During his bachelor's and master's studies at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Lars van Kranenburg focused on building his own company. Now, two years later, his Mojo Maté drink is on sale in all Albert Heijn stores in The Netherlands. "Do you want to become an entrepreneur? Just start! Especially if you have no commitments after university."
Maté is a hot drink reminiscent of tea but with caffeine in it. It is extremely popular in South America. More than 90% of all households in Argentina have it in their homes. "While backpacking through South America, I came across it everywhere. Back in The Netherlands, I noticed that hardly anyone knew it here. Not even all my fellow European students from the International Business Administration course," Lars says.
From plant to ready-made drink
Lars started an online shop selling maté leaves during his master's degree with partner David. "The online tea shop started very small as a hobby. We imported the leaves and sold them here. By doing so, we were the first in The Netherlands," says Lars.
After completing their education, instead of looking for a job, they put all their time and effort into their own business. "After a year of working on our webshop, we found out that the whole culture around maté is quite impressive. In summer, South Americans also drink maté cold with ice cubes. That's where our idea came from. What if we could offer the maté as a ready-to-drink drink? People would then buy it in a can. A good first introduction to maté."
Learning entrepreneurship at Rotterdam School of Management
The RSM studies helped Lars a lot in the whole process. "My partner David also did a business study in Amsterdam. That helped us so much: from making a business plan to the 4 P's of marketing (product, price, place and promotion). You learn all the basics of building a business during the study."
"It's very useful to know how a business works and what things you need to consider. You notice the difference especially when you talk to people who haven't studied business or entrepreneurship. They, for instance, have often not thought out their marketing plan properly. I have a good entrepreneurial mindset because of the study," Lars says.
Directly into all AH stores
Things moved fast with Mojo Maté. In early 2022, the first version was there and now it is on sale at Albert Heijn. "We started with a backpack full of drinks and walked into all catering establishments. You often hear 'no' then, but some entrepreneurs actually really liked it. Then we focused on online retail, Flink and Crisp. By chance, we came into contact with someone from Albert Heijn. They often start with 200 test shops, but we were immediately in all AH shops. That speaks of trust. Very cool!"
Impact? Opening up the energy drink market
Maté, fruit juice and cane sugar. Those are the ingredients. Lars and his partner wanted to create a pure product. "The drink is organic. It has become a high-quality product with good ingredients. Soft drinks often contain aromas and flavourings. We don't do that."
They don't call Mojo Maté an energy drink, but they do want to open up the market for these drinks. "We hope that anyone looking for a boost or caffeine soon will think of Mojo Maté. And not choose a traditional energy drink," Lars says.
Just start!
Lars encourages current RSM students thinking about entrepreneurship to persevere. "It sounds very cliché: but just go ahead and do it! Especially right after your studies. You have no mortgage yet, no children. You still have all the freedom to do business. Sometimes it can be scary. But I dare say that entrepreneurship is so cool and educational that you should always try it. Even if it doesn't work out, you learn a lot and you gain a wealth of experience that you don't get so easily in another job."
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