In 2001 four inspired people started a company with a commercial, but especially social, goal: they were going to take dried cranberries to market as a new type of sweet or fruit snack. A healthy alternative to less wholesome snacks.
It was certainly not an overnight success, but as with many things, it was an educational experience. The four green entrepreneurs were faced with every conceivable setback from the berry harvest to the processing, the printed packaging that turned out brown instead of red, transport, distribution and marketing… the time simply did not seem to be ripe. It was a costly lesson, but those are usually the best ones – provided that you make it through the setback, that is.
The failed introduction of Fruxl’s taught us – for those four green entrepreneurs were us – better than anyone to recognise the qualities and opportunities of the cranberry. We learned quickly and along the way this enabled us to better navigate the market, earning more and more respect from customers. From the producers of a small sweet we developed into a globally active supplier with a unique product range. Meanwhile we are firmly established in Europe. We have even become the largest supplier of cultivated organic cranberries.