Going on an entrepreneurial journey

Have you ever walked around a store, picked up your favorite beverage and wondered where it came from or who thought of making it? Well if you have not, do yourself the favor and do a little bit of research because what we learned yesterday, is that there is always a story behind what you are holding in your hand or consuming. 

Koawach - a chocolate drink with a twist, is a product we learned about yesterday from one of the founders himself, Heiko Butz. This beverage consists of Latin American cocoa that contains the energy of guarana. Guarana is a caffeine-containing plant from Brazil. Unlike caffeine in coffee, guarana is easier to digest and has got long-lasting effects. This is what makes Koawach, which also roughly translates from German to English as 'cocoa awake', a special competitor and in some ways a player in its own league. We learned not only about the basics of all the different types of Koawach, but also about why Heiko and his business partner Daniel started with this in the first place, how they went about doing it, the good and bad times they have had to face (and still do) and got some tips about what it means to start a business from nothing.​

Koawach started as a startup and is still considered as one today. Heiko and Daniel came up with the idea in 2014 to introduce to the German market this special product and with a lot of ambition (while studying towards a Masters) decided to enter a startup competition in order to launch their product and ideas they had. They did not win the competition but came second. A month later they were contacted by the organizers from the competition, informing them that the winning team had pulled out and that they now had the opportunity to launch their product with the prize money. This, according to Heiko, was their first breakthrough and something he is very thankful for. Another major breakthrough for Koawach was in 2015 when Heiko and Daniel took part in a German TV show called "Die Höhle der Löwen" (The Lions Cave) which is similar to Shark Tank in the US. With all of the twists and turns that Koawach as a product took, it has not only survived but has flourished thus far. What this taught us was that there is never a linear line from where a product idea starts and what it is today - there are many complex things that happen along the way, a lot of struggles, sacrifices as we heard from Heiko, tears of joy and sadness and very memorable moments. Besides this, we also learned that just because you studied something unrelated to a product you want to launch, does not mean that it is not in your reach. Heiko studied environmental sciences for example and now he is doing things related to business and economics. His background has however given Koawach a certain edge as it is very proud to take part in fairtrade practices that are not only good for people but the environment. The packaging of the 'ready-to-drink' Koawach drink is in recyclable environmentally-friendly paper packaging as well. These different elements make Koawach stand out from the rest and shows us that various pathways of life experience and study can enable you to do something you really want to.

We got to ask Heiko many questions to find out more about him as a person and what drives him, what does it take to be an entrepreneur and what were some of the things he personally struggled with. This made for a great learning moment for many of us - seeing what and who sits behind a product like Koawach and getting tips, made us realize that failure is okay, not knowing where your product is going at times is also okay and to always stay true in what you believe in. 

With us all having tasted the vegan version of Koawach, the white chocolate version, and original chocolate, we can definitely say that although it tasted great and we felt more awake, we have a newfound respect for a product like this and learned a lot about the ins and outs of a startup. This visit by Heiko was very inspiring and definitely reminded many of us why we came on this trip in the first place.

Through learning more about Heiko's entrepreneurial journey, we are ready to embark on our own during this program!