Two TUM Alumni, Christoph Friedrich and Christian Marian, met in Brazil and discovered a shared passion: fresh coconut water. Since they missed it back in Germany, they founded a company that imports the Brazilian product to Germany. Now you can find their drink in supermarkets here (Photo: private).
Two paths, one semester abroad
Both had come to Brazil through TUM. Christoph Friedrich, who was enrolled in the Management and Technology program, spent his semester abroad in Rio de Janeiro. Christian Marian, a TUM student in mechanical engineering, completed a double degree program in industrial engineering in São Paulo. For both of them, their time abroad left a lasting impression. “My semester abroad in Brazil changed the way I see everything,” says Christoph Friedrich. “That it would eventually also lead to my co-founder and an entire company – I never would have imagined that back then.”
When they founded their company, the two TUM Alumni sought support from the TUM Community and are grateful for the network that opened doors for them (Photo: private).
“My Semester Abroad in Brazil Changed the Way I See Everything”
From Leberkäse in Brazil to coconut water in Germany
The spark came when Christian Marian returned to Germany: the fresh coconut water the Alumnus had grown to love was simply nowhere to be found back home. Every variety of coconut water on the shelves of German supermarkets was ultra-heat-treated, which noticeably affects the taste and freshness. When Christoph Friedrich came to visit in Germany, that was exactly what they talked about: “I told him how much I missed real, honest coconut water,” says Christian Marian. They thought about how to import the fresh drink to Germany and simply gave it a try. “The feedback was good, so we kept going and launched our mission to bring the sense of freshness and beach life we’d experienced in Brazil to Germany.”
They developed a process that required no heat treatment and bottled it in a transparent bottle with nothing to hide. “After all, we sell exclusively 100 percent unheated coconut water,” laughs Christian Marian. And so the Leberkäse – quintessentially Bavarian – made its way to Brazil; and the coconut water – quintessentially Brazilian – made its way to the chilled shelves of German supermarkets.
Leberkäse in São Paulo? For Christian Marian, it was an enriching experience. Bringing cultures together and sharing the best of one culture with another is important to this TUM Alumnus (Photo: private).
“I love Germany and Brazil. Both countries have their good and bad sides. I try to embody and carry outward the best of both.”
The founding duo is convinced of one thing: “The TUM network is powerful,” says Christian Marian, who today organizes TUM Alumni meetups in Frankfurt and São Paulo. “Even in Brazil, a TUM Alumnus was there as a mentor to support me,” he recalls. “And when it came to putting our fresh coconut water idea into practice, the TUM Community network provided concrete help”: at the TUM Venture Lab in Freising, the founders found answers to specialist questions, including on microbiological topics. And at the TUM Liaison Office in São Paulo, Liaison Officer Sören Metz opened many doors: he supported the two with regulatory challenges in Brazil and connected them with valuable contacts. Eventually they made the leap to a nationwide listing with a major supermarket chain, where the coconut water of the two TUM Alumni has been sitting in the chilled aisle ever since – making not only coconut water lovers happy, but also showing how TUM Alumni move and connect across the world, making it, in this case, a little bit fresher.
TUM Alumnus Christoph Friedrich (Photo: private)
Bachelor Technology & Management 2013, Master’s 2016
Christoph Friedrich studied Technology & Management at TUM and spent a semester abroad in Rio de Janeiro, returning there after graduation where he met his partner. Through the “Manage and More” program at UnternehmerTUM, he successfully founded his first tech start-up in Brazil.
Today he is responsible for purchasing, strategy, and production at Honest Coco in Brazil – and stays close to the subject in his personal life too: he spends a lot of time on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, where he enjoys drinking a fresh coconut.
TUM Alumnus Christian Marian (Photo: private)
Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering 2016, Master’s 2019
Christian Marian studied mechanical engineering at TUM and industrial engineering in São Paulo (double degree), spending half of his master’s program in Brazil, where he also met his wife.
He is co-founder of Honest Coco, building the brand for the German market from Frankfurt, and organizes TUM Alumni meetups in Frankfurt and São Paulo. In his spare time, the Alumnus is a passionate tennis player who competes in tournaments around the world, with a particular fondness for Latin America.
