Recup & Rebowl

Why did you found your start-up, what problem are you addressing and how are you solving it?

Our two founders Fabian Eckert and Florian Pachaly had the idea for RECUP during their studies. They were bothered by the disproportionately high consumption of disposable cups and the resulting mountains of waste. Both wanted to make a contribution to protecting the environment and conserving resources as well as making a difference - which is how they came up with the idea for the deposit system. Take-away food or simply ordering a delivery service to your home - absolutely in demand at the moment, of course. And yet again, people have disposable packaging and vast amounts of plastic at home, so it was only a matter of time before the company wanted to find a solution for this too. That's how the idea of REBOWL was born in 2019. The digital deposit system for reusable takeaway packaging is a resource-saving alternative to conventional disposable to-go packaging in the food sector. The principle is very simple: order take-away food and leave a deposit, enjoy your meal in the REBOWL on the go, return the REBOWL to a participating partner and get your deposit back. The restaurateur takes care of the professional washing up and is the cornerstone of the system. Breaking down entrenched patterns of behavior, finding and offering sustainable alternatives and acting as a role model for other sustainable ideas - that is the driving force behind the daily work of RECUP and REBOWL.

What is special about your business model, what do you do differently?

We focus on social impact and actively contribute to sustainable development in our society. And we do this with a lot of passion, team spirit and fun! As a team, we want to show that you can be economically independent with a sustainable business model and we've been pretty successful so far. With our company, we can drive ecological, economic and social change. That's why, in addition to our work, we also want to pave the way for other sustainable ideas and projects.

The REBOWL system differs from other reusable bowls in that it has a particularly long life cycle, as it can withstand 200 cycles. REBOWL deliberately does not work with an existing tray from the market, but has developed its own product that is not only 100% recyclable, but is also made from 100% recycled plastic and is more scratch-resistant than other products. This guarantees a high level of resource conservation on the basis of "Bowl2Bowl". This cradle2cradle principle makes it possible to reconcile the health aspect of consumer safety with sustainability through durability and resource conservation. REBOWL focuses on simplicity rather than complexity, making the system very user-friendly. It's great to have RECUP on our side as a strong, already established brand. There is a recognition value and people already understand the system behind it. We can also use the network effect here and take our RECUP community with us on the REBOWL journey. Together, we're taking part in the #coffeetogorevolution and the #rebowlution in Germany.

What was the most valuable piece of advice someone gave you during your start-up phase?

Fabi was once told by an investor that sometimes you just have to keep going. There are always phases in the early days that are extremely exhausting and stressful, when you sometimes ask yourself why you're taking on all this. At that moment, it helps to say to yourself: "Just get on with it!" And a few days later, the world usually looks completely different again and you can face all upcoming tasks and challenges with renewed strength and motivation. We think that's an important thing, because it's the only way to develop further, learn from mistakes and grow slowly but steadily.

What has been your greatest success so far?

We are constantly developing our brands. Our greatest success is that, together with so many partners, we are able to fight the mountains of waste caused by disposable packaging more and more consistently. We want to continue writing this success story with REBOWL.

What would you recommend to other founders?

Look for partners who are absolutely right for you and keep going, even if it sometimes seems hopeless at first, because the start-up phase is a constant up and down.

Where did you get to know each other as a team?

Flo and Fabi contacted the same person with the same idea, who then brought the two of them together. The small two-man team has grown steadily and ever faster. Today, the RECUP and REBOWL family has almost 40 employees who are passionately committed to the coffee-to-go revolution and, since last year, also to the Rebowlution.

Where do you see your startup in 3 years?

REBOWL's vision is to change our environment with the digital, circular and nationwide deposit system for take-away trays, to break up consumer habits and, together with our partners, to conserve resources by going reusable and taking others with us. We will be on this mission in three years' time. We are also super excited to see how everything will develop!

Do you have an office cat/dog/turtle?

Our team includes two office dogs. Frido, who lovingly mixes up his entire herd every day, and Freya, who loves every cuddle from all her human colleagues.

What prompted you to expand your product range?

We save an incredible number of disposable cups with RECUP. So why not go even further and save an incredible number of disposable cups with RECUP? So why not go even further and declare war on packaging waste in the food sector? Especially now, during the coronavirus pandemic, we have all become even more aware of how necessary sustainable alternatives are and how much they are now in demand among restaurateurs and end consumers. Overflowing garbage cans and plastic packaging as far as the eye can see - this is a situation that we cannot and must not be satisfied with.

How far along are you currently in product development? When will REBOWL be available in restaurants and cafés?

REBOWL is currently in the 3rd test phase of the system. From mid-June, we will be putting bowls back into circulation to test the system with regard to a digital component. At the moment you can get your take-away meal from some partners in Munich, Cologne and Berlin in the REBOWL. Partners in other cities will be added from mid-June. However, these bowls are only an interim solution for us - also due to coronavirus. We are currently in the process of developing a bowl that is even more sustainable. Because what you can find on the market at the moment is not yet ideal for the reusable sector and is therefore not satisfactory for us. The official market launch will take place in November. Until then, we are working on the digital component of the REBOWL to find the most user-friendly technology for our system that works most sustainably in the closed-loop system. On the other hand, material and design decisions will be finalized. REBOWL plans to complete test phase 3 at the end of October and then really get going with the bowl of the future on November 4th. So you can be very excited!

What challenges are you currently facing?

The biggest challenge at the moment is time. We are working flat out on the product and the brand so that we can launch the REBOWL rocket on its rebowlution mission on time in November. Due to the COVID crisis, we have also had to limit our working hours and are now coping with less time and all the upcoming tasks and challenges. But that's also great fun and increases our motivation enormously. The various test phases that we have already gone through and are still going through are providing us with a lot of insightful information. We need to constantly analyze and implement this information and use it to develop the bowl of the future - sustainable, user-friendly and innovative - our REBOWL.

Has the current corona crisis also had an impact on you and your project and, if so, how are you dealing with it?

As already described, the corona crisis is limiting our time somewhat. Nevertheless, the whole team is working with motivation and determination on the REBOWL and the deposit system in order to be ready for the market in November. On the other hand, we can see that the coronavirus pandemic is also an important wake-up call. People are once again becoming more aware of how important it is to avoid plastic and protect the environment. Many people are finding out more about sustainable alternatives during this time. Of course, we are also feeling the effects of this, which makes us very happy. Many restaurants and RECUP partners are approaching us with inquiries and reporting that a sustainable solution like the REBOWL is very much in demand right now.