Cathy Hummels sells fitness drinks with controversial active ingredients
Cathy Hummels and André Klan have teamed up to start the fitness drink brand Hye
What: Hye
The Munich influencer Cathy Hummels started the company Hye. Together with a well-known start-up, she produces wake-up drinks. The drinks are mixed with mood-enhancing substances, the effect of which has not yet been clarified.
Influencer Cathy Hummels goes under the start-up entrepreneurs and is now producing so-called mental wellness drinks. In the USA, these drinks, which are supposed to make you fit and awake, have been a trend for a long time. So why not in Germany too?
The idea for this came from André Klan, most recently CFO at the soup manufacturer Little Lunch and, since this year, Head of Finance at the Augsburg software company Xentral. He has known his co-founder Hummels for a long time, the two of them share a mutual circle of friends in Munich.
The 33-year-old presenter told “Gründerszene” that she had known and used these wake-up drinks for a long time. The wife of the national soccer player Mats Hummels claims to have a completely sugar-free diet.
“That’s why I always take an empty suitcase with me when I travel to the US and go shopping for protein bars, vitamin water and sugar-free chewing gum at Whole Foods.” When Klan told her about his idea with mental wellness drinks, she didn’t hesitated for a long time: “In addition to my work as a moderator, I want to do something for eternity,” says Hummels.
The two have also already found investors for their beverage brand. Klan’s former bosses at Little Lunch, the two founders Daniel and Denis Gibisch, have invested in the company as angel investors and, according to the commercial register, each hold 13 percent of the company. How much money they paid for it is not publicly known.
Hummels not in the list of shareholders
Hummels and Klan have also invested capital in the company, they say. But they don’t want to reveal who gave how much. Everyone gave what they could, says Hummels.
When looking at the commercial register, however, it is noticeable that she is not registered as a partner. According to Klan, she has a stake in the company through virtual options (so-called VSOP). You’d prefer it that way, says Hummels.
About a year has passed since Klan told her about his idea. Now the launch of Hye is imminent. The drinks contain active ingredients that are said to have a relaxing and mood-enhancing effect. The company advertises the herbal active ingredient adaptogen and so-called nootropics, which are also known as “smart drugs”.
However, the actual benefits of these active ingredients have not yet been scientifically proven. In the US, the food authority has therefore warned against misleading marketing promises in connection with nootropics.
In Europe, too, the Health Claims Regulation regulates exactly how supposedly health-promoting foods may be advertised. The Hye founders believe that this will not be a problem for their company. The nootropic they use was approved by the EU earlier this year.
The target group of the product are mainly women. The company is starting with three different varieties, with more to follow soon – including a “Special Cathy Edition”. Initially, the two founders want to sell their products via their own online shop and via Amazon, and retail will follow later.
Six bottles cost just under 18 euros. The appearance at “Die Höhle der Löwen”, the big breakthrough at Little Lunch, is not planned for the time being. “By the time it goes on the air, we’ve already sold a million bottles,” believes Klan.
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