6 Fragen an ... Nick & Fritz Sweet Treats (Baking Kits)

Jeder kennt das: Man hat ein vielversprechendes Kuchen-Rezept aus dem Internet gesucht. Doch was da dann am Ende aus dem Ofen kommt, sieht nicht so aus, wie man sich das gewünscht hatte. Vor allem vegane Rezepte sind bei mir schon öfters in die Hose gegangen – zu trocken, zu bröselig, zu matschig. Oder es muss gerade mal echt schnell gehen, weil ihr dooferweise am Vortag im Büro versprochen habt, Kuchen mitzubringen. Nur leider habt ihr dann doch bis spät abends auf der Couch abgehangen. Und jetzt noch mal die Küchenwaage rauszusuchen ist einfach nicht mehr drin.

Das sind die Momente, wo man sich eine gute alte Backmischung wünscht. Aber wenn möglich nicht ganz so oldschool. Kein Problem. Dank Nick & Fritz kannst du dir ein gelingsicheres Baking Kit nach Hause liefern lassen – mit biologischen Zutaten, ohne Plastik-Müll und liebevoll in München verpackt. Quasi eine Backmischung 2.0. Gründerin Anne hat mir im Interview verraten, was sie antreibt und wie es in Zukunft mit Nick & Fritz weitergehen soll.

Please introduce yourself and your business Nick & Fritz!

My name is Anne Faber-Inkpen & I’m from Nova Scotia, Canada. A little bit about myself, I’ve lived in Munich since 2013 after finishing my studies in New York. I consider Munich my home, even though the German language still baffles me. ? I love animals & volunteer as a dog-walker at the animal shelter in Riem. I worked in the corporate world for seven years before taking the plunge in 2020 to become an entrepreneur & launch Nick&Fritz Sweet Treats.

Nick&Fritz is a start-up offering easy-to-use, handcrafted & organic Baking Kits! We develop the recipes, take care of the grocery shopping & pre-measure the ingredients for you. All you have to do is the fun stuff – baking & eating.

How did you get the idea of Nick & Fritz?

Baking has always been my passion & I finally decided to turn my hobby into a career last year. My favorite kind of desserts are more the “American-style”, you could say: brownies, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, etc. Even though there are so many awesome dessert shops in Munich, when I felt like brownies, for example, I still liked the ones I baked at home the best. That’s why I decided to start a business focused around baking & sweet treats!

What is the vision behind Nick & Fritz?

I believe the simple act of sharing home-baked treats is one of the most heartfelt gestures of love one can make. Equally special, is time spent baking with loved ones. It is a quiet moment that allows you to connect over a shared activity – & the best part, enjoying something delicious together at the end! My goal with Nick&Fritz Sweet Treats is to bring a smile to people’s faces & spread the joy of baking. ⁠

Our vision is to create a special moment for you with each of our Baking Kits – whether it’s a shared experience baking with loved ones; the joy felt in sharing your sweet treats; or empowering you to gift yourself a little me-time & bake up a batch of brownies.

It’s also extremely important to me that, as a business, our activities have the lowest impact on the environment as possible. That’s why, for example, we offer carbon neutral local delivery via bike & we use packaging made from renewable or recycled raw materials.

Das Backergebnis: Extrem saftige, vegane Carrot Cake Muffins

Nick & Fritz Gründerin Anne / Foto: Nick & Fritz

How difficult was the start? Which challenges you had to overcome?

I actually piloted Nick&Fritz Sweet Treats in the summer of 2020 first as a sweet treats delivery service. I quickly ran into two challenges. Firstly, while I loved sharing my favorite baked goods with customers, I had to admit to myself that I did not love baking 24/7. Secondly, I learned that the process to obtain a Konditor Ausnahmebewilligung (which is required in Germany to produce & sell your own baked goods) would take longer than I was willing to wait. I took a step back in October to brainstorm how else I still could fulfill my vision & launch a business around baking, without necessarily baking. That’s when I came up with the idea of Baking Kits & the version of Nick&Fritz we have today.

On a personal side, I also struggled with the transition from full-time corporate employee to entrepreneur. It was a big change for me to go from having a boss & colleagues who I interacted with daily to being all by myself. At first it was definitely lonely & I struggled with not feeling like I did “enough”. In my previous roles, I had very clear tasks & timelines. When my tasks were done, I was done. Now, I have a never-ending list of to do’s. I felt like if I wasn’t working, my business wasn’t progressing & it was my fault. I had a really hard time switching off and I’m still struggling with it but putting some boundaries in place has helped. For example, treat the weekend like the weekend & actually take it off or don’t go back on my business Instagram after the workday ends.

What are your plans for the future?

In the long run, I would love to grow the Nick&Fritz team to ten (or more!) people. With the additional capacity, we would branch out into YouTube tutorials for each of our Kits as well as hosting baking workshops & events. In the nearer future though, we are excited about two new products launching soon. The first will be just in time for Easter & is our first cupcake Kit! The second is a special Mother’s Day Baking Kit we are developing in partnership with fellow female-founded company, Hej candles. Additionally, we are also working on a monthly subscription service, soon you can call us HelloFresh for baking. ?

What is your favorite spot in Munich for great Food?

There are so many! No Mi Ya for the quirky mix of lederhosen & (super delicious) sushi. Crispy & More for their falafel dürüm & shwarma plate. Not for food, but for the best cocktails, Barroom or Bar Tobacco. We go to Gärtnerplatz Alm for the first fondue of the year every December. Chez Fritz or Brenner for a “Munich” atmosphere & a night out – & what I wouldn’t give for a night out right now. My favorite summer evening consists of stopping at one of Munich’s fancy grocery stores, like Frische Paradies, & picking out a bunch stuff for a picnic on the Isar! Always good, in no order, is Nage & Sauge; Kismet; Kreta Grill; Enter the Dragon; Brasserie Collette; Neni’s; Chopan (the one in Schwabing); & the beergarden at Wienerplatz with ice cream from True&12 afterwards.