Close Ad

The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

water

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.

Video: The Berlin-Based Startup Forging the Future of Water

The Startup Showcase at the Smart Kitchen Summit is always a crowd favorite, and our first ever SKS Europe show was no exception. This June, eight innovative startup leaders took to the stage to pitch their ideas for a product/app/system that they believe will revolutionize the kitchen of the future.

We were so impressed by their pitches, we decided to share the videos of the finalists’ pitches with you. First up, it’s the winner of SKS Europe’s first Startup Showcase: Mitte. Moritz Waldstein, co-founder and CEO of the Berlin-based startup, took the stage to tell the SKS Europe crowd about the future of water.

“30 years ago, bottled water didn’t exist,” he said. And 30 years hence, because of its environmental cost and inefficiency, he’s predicting that bottled water will be a thing of the past. Instead, people will get “healthy” water — that is, H20 that’s pure (free of bacteria and micro-plastics) and has essential minerals — at home.

How will they get it? Through Mitte; the company’s eponymous countertop appliance which turns tap water into mineral water. They claim their purification system (patent pending) is about 60 times cleaner than other filtration systems, and doesn’t need to be replaced every few months. After it’s purified, the water runs through one of Mitte’s three mineral cartridge options, each with a distinct mineral composition and taste (one is supposed to imitate Evian, another Vittel).

According to Waldstein, healthy hydration is a 200 billion industry. Mitte is optimizing on this trend as well as the global retreat from single-use plastic.

As of now, their product is pretty niche. I could see them eventually adding in a carbonizing component (capitalizing off the seltzer fad) or even flavor pods to their system, upping the customization aspect of their product. While Moritz said that they’re initially introducing Mitte into the home, I think that the countertop system would do especially well in an office environment. Their first products are set to ship later this year.

Watch the full video below to see Mitte’s winning pitch.

If you have a startup changing the way we eat (or drink), take note! Apply to be part of our Startup Showcase at SKS North America in Seattle this October for a chance to win the $10,000 prize.

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.