Interview of Lav Antićević, Milica Simišić and Vanja Grahovac, founder of Sweet Duo
What is your product? What is its innovative concept?
Sweet Duo is a dessert made from organic dried fruits. It comprises two primary parts - osmotic dried plum paste as the filling and an apple "fruit leather" wrapping. The design of Sweet Duo combines simplicity and innovation. Inspired by trends of healthy snack products, and by combining classic and osmotic drying processes, we created a treat with a traditional flavour that is typical of the fruits it is made of. It is made of 100% fruit, without additives and added sugar. Sweet Duo is a natural source of fibre, which serves as a prebiotic and improves the work of intestinal bacteria.
The raw materials used for production process generate minimal waste, consisting only of the inedible parts of fruit. Also, concentrated apple juice can be reused through osmotic drying process. The packaging is recyclable - it is made of a paper box and aluminium foil, and it has one innovative addition – Braille.
Before the competition, did you think it would have been possible to launch it?
Since we participated in the competition just a year ago, we didn’t have time to launch the product on the market yet. However, we are on our way towards that goal. Currently, we are part of a pre-incubation startup program at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences (University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbie), aimed at preparing teams to present their products in order to attract the necessary investments. Before the competition, we did not expect that any of what happened to happen, but we hoped for it.
What is the difference between the product you entered the competition with and the product sold today on the market?
The concept of the product is basically the same – same raw materials and flavours and same production process. The only thing we plan to change is the packaging - for start without a Braille (which is better start from practical view), to harmonize the price and quality, so that the product is ready for the market.
Can you tell us your values and missions?
In order to mix conventional raw materials in a novel way, we came up with the idea of creating a dessert consisting of a fruit leather made of dried apples and a filling made of osmotically dried plums. Our mission is to offer people a nutritious dessert and Sweet Duo is a product made from 100% fruit without added sugar, with a high content of natural fibers, which fulfills our mission. We believe that healthy food should be equally accessible to everyone, regardless of whether someone has a disability or not, whether they like to be fit or don't care at all, whether they are 22 or 102 years old. Healthy eating should not be a privilege and reserved for some fancy people, but a daily routine for ordinary people, because we all have the right to do so. We have that idea of a responsible producer, who thinks about social inclusion and the environment that can only serve as an example and inspiration and strive for it.
What about the challenges you encountered during the development of your brand?
The biggest challenges for now are the financial ones, but there is also the problem of a very small production capacity that we currently have and which we intend to expand so that the business model we have envisioned can scale.
Funding: how did you get started?
For the purposes of the competition, we used our personal funds but it is important to note that we also had the financial help from one small business in Belgrade. The next step is to try to get investment through several start-up programs covered by the Ministry of Technological Development, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia. But for now, again, personal funds.
What happened with your Ecotrophelia team: are you still together or just some of you or did you recruit other people with skills that you didn’t have in your original team?
Our team continues to stick together even after the competition, but due to the increased volume of work, we needed help, primarily in the field of marketing and finance, but also for the production itself.
Do you wish to internationalize your product?
Yes, we would like to launch our product to the international market and we see huge potential for it, but we think that the bigger challenge currently is Serbian market, due of the lack of similar sweets.
ABOUT SWEET DUO
Founders: Lav Antićević, Milica Simišić and Vanja Grahovac
Prizes: ECOTROPHELIA SERBIA Gold 2023 & ECOTROPHELIA EUROPE Silver 2023
From: Serbia
What is your opinion about food innovation today and tomorrow ?
Innovation is no longer a luxury, but a necessity of modern society and the food industry in general. One thing is certain, we don't know what tomorrow will bring, but we can be sure that there are many innovations that are already reflected in science and industry, where they are finding and will find their application.
What has Ecotrophelia brought you?
By participating in the competition, we learned a lot, firstly about ourselves, how much we can do, only when we want it hard enough. We got out of the comfort zone and we had a lot of support to continue and launch the product. Also, we participated at this year’s Fair of technology and technical achievements, which was really a great honor.
A message for future candidates?
Working with food is a privilege. To put new knowledge into practice and bring your ideas to life - that is also a privilege.
Be brave, be persistent and fight for your goals. And most importantly, be yourself, because the way you are, if you are at the Ecotrophelia, you are already a winner.
