Who this is
Anne and Stefan Lemcke founded the Hamburg spice brand Ankerkraut in 2013 with all of Stefan's savings and an overloaded Skoda estate car they used to collect salt and spices from the mill. Stefan moved to Tanzania at the age of two, where his parents worked in development aid, and learned from the family's cook how to dry, grind and blend spices. Before Ankerkraut he was self-employed in the online world. Anne came from the music industry, where she worked in PR and marketing, and was on parental leave when the company started. In 2016 the two opened season three of Die Höhle der Löwen, Germany's Shark Tank, and Frank Thelen invested 300,000 euros for 20 percent. Ankerkraut grew to almost 50 million euros in revenue and 15 to 18 million jars a year. After the deaths of Stefan's parents they brought in the private equity fund EMZ and sold to Nestlé in 2022. What followed was an online backlash, a depression for Stefan and then a body transformation that shed around 50 kilos of fat. Four years after the exit the Lemckes bought Ankerkraut back, closing on 14 March 2026, this time without outside investors. The couple have two children and around 25 angel investments.
Episodes
Numbers from the episode
FAQ
What became of Frank Thelen's investment in Ankerkraut?
Frank Thelen invested 300,000 euros for 20 percent on Die Höhle der Löwen in 2016, a valuation of 1.5 million euros. Ankerkraut had already made 1.7 million euros in revenue with a profit the year before, which is why Stefan still finds the valuation tough. According to Stefan his multiple was somewhere between double and triple digits; he is not allowed to be more precise. In total Ankerkraut raised only 500,000 euros from investors. Thelen is not part of the buyback. To the episode →
How did Stefan Lemcke lose 50 kilos?
The trigger was a photo on a horse during a holiday in Australia in August 2022. In October 2022 both got started. Stefan relies on strength training, lots of walking and running, and fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and eggs with plenty of protein. During six months in Thailand he trained every day; today two gym sessions a week are enough, and the gym is at home. The scale showed around 45 kilos less, an estimated 50 kilos of fat with some added muscle. The training also helped him out of the depression after the exit. To the episode →
How big was Ankerkraut before the exit?
At its peak Ankerkraut made almost 50 million euros in revenue and produced 15 to 18 million jars a year, sold directly to consumers and through retail. The company started in 2013 with a Skoda estate in which Anne collected salt and spices from the mill. According to the episode description, more than 200 people worked at Ankerkraut. The new bestseller after the return is a Bud Spencer and Terence Hill spice box the team developed while the Lemckes were away. To the episode →
Quotes
„Ich erzähle immer, wir sind bootstrapped, aber hatten trotzdem Investoren.““I always say we're bootstrapped, but we still had investors.”
„Du gehst durch dieses Tor durch. Und guckst dich dann so um und denkst so, hä? Und jetzt? Was ist denn jetzt los? Weil du plötzlich keinen Job hast mehr.““You walk through this gate. And you look around and think: huh? And now? What's going on? Because suddenly you don't have a job anymore.”
„Konsistenz. Das ist das Allerwichtigste. Ja, du musst es einfach, du musst nicht besonders toll sein oder besonders kreativ sein, aber du musst einfach durchhalten.““Consistency. That's the most important thing. You don't have to be especially great or especially creative, but you have to keep going.”
„Mach Sachen durchgehend längerfristig, die die Leute sehen, anstatt dass du redest.““Do things consistently and over the long term that people can see, instead of talking.”