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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Mitte

At Long Last, Mitte Begins to Ship Countertop Mineral Water Machine

Mitte, a maker of countertop mineral water machines, announced this week that they would begin shipping their first product, the Mitte Home, this month. The Berlin-based company will ship first to new customers and Kickstarter backers in Germany and plans to begin selling the water-mineralizer in the US in the spring of 2022.

The Mitte Home, which sells for €350, filters and mineralizes the water using a two-step process. The water is filtered using activated charcoal. After filtration, the water seeps through calcite and magnesite rocks to add calcium and magnesium. After mineralizing, the system adds CO₂ and dispenses. The system uses a cartridge system for filtration and mineralization, with each cartridge good for 250 liters. The machine also uses replaceable CO₂ cylinders to add the fizz.

The Mitte Home can be controlled by an app, which allows users to track consumption. The app also allows users order new cartridges and CO₂ cylinders.

The original Mitte product offered via the company’s Kickstarter campaign included water distillation, but this version only provides filtration. According to the company’s update on Kickstarter, a premium model called the Mitte Home Plus will include distillation and will ship in 2-3 years. The company is offering backers the option get a Mitte Home, wait for the Mitte Home Plus, or get a full refund.

While the Mitte comes to market over three years late, backers of the Kickstarter can take comfort in the product actually shipping. Hardware-based crowdfunding campaigns are notoriously high-risk, many products never ship, and those that do are usually late. The company’s ability to persist was no doubt in part due to a $10.6 million funding round in 2018. That round, led by DanonevManifesto Ventures, the New York-based venture arm of Danone, was significantly more than the $317 thousand raised as part of its crowdfunding campaign.

If you live in Germany and would like to order a Mitte, you can do so today at mitte.co, while those who live outside of Germany can add themselves to the waitlist.

LANG Launches Home Mineral Water Machine to Break Your Plastic Bottle Habit

So, it turns out that maybe all those plastic bottles you’ve thrown into the recycle bin to be, you know, recycled…. aren’t. America is facing a recycling crisis and one easy way to help is to not buy that plastic bottle of water at all.

That’s part of the pitch LANG Switzerland is making today with the official launch of its eponymous countertop drink system that creates filtered mineral water as well as flavored drinks — sans single-use bottle.

First, the LANG uses a triple filtration system that includes a 1-micron sediment filter, an activated carbon filter and a reverse osmosis filter. Once filtered, the company’s removable LANGPAKS add salts and minerals like potassium, calcium and magnesium back into the water. Additional LANGPAKS can add flavor like lemon to your water, or make hot black or green tea. The company says the LANG will create a drink in less than four minutes.

Plastic is certainly top of mind for a lot of people and companies around the world right now as people wake up to the fact that single-use plastic waste is huge problem. Cities are banning plastic straws, plastic-free grocery stores are popping up, and corporate giants like Nestlé and Unilever are experimenting with reusable containers for their products. So LANG is certainly striking while the ethical iron is hot.

But LANG isn’t the only company in the bottleless, countertop mineral water device game. Mitte, also based in Europe, has its own machine, though it only filters and re-mineralizes water (no fruity flavors), and won’t be shipping until June of this year. Additionally, Mitte has been open about its plans to move beyond the countertop and integrating its technology into existing appliances like fridges or faucet systems.

The LANG, however, is shipping now, and the device itself will set you back €499 (~$566 USD). LANGPAKS will cost anywhere from €19.95 (~$22.65 USD) to €24.95 (~$28.33 USD). The mineral LANGPAKS will create 250 liters of mineral water, while the flavor packs will deliver 300 cups. The filters will last two years, according to the company, and the machine is self-cleaning.

Anecdotally, here at The Spoon, we aren’t sure how much demand there is for a machine that just mineralizes water. But it might be more telling that both LANG and Mitte are based in Europe, where such a device could be more welcome.

Sure, you still have to clean the cups and glasses you use, but that’s better than buying a one-time plastic bottle that winds up never getting recycled.

Mitte Raises $10.6 Million for its Countertop Mineral Water Machine

Mitte, the German startup behind a countertop appliance that turns plain water into mineral water, today announced it has secured $10.6 million in seed funding. The round was led by DanoneManifesto Ventures, the New York-based venture arm of Danone, VisVires New Protein Capital and Kärcher New Venture.

