How Krusli turns food waste into delicious breakfast cereals.

What is it?

Krusli is a young, Dutch-based food start-up. We already spotted them while participating in the Albert Heijn Product Pitch last month, but as this day was super busy we didn't find the chance to talk to them or taste the products. Luckily at the Herofestival, our paths crossed again and they could tell us about the (very interesting) story about their brand and products, the story of creating healthy breakfasts out of different residual food waste flows.

Did you know, for example, that the production of beers generates so-called “brewers grain” (Dutch: bierbostel), it’s what is left after the brewer extracts carbohydrates from the barley grain. Bierbostel is very high in fibre as well as proteins but it’s not that tasty on its own. Therefore, most of it either ends up as cattle feed or - in case of an oversupply - gets thrown away. Krusli though, uses this as one of the ingredients in their cereals, as well as ugly beets, wrong shaped apples and many more very nutritious ingredients that deserve to be eaten.

Why is it cool?

Here in the Netherlands, the idea of creating new, tasty and innovative products out of residual flow is quite popular. Nevertheless, it is very needed too. Just because it doesn't fit certain, and if you’d ask us, very outdated standards, a lot of food gets thrown away before it even gets the chance to be sold.

Initiatives like Krusli, but also - for example - Kromkommer and Sunt who make delicious soups and banana bread out of rejected fruits and veggies, are very cool because they all support a certain food revolution. We have to start looking at the inside instead of the outside and see what these beautiful foods bring us in terms of their nutritional value and taste, instead of their looks.

Next to this, we think Krusli is very cool because they shake up the current range of breakfast cereals with surprising and innovative flavour combinations. What about beetroot and ginger, or banana and peanut butter. Sound delicious, right? Well.. surprise: they are!

Does it have future growth potential?

Yes! At least, let's hope more and more consumers start focussing on nutrition instead of appearance. If you’re a Queal consumer, or currently use any other kind of complete foods, you already know that functional food - snacks and meals that focus on providing the best nutrition - doesn’t mean boring, or tasteless. And Krusli is just another example.

Also, in terms of future-proofness, we think turning normally perishable foods such as bananas, beets, apples, corn et cetera in something with a longer shelf life is always a good idea. Why? Well.. Not only does this mean less waste on the other (consumer) side of the market too, it also makes healthy food more convenient and accessible.