Wir wissen Dinge über Nestlé, die wir nicht sagen dürfen

Overview

The video is an extended conversation with Anna and Steffen Lemke, founders of the German spice brand Ankerkraut. They discuss the company’s rise, its controversial sale to Nestlé, and how they later bought it back—along with the personal and financial fallout from a wave of online hatred.

1) The “shitstorm” after selling Ankerkraut to Nestlé

• After Ankerkraut was sold to Nestlé (timing is discussed, presented as around 2022 in the narrative), the founders describe an unexpected backlash on social media.
• They recount that within minutes of a Facebook post going live, the comment section exploded with hostility—so intense that it included violent content and death threats aimed at the company and at them personally, including their families.
• They argue the hatred was largely not coming from real customers, but from internet dynamics: influencers, audiences, and anonymous commenters “jumping on” the story and turning it into a moral/identity battle.
• They add that they were constrained in how they could communicate with partners beforehand due to contractual/legal limitations tied to the acquisition process.

2) How they framed the sale—entrepreneurship vs. corporate execution

• The founders emphasize the sale was motivated by scaling and professionalization—including internationalization, production, logistics, and sales infrastructure—rather than greed.
• They claim Nestlé did not understand or continue the entrepreneurial strengths that made Ankerkraut successful.
• A key theme is that in a corporate environment, execution slows or becomes bureaucratic, and operational responsibility shifts away from founders—so they become more like “faces on the board” than hands-on leaders.
• They describe the aftermath as involving declining performance and difficulty rebuilding momentum, especially because the brand had become a “hate symbol” for many online users.

3) Their entrepreneurial origin story and why they scaled so fast

• They describe Ankerkraut’s origin as solving a market gap: high-quality spices with a cleaner product positioning and distinctive branding—initially without dyes/flow agents and in high-quality packaging.
• They credit early traction and media exposure (including German startup/TV formats) for accelerating growth.
• They stress the rise was unusually fast—more like continuous “firefighting” and sprinting between problems—leading to rapid scaling in both revenue and employee count.

4) Their approach to money, investors, and contracts

• They discuss valuation and deal mechanics broadly (profit vs. liquidity, and “multiples” in exit planning), while noting they cannot fully disclose numbers due to agreements.
• A repeated narrative is that they were both careful about legal/contract details and distrustful of naïve assumptions.
• They recount investing rounds and negotiations, including experiences with investor contracts and extensive legal documentation—portraying themselves as deeply involved in contract scrutiny.

5) Private events that shaped their decisions

• The founders describe severe family health crises around 2018, when both parents were diagnosed with a rare illness.
• They frame caregiving stress as a major emotional factor during a period when the company was still growing.
• These events are presented as a turning point: they needed stability and security, so later investment/exit decisions felt less like luxury and more like a “safety net” after trauma.
• They also describe the lingering psychological impact of fearing medical catastrophe, including reluctance to undergo certain procedures afterward.

6) Buying Ankerkraut back

• After leaving operational roles following the exit, they later decided they wanted to reclaim control of their unfinished story.
• They describe approaching the new owners about buyback after roughly “half a year to a year” of personal recalibration—and realizing they couldn’t remain emotionally distanced.
• The buyback process is described as negotiations supported by legal counsel, but price details remain off-limits (“we’re not allowed to talk about it”).
• They claim the buyback restored the brand to their hands again and present this as an important form of vindication.

7) Life after the exit: identity, health, and meaning

• The founders describe becoming “unemployed” in practice—not leading the company operationally—and facing a difficult mix of money and intense public hate.
• They describe their lives changing in these ways:
  • less exposure to media and events,
  • renewed focus on family,
  • and a period of personal recovery.
• A major portion of the later conversation focuses on their fitness journey: learning consistency after years of stress and overeating, and the mental discipline required to regain health.
• They also address how they spend their wealth—on memories and family life (travel and experiences)—while downplaying conspicuous wealth as unnecessary.

8) The moral/online-culture critique

• The founders strongly criticize “moral arrogance” online—people presenting themselves as morally superior while acting cruelly.
• They describe influencer statement videos as part of an ecosystem that amplifies attention and clicks, sometimes magnifying harm instead of offering understanding.
• They argue the hate campaign gained “algorithmic momentum,” making it difficult to stop once it started.

Presenters / contributors

• Anna Lemke (Ankerkraut co-founder)
• Steffen Lemke (Ankerkraut co-founder)
• Frank Thelen (investor; referenced as historically involved)
• Thomas Stein (mentioned as a media/industry-related person)
• Moderator / host (unscripted interview setting; name not clearly stated in subtitles)
• Matthias (Frank/Thelen’s colleague/partner mentioned in legal contract context)
• Klaus (private equity advisor mentioned)
• Mark (mentioned as part of the contracting/legal team)
• Tradegate Direct / Tradegate spokesperson (brief ad segment near the end; company name referenced, individual not specified)
• Other guests/influencers/models referenced but not clearly identified by name in the subtitles (e.g., people from Shark Tank / Lions Den and various brand/influencer partners)