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In fact, she had the best prerequisites to embark on a steep career with the consulting firm PwC.
Jo-Maren Witte from Berlin started working for the company as a student and stayed.
After completing her master's degree, however, she gradually developed the desire to set up a company herself.
A trip to Thailand finally gave her the impetus that she couldn't go on with plastic waste, says the now 27-year-old in an interview with “Gründerszene”.
In early 2020, she started developing her own shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.
Half a year later the product was ready.
The idea: mix it yourself and save plastic.
She finished her job as a senior consultant at PwC in September 2020 in order to be able to concentrate fully on her start-up Levy & Frey.
“Due to a skin disease, I had to deal early with products that contain natural ingredients so that I can tolerate them,” says Witte.
Developed her care products on her own and then started Levy & Frey: Jo-Maren Witte
Source: Levy & Frey
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She developed her products in collaboration with chemists and a German manufacturer in order to obtain the relevant certificates and approvals.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in mid-February.
Six-digit amount for Levy & Frey
Witte is the sole founder and has brought three business angels on board to help her set up.
These are Maniko co-founder Max Laarmann, who previously set up the mattress start-up Emma, and Emma's Chief Revenue Officer, Thibault Francois.
Hannes-Benjamin Schmitz, Managing Director of Greenforce and shareholder of the media group Social Chain Group, has also joined the company.
The shampoo developer collected a six-figure amount at the start, she says.
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"According to a study, German consumers use an average of eleven shower gels and ten shampoos a year," says Witte.
That's a lot of plastic that can be avoided.
From the development side, the conditioner was the greatest challenge.
“I had to test myself and a few friends for a long time until I was satisfied,” says the founder.
Plastic-free shampoo ties in with the sustainability trend
The shampoo and the other care products can be ordered in different set sizes.
The starter set with all Levy & Frey offers costs 59 euros.
The dispenser is included to mix the powder.
The product should be fully operational after around five minutes.
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The refill deliveries of the powder should cost around five euros.
That would take about a month.
“Quality and natural ingredients have their price,” says Witte.
In the next step, the founder plans to initiate influencer marketing and develop further fragrances.
So far, a unisex fragrance note has been available for shampoo and shower gel.
Witte also wants to reach the B2B market with its products, for example hairdressing salons, hotels or offices.
The trend towards plastic-free and sustainably produced products is in full swing.
The Etepetete founder recently presented his new start-up with Future Stories.
This is also about shower gel and soap to mix yourself.
The hype surrounding such products was triggered last year, among other things, by the cleaning pill start-up Everdrop.
The Munich-based company has now completed several financing rounds in a very short time and, according to its own statements, should be profitable.