SCRAEGG beat fellow finalists Print 2Taste and Tablee to become the winner of FCSI’s inaugural Start Me Up Innovation Awards, sponsored by Electrolux Professional.
A total of 27 start-up companies entered products into the awards, which culminated in a live judging event at FCSI’s booth at HostMilano 2019 on Sunday 20 October.
The judges, consisting of five FCSI Professional member foodservice consultants and the design director of Electrolux Professional, then chose a winner, with SCRAEGG receiving its trophy at the FCSI party that evening.
What did it mean to you to win the award?
Chris Rapp: It meant a lot. I’ve always worked hard but my career hasn’t always been a walk in the park. Sometimes it feels like you’re pushing things up hill. This was the cherry on the top. It confirmed what we are doing was right. Three of us started this company with basically nothing. With the first 100 phone calls we made to companies to tell them about our product, 99 hung up the phone. Then, it went ‘boom’! We met the right people, they loved the machine, we made our first sale and since then it’s been great. So, this award is further confirmation we are on right track.
Why do you think you won?
CR: SCRAEGG started less than one and a half years ago and now we’re producing, selling and shipping our products in such a short space of time – so I think we really impressed the judges. It’s not just a dream, we’re already doing it. We’re now in discussion with some of the biggest QSR chains in the world. Before, customers bought one machine from us. Now it can be up to 150. When someone is opening their wallet to you, you know you’re doing something right.
Did you enjoy the live judging process?
CR: I was really nervous before the judging, but the presentation was fun. When it came to the judges’ questions, I was looking forward to showing them that we are a professional company. The questions put me on the spot, but they were about a product that is in my DNA. It would have been difficult not to answer those questions because I live and breathe this product.
Did you get any additional publicity off the back of the Awards?
CR: Absolutely. We shared the news on our Instagram and LinkedIn pages and got so many shares that I can’t count them. It was shared everywhere and we got a lot of messages about the win. It’s a positive thing to bring us forward. I would, definitely recommend other startup companies enter it in the future.
What is next for SCRAEGG?
CR: Several core target groups know us already – now we’re harvesting those leads, selling and going international. We’re working our asses off to get bigger going at full power to be the number one in our field. The next big step is to work with several key account projects. We’re looking forward to big rollouts, where we can sell thousands of units. That’s important for us.
About the winner:
SCRAEGG GmbH was founded in 2018 and is based in Wiesloch near Heidelberg, Germany. The SCRAEGG Pro unit whisks and heats to 96°C using a patent-pending steam nozzle. In approximately 15 seconds, a delicious scrambled egg with a fluffy, creamy consistency is produced and all without the need for additional oil. It can be prepared with either liquid or fresh eggs. The appliance can also be used to prepare small meals in a matter of seconds.
Further details: scraegg.com
