A little luxury in a glass for sports enthusiasts

Organic, high in protein, without additives: The start-up Löwenanteil promises a lot with its ready meals in a jar. But what can the products do? We have done the test.

When you think of ready meals, you think of unhealthy products from the freezer, zero nutrients, and the only advantage is that they are quick to prepare. The start-up Löwenanteil also promises the latter for its organic ready meals, but otherwise they want to do everything differently. The current six products have names like "Lentils a la Provence" and "Chili Vegano", are rich in protein and primarily developed for people who regularly and specifically do sports. Löwenanteil's motto: Now I'm full. Good, then let's test it.

Selection and website: Löwenanteil in the test

The website is beautiful, simple, with the small lion with crown in the logo. The few dishes can be viewed very clearly. Quality before quantity? "No chemicals, no added sugar, no bullshit," writes Lion's Share. 570 grams in the jar, 100 percent natural ingredients and "rich in protein." The Nutri-Score is also given, always A. I've probably never eaten healthier. Cost: 6.99 euros. For each product, whether with meat, beans or as a curry. How does that pay off?

We do some more research on the website: The big promise is to offer a quick meal portion containing the necessary nutrients for people who do sports. The protein content is right at the top of the jars, so sports enthusiasts can plan with that in mind. The website also has a calorie calculator where I can choose between three goals. The first is: lose weight, build muscle, or eat a balanced diet. For this, I not only enter my weight and gender, but also my daily activity or how often I exercise. Lion's share therefore also offers the perfect calculation of the number of glasses I then need for my requirements. Convenient. And the glasses are also available in a value pack, for example six or twelve of a dish. Or I can take out a subscription. Of course, it takes a lot of work off my hands, and the dishes can be kept uncooled and closed for over a year. How is that possible, without additives, I ask myself.

The order at Löwenanteil in the Startbase test

I order three dishes: chili vegano and the Italian bean stew, both touted as new. For comparison, the meaty version of the chili, Chipotle Chili, ends up in my cart. I only get free shipping on orders over 40 euros, so I pay five euros more. I need a user account to place the order. I can pay with the usual options like Paypal, Klarna or credit card. The confirmation comes by mail, I am welcomed in the "lion pack" and get the info that Löwenanteil donates with every order a warm meal to children in Burundi. This is a cooperation with the Welthungerhilfe. Whoever earns money in Germany with expensive organic products can also give away. I think that's good. So I also did something good with my order.

My lion's share in the test: The taste is convincing

The package arrives two days later, that was fast. In a box with optional six compartments, my three glasses stand safely. On the website and also on the jars it reads: Prepare in three minutes, in the crock pot or microwave. In the comments under the dishes, it said from other Lion's Share customers that rice or potatoes go well with this to complement the stew's variations. Sounds logical to me. Lion's Share itself is also apparently aware of this combination. The startup offers rice and quinoa, plus protein balls as snacks. Today, however, it's all about the jarred products for now.

I'm testing with two friends, both are sporty, so the target group of Löwenanteil. "The first impression makes you want more," says one of them. "Smells really good," the other. But, "With that name, I would have imagined bigger portions."

The bean stew and vegan chili are made in the crockpot, the meaty chili in the microwave - works both ways and both dishes heat up quickly. And we make our own rice to go with it. At the first bite, we all look at each other expectantly, first verdict: good. "You get what you expect." What does that mean? It tastes healthy. More specifically, the ingredients are delicious, but for one thing, there are no additives in it, and for another, it's stew. That makes it hard to evaluate individual ingredients. With the meat, however, it works: "Tender and there really are chunks of meat in it," is the verdict. The bean stew is the least intense in comparison, "I imagined it spicier than I smelled it." The vegan chili is a bit spicy, but just right.

"Now I'm full," is Lion's motto. I ask them both if it's true. Without the rice, the portion wouldn't be enough, they say in unison. But then the satiety also lasts into the early evening.

Conclusion

It's delicious, it's healthy and it's quick. But it's also a small luxury: for seven euros I can cook something delicious myself, including the rice. The target group is certainly not only young and sporty, but also urban and financially well-off people. Perhaps the attraction arises above all among those for whom sport is the focus of their lives. The Instagram page of Löwenanteil confirms the impression: whoever promotes the organic ready meals is a micro-influencer in the field of sports and healthy lifestyle. To this day, I still get a lot of emails with discounts and offers. I don't use them, but I'm just the wrong person for the products. However, if you want to save time and plan your meal with ingredients accurately, Lion's Share is perfect for you.

Background on the company

Löwenanteil was founded by Robin Redelfs and Thomas Kley, and in 2019 they received 225,000 euros from Austrian venture capitalist Square One Food. Their approach: those who do a lot of sports and pay attention to their diet are always faced with the question: what do I cook today to get enough protein? With Löwenanteil, they invented the solution themselves and have been selling organic ready meals, made and bottled in Germany, ever since. The name of their company is derived from a fable about a lion. It is figuratively about the dispute of the best and largest part of the food, Löwenanteil wants to give each and everyone their own share to eat without envy.