It was a fantastic performance that Florian Petersdorfer put on 2 million in the startup show for 2 minutes. Since 2018 he has been leading “The Beekeeping” and has produced multi-award-winning organic honey. He also looks after several apiaries for well-known Austrian companies. With his products, a dietary supplement made from bee bread, propolis in capsule form and dry honey wine, he caused a bidder battle among investors during the recording. And he ended up adding four financiers to his honey family.
+++ What Florian Gschwandtner looks for in “2 minutes 2 million” deals +++
Five out of four at “Die Beekerei”
In detail: In the show, the parties agreed on five times 24,000 euros for a total of 26 percent company shares. However, since sustainability expert Martin Rohla ultimately did not invest, there were four 5.2 percent shares sold for a total of 96,000 euros, as Petersdorfer explains.
Honey wine at Hofer from April 25th
“With the capital, we want to drive the growth of ‘beekeeping’ and win larger orders,” says the founder: “The honey wine will also be available in all Hofer branches from April 25”.
New devices for “The beekeeping”
New equipment is now being purchased for its growth targets, including a new bottling plant and a honey extractor to increase production on a technical level. Starting in May, the previous one-man startup will no longer be one. Petersodrfer will receive support through the employment of a marginally employed worker.
Negotiations on one level
While many participants in the program subsequently had to struggle with a broken deal, Petersdorfer calls the negotiations with the investors amical and takes place on an equal footing. “You didn’t just act as a ‘financier’, but as a strategic partner,” he says. Above all, Runtastic founder Florian Gschwandtner, who as a digital professional offered great help in terms of website and web shop.
Gschwandtner and the modern sales channels
“In times of Covid-19, we have all seen how quickly the world can change. Honey is one of the oldest foods in the world and we enjoy it far too little. I am happy that I can invest in bees, in food and in a great person. I will use my know-how primarily in digitization. We have to think about modern sales channels and I would also like to help the company grow. There is definitely a lot of work to do, ”said Gschwandtner about one of his first non-tech investments.
Honey capsules at Mediashop
Finally, the collaboration also worked with Mediashop boss Katharina Schneider, even though she had already said goodbye to the program as a possible investor. “At the end of the broadcast of the show, interested parties can already purchase the capsules on their platform,” says Petersdorfer: “Perga, also known as ‘bee bread’, is fermented bee pollen with propolis. Using a complex process, I managed to put this in capsules. The market for food supplements is large, but it is hard to beat the ingredients. ”
Our sweet honey wine
Winemaker Leo Hillinger, on the other hand, only needed a sip of the consignment to get the taste of honey wine. Unlike the industry-standard and sweet honey wine, the founder produces his drink dry, which means that the palate is more like a fruity Riesling than a berry selection.
Hillinger Marketing for “The Beekeeping”
“Leo Hillinger is a marketing professional and will help to place the honey wine correctly,” says Petersdorfer, who emphasizes that in his case it wasn’t just money that flowed, but that the investors actually contributed personally.
Gin & Honey and hotel industry
The start-up’s next goals will be to place the products even more in retail and to scale the capsules. Petersdorfer wants to be careful not to grow too quickly, but still has product extensions in mind. For example a “Gin & Honey” drink, about which he is still cautious. He says: “I plan to expand the product range and not just place my products in retail. I can also well imagine the upscale gastronomy and hotel industry as a customer ”.
Gschwandtner, the “farm boy”
An attitude that Florian Gschwandtner in particular shares: “Beekeeping is already one of my favorite investments. I am a farm boy and grew up with nature. I just enjoy making a sustainable, yet innovative investment in this area. It was important to me that Florian is a modern beekeeper who also thinks about new products. I am convinced that we will still have a lot of fun together here ”.
⇒ To the startup
–
–
