An Interview With Martita Mestey
You have to be authentic and passionate about what you do to earn credibility. We specifically went to a neighborhood location with low foot traffic because we wanted people to become fans. They come to us specifically instead of just passing by in a high-traffic location.
As a part of our series called “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ralf Sander of Gimme Gelato.
Ralf Sander is a technology-driven gelato pioneer. With a background in brewing and extensive experience in the food industry, he founded Gimme Gelato in 2018, combining artisanal craftsmanship and rich ingredients with cutting-edge technology. Under Sander’s leadership, Gimme Gelato’s mobile vans offer zero-waste, contactless, and remote operation, demonstrating his commitment to innovation and sustainability. As Chief Gelato Officer, Sander is redefining culinary norms and shaping the future of gastronomy with every scoop.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
Thanks for having me! I was born and raised in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, at a time when many Americans were stationed there at the airbase, which was one of the largest military airbases of the U.S. Army. American ice cream was available there at fairs, which I have fond memories of as a child. I’ve always been interested in food, and what was special about Frankfurt was that they had apple wine, green sauce, so many things with tradition. I’ve always liked these local products. We have a thousand nurseries that do nothing but grow the seven herbs for the green sauce. Then there was a winery near us that converted a submarine into a storage tank. So much has happened in the food industry in Frankfurt that is rooted in heritage.
Can you share with us the story of the “ah ha” moment that led to the creation of the food or beverage brand you are leading?
I spent two years training in a brewery, four years studying brewing technology at the Technical University of Berlin, and a total of over 20 years in the food and beverage industry before I decided to start my own business. Before that, I didn’t have an idea that made sense to me.
I took a sabbatical from the corporate world, moved into my caravan, did a lot of stand-up paddling and took a weekend course in ice cream making. On this weekend we made sorbets and we just took strawberries, water and sugar, mixed it and put it in the ice cream machine and what came out of those three ingredients was just really good. That was the aha moment when I realized it was so easy to make good ice cream. I had to take this further.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
If you empty a pasteurizer and go do something else for a moment, it can flood the floor of the ice cream lab with milk and cream. It’s happened to everyone in this field.
Lesson learned: Never leave a lid open — you have to be standing next to it at all times.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they start a food or beverage line? What can be done to avoid those errors?
In my more than 20 years in the food and beverage industry, I have of course seen many food business concepts. I think most people underestimate the workload and complexity of being a food entrepreneur. You have to work in all disciplines. I think the biggest mistake people make is to think that everything will work perfectly from day one, and another big mistake is to scale too quickly or grow too quickly without building the right foundation. I have seen this with a number of restaurant owners who have opened in multiple cities. It’s hard to be everywhere at once.
Let’s imagine that someone reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to produce. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?
The first thing to do is to analyze the market to see if the product already exists and what the demand and potential is for it. If it is a small market, it may not make sense to implement it. You have to do a potential analysis first, how can you reach it, how price-intensive is it. The question is always whether the food founder wants to produce the product himself or outsource it. Create a prototype and do field tests to see if it really works. And then you have to think about whether you really want to do it — get a clear idea of what it means to be a food entrepreneur. Those are the basics, but there’s also green design principles, ethical sourcing strategies, and the role of sustainability in branding and differentiation to consider in today’s market. Then you need to budget for staying power.
Many people have good ideas all the time. But some people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How would you encourage someone to overcome this hurdle?
Doing is like wanting, only better. A good general tip is to start small and grow organically. This is not unusual advice, but many people take on things that are way too big in the first step.
There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?
I actually used a consultant in the beginning and I can only recommend it. They helped us with the business plan, with the market research, with the potential analysis, they simulated with us what it means in business terms and they attended the meetings with the bank with us. I can only recommend this to any newcomer. This could also be a business angel for you. Not all advisors are the same, we hired an advisor to help us with business management and then I partnered with someone who has over 40 years of experience in the mobile food industry and experience in scaling.
What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?
This depends very much on your personal situation, the phase of life you are in and how fast you want to make a concept big. The advantage of bootstrapping is that you can be very true to your idea and focus on the product and the purpose, whereas with venture capital you have more profit-oriented interests with which you could potentially grow rapidly.
Can you share thoughts from your experience about how to file a patent, how to source good raw ingredients, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer or distributor?
For the trademark, I started with a simple search of my own through the trademark and patent office online. Finally, I went to a lawyer who had registered it because they did a thorough search and would also represent me in the event of claims against my trademark.
For the source of raw materials, a lot was done through personal contacts and recommendations, and from there the network grew. We also choose suppliers based on their mindset. I traveled a lot, went to trade shows, had samples sent to me and tried a lot of things. You have to look at the production, what certifications they have, how they are recognized by the trade.
For retailers or distributors, it’s important to find out how relevant they are to your target audience and how well they fit with your brand.
What are your “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand” and why?
- First of all, the product has to be relevant to the target group. I always wanted to make the best-tasting ice cream because I knew that guests would go the extra mile to get it. You need an outstanding product.
- You have to be authentic and passionate about what you do to earn credibility. We specifically went to a neighborhood location with low foot traffic because we wanted people to become fans. They come to us specifically instead of just passing by in a high-traffic location.
- You need a good structure and the right team, both internally and externally. In my case it is the team in the ice cream lab, an excellent sales team and the interfaces such as PR and design. You should start to create a good structure in time, including all the digital options that are available, and invest enough in it.
- It takes staying power. Almost eight years have passed since the idea for Gimme Gelato was born in 2016, then the opening, and we are still evolving. Each year, we have opened more locations in Berlin with our mobile gelato parlors, and now we are expanding across Germany.
From remote-controlled mobile vans to electronic-only receipts, every facet of the Gimme Gelato experience is meticulously designed for efficiency and sustainability, and continues to evolve. We embrace innovation to streamline processes while preserving the artisanal essence of gelato making.
5. Being agile, constantly monitoring the overall concept, the product and the changing needs of the guests and then reacting quickly. We have seen that we have filled the catering field very well because it didn’t exist in this form.
Around 20 mobile sales units, including roadrunners, sea containers, gelato bikes and an electric Ape (Italian moped), are now present at corporate events with their logos embossed on our popsicles. To satisfy cravings, local delivery services have also been delivering the gelato directly to homes.
Can you share your ideas about how to create a product that people really love and are ‘crazy about’?
It has to be playful and you have to keep surprising people. One example is our edible spoons. They reduce waste, but they are also tasty. People like them because of the surprise moment when they realize they can eat them.
Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
First of all, of course, that we create fair working conditions, that people feel good at work, that it’s fun. In the way we treat our suppliers and partners. Taste above all, with maximum sustainability. That we have a zero-waste approach, use e-bikes, and of course are socially involved in the neighborhood and collect donations for people in need. And, of course, we make everyone happy with our ice cream.
You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I am committed to a zero waste movement in the food industry. I and my fellow food and beverage entrepreneurs should do everything in our power to use technological advances for efficiency in logistics, while thinking local with ingredient sourcing and leftover donations.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Ralf Sander Of Gimme Gelato On 5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.