Edible spoon by small company from Banatski Karlovac on Ferrari’s “menu” – Stir and eat! (PHOTO)

One read study about the harmfulness of the plastic out of which the single-use coffee-stirring spoon is made, one godbrother who likes to nibble on precisely such spoons, one economist and his family origins in the food and baking industry – and the edible spoon “My Spoon” was created in a small place in Banat. As is usually the case, it was first successful in the world, and then drew attention from the local public. It is precisely this spoon, as well as the eponymous company from a small Banat place which produced it that has been drawing attention from the European hospitality public these days, because it is precisely that spoon that will soon be available in Ferrari’s services and showrooms, to be used with a coffee or tea while you’re waiting for your luxury car to be serviced.

And the Ferrari story, according to the director of this company from Banatski Karlovac, Leon Caran, is no coincidence, nor has it come overnight. But the story about the spoon has.



– Our company’s owner, Petar Radulovic, who is an economist by profession and who has worked for years in the world of solar power plants, saw his godbrother, while having a coffee, nibbling on that spoon. And he told him: Don’t do that – the plastic is not good for you, to which his godbrother responded: Alright, then, make me an edible one. And however funny it might have sounded at the moment, everything aligned afterwards. Then Petar addressed me because I am a lawyer, asking what the regulations where, what the rules were. And as the European Union had banned that kind of single-use plastic, I told him that it was an ideal time to launch that product – Leon says in his interview for eKapija.

Chinese deem investment cost-prohibitive

Then they protected the product, as much as possible, with the local and international organs, and then they started making the factory. Regarding that, they addressed a Chinese company, but they estimated that that production facility, that is, its designing and construction, would be completely cost-prohibitive and were not interested at all. And since the owner of My Spoon, as we’ve said, had been in the world of planning and construction of solar power plants for a long time, he then addressed the experts in his parent company, who eventually made that facility.



– The facility was made in 2021 and that’s when our first edible spoon was produced – adds Leon.

They haven’t even calculated how much it all cost, Leon says, because otherwise, as he says, they would be immediately demotivated. They are aware, he adds, that this is a job in which you have to invest and that’s simply how things are. Today, My Spoon has eight employees, and aside from Petar, nobody had anything to do with this industry before. And today, their product is used throughout Europe, and it has even reached America.

We welcome foreign products, while rejecting local ones

Considering this and their success in the foreign market, it would be expected that we are already well familiar with these spoons in the local market as well, but, according to our interviewee, My Spoon soon learned about the system of non-payment by some local distributors, so not long after launching the production, they turned to the foreign market. Among other things, there, according to our interviewee, they have a higher awareness of environmental protection, and also, somehow, our people, Leon says, welcomes everything foreign, while rejecting local products.

– The first purchasers, thanks to some private contact, came from Slovenia, and then whether by marketing or indirect contacts, today, it’s easier to list the countries in Europe that we don’t export to than those that we do – says Leon.



Even without exhibiting, success achieved at Milan fair

Among other things, they reached a certain number of clients by visiting the big hospitality fair Host in Milan, where they didn’t exhibit, because, as Leon says, the price for that is enormous, but they still managed to present their product going from stand to stand, while picking up important information and contacts along the way.

Today, they have various clients, and they have various requests. Some want their product to arrive in its original form, and some want to brand their products through My Spoon products. One such cooperation is currently ongoing through one of their clients – a distributor from Switzerland, whose subcontractor is the representative of Ferrari for Switzerland.

– They expressed the wish to have our product in their showrooms and facilities and we made a test mold, a packaging. They were delighted and now when the goods go to Switzerland, they also go to Ferrari – said Leon.



IFS and kosher certificates

They had also applied for incentives at already opened contests, and even at a local level, and somehow, they had always lacked something, some document, so they simply took the matter in their own hands and, as Leon says, started this endeavor the hard way. They realized that they needed investments in standardization and certification and today, they are certified according to the German IFS standard, which has opened the door to the European market for them, and for the needs of an American client, they are also certified for the kosher standard.

Product for vegans too

Considering that the product does contain flour, honey, eggs, and that there are always those with have special dietary requirements, they have introduced a product without eggs and honey, which makes it vegan-friendly. However, at My Spoon, they don’t do retail, unfortunately, so if you find this spoon interesting and you want to try it, there are several store chains in our market that sell it, and in every major city – Belgrade, Novi Sad, Valjevo etc, there are several hospitality facilities which offer this product along with their coffees, desserts, and even ice creams.



– Unfortunately, so far, we have not found a reliable enough partner for the market of Serbia, but all those who are interested in this product and want to try it somehow always manage to find it – concluded Caran.

Danijela Stanimirovic-Gavrilov

My Spoon doo Banatski Karlovac

My Spoon

Ferrari

Leon Caran

Petar Radulović

edible spoon