Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Emma Grün: With Emma Grün, we sell specialized cleaning and care products the way grandma made them, no frills attached. Our goal is to offer effective, sustainable, and affordable alternatives using natural ingredients like sugar surfactants, essential oils, and beeswax that are every bit as effective as “modern” chemical products. To do this, we work with family-run manufacturers in Germany and Greece, where our products are made based on proven recipes.
“Radical about ingredients and the choice of production partners”
With this idea, we solve everyday problems like stubborn stains, dry leather, or bad odors. Conversely, it means you extend the lifespan of your favorite sofa, shoes, or leather bag, save resources, and expose yourself to significantly less chemistry every time you reach for a household cleaner. With Emma Grün, you can declutter your household cabinet, simplify the tedious selection at the drugstore shelf, and opt for sustainable products that are made right in your area.
Munich Startup: But doesn’t that already exist?
Emma Grün: Yes, in part. But to our knowledge, there is no other brand that is as radical about ingredients and the choice of production partners. We focus on German and European production partners and sustainability from ingredients to packaging. The minimum requirement for our production partners is that they are family businesses that use proven recipes that they have either developed themselves or with us. In some cases, these are recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. In the case of our essential oils, room sprays, and sauna oils, our production partner even operates its own organic farm and extracts the oils in its own distillery on the Greek Mediterranean coast. Additionally, we have just finished developing a product line that we will launch toward the end of the year and which doesn’t exist in this form in Germany.
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
Emma Grün: The idea for Emma Grün came about through Louis in 2021 in his student room at Stanford. While searching for an exciting niche in e-commerce, he noticed that in the area of cleaning tips, you always come across the same household remedies that have been known for decades. Everyone knows everyday helpers like vinegar essence, beeswax, gallnut soap, or baking soda, recommended by parents, grandparents, or videos. Through his studies in chemistry and management, he realized that this logic also had to be applicable to other household products. Jannik then joined Emma Grün a year later in 2022 and accelerated growth with his experience as a freelance e-commerce consultant.
Challenge: Launching new products at a rapid pace
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Emma Grün: One of the biggest challenges is certainly launching new products at a rapid pace as a bootstrapped startup without outside capital. At times, we’ve launched six to eight new products per month within a product category, which is a major financial and time challenge. Additionally, our compact team size can also be a challenge in certain phases, as we have to prioritize heavily. Furthermore, in choosing the right partners – whether in production, logistics, advertising, tools, etc. – we have significantly less room for error than larger competitors.
Munich Startup: Where do you want to stand in one year, and where in five years?
Emma Grün: In one year, we want to generate mid-seven-figure revenues with Emma Grün and achieve greater maturity in terms of our portfolio and channels. Specifically, this means reducing our dependence on Amazon as an important sales channel by selectively developing additional marketplaces and opening up brick-and-mortar retail. And on the other hand, by strengthening the role of our shop with individual products that we will increasingly promote via paid social. Additionally, in the coming year, we want to pool the competencies of our production partners and create completely new, innovative products from them to build deeper moats around our brand.
In five years, we want to be much closer to our vision, very much in the spirit of the former corner store, offering every person in DACH an affordable alternative for clean, well-maintained, and fresh-smelling households. By 2029, Emma Grün should be a love brand – the preferred choice when looking for reliable and safe solutions for upholstery stains, dry leather, and bad odors. Quantitatively, that means mid-eight-figure revenues and an expansion of our product portfolio. Qualitatively, it will continue to be essential in the future that we find the best production partners for each new product category who share our passion and high standards. Additionally, over the next five years, we want to achieve retail listings in all relevant drugstores, in food retail, and home improvement stores, as well as internationalization on Amazon and in our shop.
Startup hub Munich as foundation for a strong network
Munich Startup: How have you experienced the Munich startup hub so far?
Emma Grün: Our network around our alma mater at TU München is an important factor without which Emma Grün’s success in this form would not have been possible. During his studies, Louis was part of the Entrepreneurship Program Manage & More at UnternehmerTUM, while Jannik participated in the Academic Program for Entrepreneurship at SCE. Beyond that, Jannik learned his trade in online marketing, brand building, and Amazon at Happybrush in Munich. Therefore, the Munich startup hub forms the foundation for a strong network for us to this day. Whether it’s about introductions, growing pains, or new channels, in our view, Munich offers the right sparring partners for every industry and growth phase if you’re open to it. Additionally, with Emma Grün, we are regularly a guest at Werk1 in the beautiful Werksviertel to collaborate with friendly startups and get inspired.
Munich Startup: Hidden champion or shooting star?
Emma Grün: Definitely hidden champion. All of our production partners are hidden champions in their respective niches, whether it’s leather care, leather repair, upholstery cleaning, or essential oils. We want to transport exactly this spirit in our products: highly specialized, without unnecessary chemicals, made with love and expertise. It’s not our goal to shine through large financing rounds or a maximally large team size. Our central KPI is profit and profit per team member. With that, you naturally fly under the radar, which is completely fine with us.
