Question:
How did you come up with the idea of bringing Indian snacks to Germany?
I’m originally from India and loved this snack as a child. When I moved to Germany in 2016, I noticed an exciting change on the supermarket shelves. There were no longer just potato crisps, but also snacks made from lentils, plantains, and a whole range of new, exciting snacks. I thought to myself: why not bring my favourite snacks from home to Germany?
I’m absolutely thrilled that so many people are curious and want to try something new. And that’s how the “Water Lilly Pops” came onto the market.
Question:
What flavour are the Water Lily Pops?
DiThe “Water Lily Pops” are seeds of the prickly water lily! They grow naturally and sustainably in the waters of India. The seeds look like small, black beans the size of peanuts. The seeds are collected and then placed in the sun to dry. And how are the seeds actually popped? They are not popped in a machine like popcorn, but roasted by hand in an iron pan and the shell is then cracked open with a hammer and the heat and pressure causes the seeds to pop. It is a great technique! Four people sit there and heat the seeds. And the last person makes the seeds pop at a crazy speed. And then you can see this “pop” – it’s really impressive!
Question:
What flavour are they?
People say it’s a mixture of rice cakes and popcorn. But I can’t really say it’s a mixture of both snacks.
Question:
Where do you produce your “Water Lily Pops”?
We want to support the farmers in India because the harvest takes place underwater and is difficult and dangerous. I wanted to give something back to my country. These are the reasons why we are currently producing in India.
Question:
How successful is Just Nosh in the German market?
We are very pleased that we were able to achieve our first success last year by being listed in supermarket chains. We gained a listing at Kaufland, Germany-wide, and at Globus. This was our first step towards bringing our product in food retail outlets. Previously, you could only buy the product online. Then came Rewe, who supported us very well and is a very strong partner. And we are now represented by Rewe in many regions of Germany.
Question:
What is the next step that Just Nosh wants to take?
In addition to Germany, we also want to enter the Dach region.
DaThen expand into the Netherlands, because we also see demand there. So far, they can only order our products via our webshop and then we also want to deliver to Luxembourg and Belgium.
Question:
Why set up in Germany and not in India?
I always wanted to build a bridge between the two countries – that was my way into food. I like the food industry, I like cooking myself and I pay a lot of attention to my diet, and what I eat. I also look at what I buy in the supermarket and this industry speaks to me, I enjoy it.