ↑ https://www.horizont.net/marketing/nachrichten/True-Fruits-Das-heikle-politische-Statement-des-Smoothie-Herstellers-in-oesterreich-160310
  46. ↑ True Fruits defends itself against accusations of racism - and once again pours fuel on the fire. February 17, 2019, accessed February 18, 2019 .
  47. ↑ https://www.mz-web.de/wirtschaft/umstrittene-werbung-farbanschlag-auf-firmenzentrale-true-fruits-in-bonn-32050312
  48. ↑ Why you can't just ignore “true fruits”. In: Hannah Wahl. September 3, 2019, accessed on January 19, 2020 (German).
  49. ↑ Why you can't just ignore “true fruits”. In: Hannah Wahl. September 3, 2019, accessed on January 19, 2020 (German).
  50. ^ Criticism of True Fruits invitation to marketing conference - derStandard.at. Retrieved January 19, 2020 (Austrian German).
  51. ↑ True Fruits is now to show with its discriminatory advertising at a conference how "successful" marketing works. October 28, 2019, accessed January 19, 2020 .
  52. ↑ Juice scandal: Rewe is throwing “vagina” smoothies out of the range . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger . ( ksta.de [accessed on September 9, 2017]).
  53. ↑ http://www.about-drinks.com/achtung-genussmittel-true-fruits-praesentiert-neue-limited-editions/
  54. ↑ https://www.horizont.net/marketing/nachrichten/Smoothie-Hersteller-So-frech-bedient-sich-True-Fruits-am-ikonischen-Marlboro-Design-165120
  55. ↑ https://www.thebestsocial.media/de/true-fruits-kopieren-marlboro-design-und-zerstoeren-ihre-hater/
  56. ↑ https://www.wuv.de/marketing/ueberfluessiges_eierschaukeln_mit_true_fruits
  57. ↑ https://www.horizont.net/marketing/nachrichten/True-Fruits-Warum-Gruender-Marco-Knauf-seine-Hoden-in-Stahl-giessen-laesst-156580
  58. ↑ http://eierausstahl.com/
  59. ↑ https://www.horizont.net/marketing/auftritte-des-tages/Shame-or-Glory-Wieso-Sodastream-den-beruehmten-Walk-of-Shame-aus-Game-of-Thrones-nachsteller-144110
  60. ↑ http://www.about-drinks.com/sodastream-shame-or-glory-image-spot-2016/
  61. ↑ http://www.about-drinks.com/eier-aus-stahl-award-true-fruits- ert-sodastream-fuer-mut-standhaftigkeit /
  62. ↑ http://www.true-fruits-shop.com/
  63. ↑ http://ifworlddesignguide.com/search?q=true+fruits#/pages/page/entry/31905-true-fruits-purple
  64. ↑ https://www.true-fruits.com/auszeichen.html
  65. ↑ http://www.freihonnefer.de/true-fruits-start-award-nrw-2009-nominiert.htm
  66. ↑ http://www.neuesunternehmertum.de/nachrichten/deutscher-gruenderpreis-2009-fuer-true-fruits/
  67. ↑ http://www.marken-award.de/Preistraeger/2011.php
  68. ↑ InterBev Awards 2012 finalists and winners announced . In: FoodBev Media . (English, foodbev.com [accessed December 2, 2016]).
  69. ↑ http://www.about-drinks.com/true-fruits-gewinnt-german-design-award-und-interbev-award/
  70. ↑ Upcycling attachments for true fruits glass bottles - pourer and shaker attachment. (No longer available online.) September 21, 2016, archived from the original on September 21, 2016 ; accessed on December 2, 2016 .
  71. ↑ http://www.ihk-bonn.de/fileadmin/dokumente/News/c06f3faca1.pdf
  72. ↑ http://www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de/news/wirtschaft/region/Bonner-Saftsteller-erh%C3%A4lt-den-Ludwig-article1391149.html
  73. ↑ https://www.verpackungspreis.de/2014-details.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=1216&cHash=edd54b1b3699086bea2472bd20557b70