The spice company Ankerkraut announced on April 13 that the world’s largest and controversial food corporation Nestlé has bought them. Dozens of influencers, Twitch streamers, and YouTubers are not at all enthusiastic about the action. Some of them have been working with the company for years and cannot believe it.
Why is Nestlé controversial? Nestlé is repeatedly criticized:
- They are said to be responsible for the deaths of several infants because they distributed free samples of baby food that were prepared with contaminated water.
- They are alleged to have used genetic engineering to alter the ingredients of a chocolate bar.
- There are accusations that Nestlé allegedly engages in child labor, human trafficking, animal testing, and forced labor.
- The multinational corporation reportedly sourced palm oil from companies that destroy rainforest in Indonesia in 2010.
- There are many more allegations against Nestlé that you can look up in their Wikipedia entry.
What is Ankerkraut? Since 2013, Stefan and Anne Lemcke have been producing high-quality and unique spices as part of a small family business. However, the company became better known in 2016 when it appeared in the TV show “Die Höhle des Löwen”.
It is about presenting your startup and convincing the “lions” (investors) of your product. Ankerkraut succeeded in this, and Frank Thelen invested 300,000 euros in the Lemckes’ company.
From there, it only went uphill: They already made 9 million euros in revenue in 2017 and employed 70 staff. Nowadays, the two expect annual revenue of over 30 million euros and employ over 200 staff.
This is how Ankerkraut advertises: On their homepage, Ankerkraut advertises that they hold a clear commitment to people, our world, and the living beings that inhabit it. They also consider sustainability and responsibility in production and packaging (via Ankerkraut.de).
Completely contrary, the community finds:
Exactly my humor pic.twitter.com/KLuIVggIZB
— unerwartet (@unerwartett) April 13, 2022
Big influencers, Twitch streamers, and YouTubers end collaboration
Ankerkraut primarily relies on advertising by well-known personalities, influencers, and some online magazines. They entered into several partnerships with Twitch streamers, especially from the gaming scene. Even the Twitch logo is featured on their page under the section “as seen on”.
What do the content creators say about it? They are not at all enthusiastic and are even quite angry. Some of them report that they were not informed in advance about Nestlé’s purchase and only learned about it through social media:
Besides DoktorFroid, Sturmwaffel (via Twitter) and Sintica (via Twitter) reported similar and knew nothing in advance about the purchase.
The big Nintendo YouTuber Domtendo is also directly asking for alternatives (via Twitter). Many Twitter users have also begun to recommend other spice companies in the comments of Ankerkraut.
Further statements from streamers and other influencers:
- The Twitch streamer Pewy states: “I am really angry (via Twitter).”
- Streamer shushu also says: “This is very sad. I loved the collaboration and the products too (via Twitter).”
- Content creator Chefstrobel tries to see it from Ankerkraut’s perspective: “From a moral standpoint, not justifiable. From a business perspective, absolutely understandable. Difficult topic (via Twitter).”
- YouTuber JulisTierwelt has a clear opinion: “Too bad, but that’s it. I don’t understand how one can collaborate with the bloodiest company at all for money. Bye (via Twitter).”
Twitch streamer Pandorya supported the initiative of her colleagues to end the partnership with Ankerkraut (via Twitter), and many other users and influencers do the same. The quoted tweets are full of misunderstanding, anger, and announcements about ending cooperation with Ankerkraut.
Humorous: The guys from PietSmiet had a fitting timing regarding spices. Just today, on April 14, they presented their new spice blends as part of the format “PietSmiet cooks”. They advertise with “Now new in the shop: Spice blends without a bland aftertaste”:
Ankerkraut responded to users’ criticism
What does Ankerkraut say to the masses of critics? The online magazine t-online has received feedback from an Ankerkraut spokesperson who argued: “We have more likes on Instagram than negative comments.”
Ankerkraut, on the other hand, has a “very good feeling” with Nestlé since they received only “very good answers” when they discussed the criticism regarding Nestlé with the corporation itself.
Furthermore, Ankerkraut anticipated such a reaction, but they are confident that the majority will remain loyal to them. They also wish to engage with the users’ criticism and describe themselves as a “very open company”.
However, they also said: “If of course someone says ‘Goodbye, Ankerkraut’, then that’s the way it is. Such people can’t and shouldn’t be stopped.”
