Food Pioneers Program Alumni - Why Merlijn and Jelmer from FUNCTION joined the program
- Feb 18
- 5 min read
Food Pioneers Program Alumni - Why Merlijn and Jelmer from FUNCTION joined the program
When Merlijn and Jelmer from FUNCTION signed up for the Food Pioneers Program last year, they were in a phase many founders will recognise. They’d already made big steps with their business. The brand was solid, the product was market-ready, and they had two product samples in testing - but the puzzle still wasn’t fully in place.
We spoke with Merlijn and Jelmer about where they started, the choices they made during the program, and the steps they’ve taken since.
Quick intro: who are you, and what is FUNCTION?
“We’re Merlijn Broersma and Jelmer Winkel, and with FUNCTION we make no-bullshit functional bars for energy, recovery, focus and wellbeing. Using only natural ingredients and supplements, we create convenience products that support you at different moments throughout the day: functional, healthy, nutritious - and genuinely tasty!”
Where were you at the start of the Food Pioneers Program?
“When we started the program, we’d just finished our rebrand. Under our new name FUNCTION, with a new logo and refreshed visual identity, we had one market-ready product in a new packaging design: our Energy bars. At the time, we were also testing two product samples: Focus Bites and Focus Rawnola. We had just started a pilot in 20 STACH locations, and we were also selling through a few small local retailers and our own webshop.”
What were you running into at that time?
“Our biggest bottleneck was getting listed with a wholesaler. Wholesalers want you to already have customers buying through them, but those customers want you to already have a wholesaler so you can deliver. The classic chicken-and-egg problem.”
Why did you decide to join the Food Pioneers Program?
“We wanted to professionalise our business in a structured way and give it clear direction. The program days, the Food Pioneers network of experts, and the community of food startups were the right mix for us to take that next step.”
Which choices made the biggest difference during the program?
1) More demand-driven product development
“We chose to put the development of our Focus bites and Rawnola on hold for a while. Instead, we started developing a Recovery bar. This was a product we could get listed directly with our biggest retailer, STACH.”
2) Complete transparency within the community
“Complete transparency with our fellow Food Pioneers - including founders in the same market as us. Instead of treating them as competitors, we chose to invest in community. In the end, that creates much more value - and it also makes building a business together a lot more fun.”
What has changed for you since the program?
“By now our Recovery bar is market-ready and, together with our Energy bars, listed in 20 STACH locations in the Randstad. We’re also working on developing Energy bites in bulk packaging as an office snack.”
FUNCTION also joined Food Pioneers’ education track.
“In addition, we took part in the education track of Food Pioneers through the Food Impactmakers program. It was special to share our knowledge and experience with students in that way - and to grow ourselves from students to experts along the way.”
What’s your biggest learning from the program?
“Focus. Time and money are extremely limited as a startup, which means there are more things you shouldn’t do than things you should. There are opportunities everywhere, but it’s important not to constantly drift away from your own goals and strategy.”
Which program day or session had the most impact?
“Day 5, with Into the Mind of the Buyer and the Pitch Training. Robin Fafié, the trainer that day, had incredibly valuable knowledge and was razor-sharp with hands-on tips for every stage of a business - so everyone had something they could apply right away. Pitch trainer Eric van der Steen transformed pitching from something scary on stage into something you can actually enjoy, by making it completely your own.”
And that buyer and pitch focus came back during the Pitch Event - with a great outcome for Merlijn and Jelmer.
You won a prize during the Pitch Event. What did it lead to?
“A follow-up conversation with Vermaat, the largest corporate caterer in the Netherlands. That prize was doubly valuable for us: of course it’s great that a player of that size sees and appreciates FUNCTION’s added value. But it also worked as a business accelerator. We were already in cautious email contact, but it wasn’t leading to much progress. Thanks to the prize, the process became much faster and more effective, and we had our first in-person meeting at one of the potential sales locations (Netflix International Office).”
What would you say to an entrepreneur who’s unsure about joining the Food Pioneers Program?
“The program offers the perfect setup to take your business to the next level. With the Food Pioneers community, the expert network, and the fixed program days, you work on your growth in a structured way. At the same time, the program isn’t so intensive that it holds you back in running the day-to-day of your business.”
“Plus, the program days are just genuinely fun - always with the best lunches, drinks and snacks!”
“Over time, you become part of a community of food startups and scaleups, where you can always turn to others for feedback, knowledge sharing, collaborations and experiences. You can’t really quantify that - but it’s incredibly valuable.”
What’s your next milestone?
“Finalising the deal with Vermaat and getting the wholesaler in place. That would significantly increase our volume, open new doors to other sales locations, and give us the ability to scale up.”
What do you think about the new program addition: a chance to win € 80,000 in growth capital?
“That sounds amazing! € 80,000 is a strong amount to scale your business and become less dependent on short-term cashflow. In the startup phase it’s often difficult to secure financing on your own - and even if you do, the terms aren’t always favourable. The fact that this comes through the Food Pioneers Program solves two things at once: you get a chance at capital, and you get guidance on how to use it smartly.”
Explore FUNCTION
Discover FUNCTION’s bars: https://www.functionalbites.nl/
Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/function_nl
Sounds familiar? Then this is your moment.
Are you in the early stage of building your business and ready to push forward? Then this is exactly where the Food Pioneers Program can help you move faster - with structure, focus and acceleration, alongside experts and a community that’s been in your shoes. This year, we’ve added something big: participants have a chance to win € 80,000 in growth capital.
