Most food startups don’t fail because the product is wrong. They fail because the business model hasn’t been stress-tested, the route to market is unclear, or the financial planning doesn’t survive first contact with real costs. CLATU Startup provides consulting, coaching and mentoring for founders and early-stage companies in the food, beverage, organic, wine and restaurant sector — drawing on 30 years of experience building and scaling businesses in this industry.

For German Founders:
Next Generation Food Advisors

Startup consulting within the CLATU Group is offered exclusively for founders and early-stage companies based in Germany, and is delivered under a dedicated brand: Next Generation Food Advisors.

Next Generation Food Advisors is a specialist programme within the CLATU network, designed specifically for German food founders who need practical, hands-on support — without the overhead of large consultancy engagements. The focus is direct, pragmatic and industry-specific: from product development and market entry to financing and digitalisation.

What We Help Founders With

Nine out of ten startups fail. In food and beverage, the reasons are consistently the same: underfunded market entry, no clear retail strategy, and business plans that look good on paper but don’t hold up in practice.

CLATU Startup works with founders on the decisions that determine whether a business survives its first two years:

• Business plan development & review — Structure, market validation, competitive positioning and realistic financial projections
• Market fit & product strategy — Identifying what the market actually needs, how your product fits, and what needs to change before launch
• Financial planning & fundraising — Funding requirements, investor preparation, pitch decks, government programmes and venture capital strategy
• Sales strategy & channel development — Direct sales vs. distributor, key account management, retail listing preparation and channel prioritisation
• Go-to-market strategy — Launch sequencing, first customer acquisition and building early retail relationships
• Operational setup — Process development, team structure, production sourcing and logistics for early-stage companies