Superfoods and essential oils in a stylish guise: Ainoha focuses on health and beauty. We asked the founding team our 7 questions.
1. Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your company!
We are Monica Wimmer (25 years old, business psychology), Johannes Schmid (28 years old, business administration & finance), Simon Förstemann (26 years old, communication design), and Christoph Johanngieseker (24 years old, business administration) from AINOHA, formerly VitaStik. We've all known each other for several years through mutual friends.
We are the new health and lifestyle company when it comes to guilt-free enjoyment. It's important to us to combine vitality and lifestyle – and that's exactly what we achieve with our Ainoha Stiks and our superfoods. With the Ainoha Stiks, our customers can breathe in aromatherapy on the go. They are "essential oil diffusers," consisting of distilled water, organic flavors in the form of essential oils, and are completely nicotine and pollutant-free. Our promise is to sit back and breathe deeply. With our superfoods, we make healthy eating easy – important nutrients compressed into a teaspoon!
2. But that's been around for a long time!
Yes and no. Our essential oil diffusers are the first of their kind. We were also the first on the market with the VitaStik, and have now developed further with Ainoha. Our goal is to offer an alternative to smokers, for example. Our ingredients, the Ainoha flavorwaters, are made in Germany and are 100% natural and free of chemicals like PG or flavor enhancers. This is where we consciously differentiate ourselves from other manufacturers.
Superfoods are a trend, sure. However, many are complicated and associated with incomprehensible fitness and nutrition programs. We focus on simple handling with maximum effect – always packaged in beautiful design. As we all know, eating is a feast for the eyes!
3. What are the three main ingredients for your recipe for success?
Mix two tablespoons of drive and motivation with a teaspoon of aesthetics and design sense, and add a pinch of craziness—that's our recipe for success and our love for our customers. Occasionally, one of us will personally run to the post office to send a package by express to an eagerly awaiting customer.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
We're completely bootstrapped, except for a very small investment in September 2015, and we built our entire brand ourselves. That's how we made it onto television without any further investment—I think that says a lot. Of course, we plan to develop more products in the long term. It's still exciting!
5. What does Munich mean to you?
I am, as the saying goes, a "true Munich kid" (Monica). That means Munich is and will always be my home. The guys may be newcomers, but they've also settled in here. As for the location, well, everyone knows that Munich is expensive. That's nothing new, but you have to take it into account, especially with regard to salaries, rent, taxes, etc. We still think Munich is one of the best locations for startups, and fortunately, the scene is constantly growing. Many large corporations are based here and in the surrounding area; the city is growing and becoming increasingly popular internationally. While our Berlin colleagues are perhaps simply seen as hip, Munich is hip and reputable.
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
We love unicorns. But what exactly makes a unicorn? It's unique and doesn't actually exist.
We exist, yet we are unique. We pursue our vision, and we love what we do. I think this passion leads to success!
7. Fish on a stick or quinoa salad?
What is Steckerlfisch? (Simon)
Fish on a stick! (Christoph)
Where can I get skewered fish? (Johannes)
Quinoa salad – even though I love Munich, I hate grilled fish! (Monica)
