fei(n)fränggisch – Christmas boxes from Bayreuth

The brains behind the "fei(n)fränggisch" project are Luis Kränzlein, Moritz Metzger and Niklas Weber. Two of them are genuine Franconians who have brought their homeland into the product. "We wanted to do something that people already associate with Franconia," says Moritz Metzger. "We couldn't develop a prototype in such a short time, so we worked directly with what we had." The result is four different boxes – two with and two without alcoholic products. The contents come almost exclusively from producers whom the students know personally. Honey from relatives, and one of them still had contact with the bread chip manufacturers from a holiday job. 

"That was due to the short time frame," says Luis Kränzlein. "But there is definitely potential for scaling up." Products for 100 boxes are already waiting in the hallway of the sports economics students' house, ready to be packed and delivered. The non-Franconian in the group is responsible for marketing, social media channels and the logo: Niklas Weber. He also coordinated the wording of the website with his Franconian colleagues and then deliberately kept it in the Franconian dialect. "There are many possibilities for boxes, for example an Easter box or a whole-year box," he says. "It's fun and shows how versatile the idea is." Sustainability also plays a major role at "fei(n)fränggisch". 

Packaging is made from natural materials and the logo is sprayed on instead of stuck on. The three deliver within Bayreuth themselves, and larger orders can also be shipped – for example, ten boxes to a company. The project is still an experiment, born out of a competition designed to introduce students to entrepreneurship. But the response has been promising. "We'll decide in the new year whether and how we'll continue," says Metzger. And Kränzlein adds: "Maybe the Christmas box will become a year-round business." Until then, anyone still looking for a gift that is regional, sustainable and comes with a wink will find what they're looking for at "fei(n)fränggisch".