Mitte actually won the Startup Showcase at our Smart Kitchen Summit: Europe this past June. As we wrote back then:

Mitte’s sleek, eponymous countertop machine lets you create your own mineral water at home using a two-step process. First, water is purified using a patented distillation system that the company says is four times more efficient than other water distillers on the market. Once purified, Mitte then re-mineralizes the water using special cartridges, which will mineralize 400 liters of water.

You can even purchase specific types of mineral cartridges that add varying levels of different minerals (magnesium, potassium, zinc, and more), depending on what you want. The machine is connected to the Internet and can automatically re-order cartridges when its time.

Mitte had been taking pre-orders for the machine at €329, and was going to ship units to Kickstarter backers by the end of this year. As of now, the company is no longer taking pre-orders (you can only join the waitlist), and early backers have been informed that they will receive their units in June of 2019. Final retail pricing for the machine and the replacement cartridges has not been finalized. And retail units won’t be available until after backers get their machines first.

Mitte won a €5,000 prize from our Startup Showcase and had previously raised €272,781 in a Kickstarter campaign last fall. The company had also raised an undisclosed “small seed round” by that point and to date has raised roughly $12 million. According to the funding announcement, Mitte will use the new money to support expansion into the U.S. and elsewhere.

We spoke to Mitte CEO, Moritz Waldstein this morning by phone about the announcement, and he told us that the company’s go to market strategy will be selling direct to consumers. Mitte will focus on five cities, most likely in the U.S., the U.K., China and also in their home, Berlin. The company will open pop-up stores in these locations to educate consumers about the technology as well as get an on-the-ground view of what those markets want.

“What we want to do is make a beautiful experience to users,” said Waldstein.

While Mitte holds a number of European patents for its distillation, re-mineralization and cartridges, it sounds like Mitte is getting some strategic help from its investors, including water machine manufacturing and mineral lab expertise.

While the Mitte is currently a countertop machine, Waldstein told us that the company has much bigger plans to expand its mineralization technology. He said the company has had conversations with big appliance manufacturers like Whirlpool, LG and Samsung about incorporating Mitte’s tech into refrigerators, or building out units directly into kitchen sinks. Additionally, sees itself also expanding its hydration personalization, offering a variety of mineral cartridges customized for pregnant women, the elderly, and other demographics.

Mitte’s Mineral Water Machine Wins Smart Kitchen Summit: Europe Startup Showcase

It was a tough field, but Mitte edged out the competition to win the Startup Showcase today at our first ever Smart Kitchen Summit: Europe conference in Dublin, Ireland.

Mitte’s sleek, eponymous countertop machine lets you create your own mineral water at home using a two-step process. First, water is purified using a patented distillation system that the company says is four times more efficient than other water distillers on the market. Once purified, Mitte then re-mineralizes the water using special cartridges, which will mineralize 400 liters of water.

Users can even personalize their water by choosing from three mineral options:

  • Balance adds calcium, magnesium and potassium and has a pH of 7 – 7.5
  • Vitality adds calcium, magnesium, potassium, as well as trace minerals iron, manganese, selenium, zinc and more, and has a pH of 7 – 8
  • Alkaline adds calcium, magnesium, potassium and trace minerals iron, manganese, selenium, zinc and more plus antioxidants for a pH of 8.5 – 9

Remarking on his win, Karan Sarin, Mitte CMO said “It’s an important milestone and validation of what we’re doing. In a setting like this where there are so many other food tech companies — it’s a big vote of confidence.”

Berlin-based Mitte pulled in €272,781 in a Kickstarter campaign last fall and has also raised a “small seed round.” Sarin said the company is closing its Series A.

The Mitte is available for pre-order for €329 and will retail for €429. Sarin said they’ve already accepted more than 1,000 pre-orders, most of them from the U.S.. Mitte machines are expected to ship by the end of this year.

Mitte beat out eight other Startup Showcase finalists to win the €5,000 prize.

Do you have a startup changing the food tech game? Apply to be in the Startup Showcase at our upcoming Smart Kitchen Summit show this October in Seattle for your chance at the $10,000 cash prize.