True Fruits

The case focuses on True Fruits, a leading smoothie producer in Germany. Founders Marco Knauf, Inga Koster and Nicolas Lecloux spent their exchange semester in 2005 in Scotland where they discovered smoothies. When they returned home to Germany, they could not find smoothies in supermarkets and decided to start their own smoothie company. The trio’s aim was to make the most desirable non-alcoholic drink in Germany and to build their business on quality, authenticity, and lifestyle. In 2006, they incorporated True Fruits. They found the right bottler for their smoothies and soon supermarkets began stocking them. From that point forward, the company grew exponentially until they were selling over half a million smoothies per month by 2008. They also expanded to Austria and Switzerland. By 2010, competition from other brands was on the rise, and supermarkets were negotiating sharply over prices. True Fruits had to decide what their strategy for the future would be. Their options included internationalization, expanding production, or expanding the product range. The case addresses hurdles in start-up situations with regard to manufacturing and financing. It also addresses product placement, internationalization, and the diversification of a product portfolio.