Innovation means taking setbacks and looking ahead

We interviewed Lukas Renz, one of the founders of Bärnstein, a start-up beverage company from St. Pölten. Bärnstein is a natural pick-me-up with green coffee as a base, and other ingredients native to Austria such as dirndl, elderberry, apple, quince and verjus. Bärnstein is one of the top 100 start-ups in Austria. We asked Lukas about the history and development of the brand and the company as well as his opinion on innovation.

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AnyIdea: How did you come up with the name Bärnstein?

Lukas Renz: It all started 5 years ago. Back then, we said to ourselves that we wanted to develop a new brand, not a me-too product, i.e. not a new iced tea or a new cola, but really open up a new beverage segment. Our approach was: We want to develop something that we would like to drink ourselves. That was our first step in brand development. It was important to see how to build a brand that consumers could understand and share about. That has led us well. Our core values, i.e. the values of the brand, have set out the common thread: loyalty, honesty, friendliness. The brand must be down to earth and express sustainability and quality, as well as a certain kind of strength. That's how we came to Bärnstein. On the one hand, the strong bear, the steadfast animal, the silent power of the forests that goes its way. On the other hand, amber, the fossil resin. In amber, things are stored and sealed forever, as is known from fossils, and we preserve the quality in the bottle. The most successful brands have fixed values, i.e. a basic structure that does not change. Then you are credible and authentic.

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AnyIdea: Who was involved in the development of Bärnstein?

Lukas Renz: We didn't really ask anyone at the beginning. We wanted to do what was right for us. We didn't know there was anything about green coffee, so we just did it. The issue of regionality is also becoming increasingly important. This was the result of this mixture of domestic adventure and distant experience relatively quickly. When you build a brand, you need a lot of supporters, brand sympathizers, i.e. people who love what you do and consume your product. The distribution channel also makes up a large part of the brand here. Persuasion is important here.

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AnyIdea: What does innovation mean for you personally and for the Bärnstein brand?

Lukas Renz: Innovation is a very popular word these days. It's a bit of a shame for me, because everything is described as an innovation, which is basically just a variation. Nor have we necessarily done something completely innovative now. Bärnstein is nothing more than a drink. I can't reinvent drinking. At some point, you might be able to put a drop in your mouth, and that's like a glass of water. I'm always a bit careful about what innovation is and isn't. We are all familiar with disruptive innovations from the media; in the beverage sector, I don't think there is anything like that right now. But what we've already done is a product variation with an innovative character. Because the consumer sector is very much about the brand and positioning. But being really innovative is also very important to me. To always keep yourself up to date. Always see everything a bit differently from everyone else.

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AnyIdea: What does innovation mean for you personally and for the Bärnstein brand?

Lukas Renz: Innovation is a very popular word these days. For me, this is a
A bit of a shame, because everything is described as an innovation, which is basically just a
Variation is. Nor have we necessarily done something completely innovative now.
Bärnstein is nothing more than a drink. I can't reinvent drinking.
At some point, you might be able to put a drop in your mouth, and that's like a
glass of water. I'm always a bit careful about what innovation is and isn't.
We are all familiar with disruptive innovations from the media, in the beverage sector I think
Not that there is anything like this right now. But what we've already done is a
Product variation with an innovative character. Because there is a lot going on in the consumer sector
strong about the brand and positioning. But being really innovative is also very important to me. To always keep yourself up to date. Everything always a bit different
See as anyone else.

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AnyIdea: On the subject of open innovation: Was there a phase in the development process where you opened yourself up?

Lukas Renz: Of course, we have brought in a food technologist, among other things, to standardize the product. But it's also a tightrope walk: When we started to let other people have their say in the early stages, the processes suddenly became lengthy. And we let ourselves be unsettled.

When we start something new now, we use our own experience and team, for example when tasting. Today, we can rely on our instincts and feelings.

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AnyIdea: Many of today's innovations are combinations of existing things. Coffee is currently an in-drink, plus the functional food trend with green coffee, and the whole thing has also received a regional touch with Dirndl & Co.

Lukas Renz: Yes, it's true. Access to green coffee (green coffee) was given by tapping into the coffee segment, one of the strongest segments worldwide in the beverage sector. The question is: What is truly innovative? A drink is not a real innovation now. But I'm a bit strict about that. For me, it would be innovative if we invented a new container material that finally gets you away from plastic. So be able to use the same PET filling plants, but with a different raw material that rots. We also want to change the world to a certain extent. But that is extremely difficult. Our product is too expensive, but we can't make it cheaper because the quantity is too small.

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AnyIdea: Your final sentence on entrepreneurship and innovation?

Lukas Renz: As an entrepreneur, you need a great deal of courage and persistence. When the start-up hype is over, you realize how difficult it is. You have to appreciate ascents and descents in order to go through life resilient and crisis-proof. Networking is also extremely important. And you mustn't lose intrinsic motivation and fire. Because innovation is always accompanied by mistakes and setbacks, and that's what you need. The important thing is that in the event of a setback, you immediately push forward again.

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AnyIdea would like to thank Lukas Renz very much for the interview.

www.baernstein.com