Erasmus für Jungunternehmer:innen | Host Paul Pallweber, Green Panda

Paul Pallweber is the owner and founder of Green Panda. He grew up in South Tirol in the Italian Alps and has been interested in food since childhood, having also worked in his parents food store. After his studies, he worked in a large food group, where he was responsible for the sale of organic food. He knows that after a stressful day in the office, there is little time for healthy food. He trained in nutrition counseling and during a tour of South America, discovered superfoods, such as turmeric and chia. His credo “After stressful days in the office, good healthy food is important” led him to develop the idea for Green Panda.

Guiseppe Cinquerui is the owner and founder of paesano. His goods, which are inspired by the Italian countryside, are 100% produced in Italy and he is based in Sicily. 800

Paul Pallweber had his first Erasmus exchange in September 2019, the second one started in September 2020 with Guiseppe Cinquerrui from Italy. Both entrepreneurs wanted to share their experiences and expand into each other´s markets – and what they had in common was of course their passion for quality food.

They started preparing translations of each other´s product descriptions into German and Italian respectively. Paul and Guiseppe then identified the best method to import goods into both countries and exchanged their knowledge in this field.

Together they met entrepreneurs in Vienna so that Guiseppe was able to expand his network. Teamwork is important for Paul, so he made it possible for Guiseppe to collaborate with each team member in order to show the different tasks and steps. This exchange was not only successful at a business level: “We had a great exchange and a friendly relationship,” says Paul.

As his company was mainly selling in the German-speaking European Union, Paul was looking for new possibilities and saw great potential for expanding into other countries. He wanted to explore the online market and to adopt and apply his off- and online strategies to other markets. In doing so, he definitely reached his target. It was possible to optimize his online marketing and he brought his products to the Italian market. “Thanks to this exchange we have already been able to increase our online-sales in Italy,” says Paul. For Guiseppe, it was successful too: “Learning by doing and exploring a new market directly with someone who is situated there is a great boost for my own business.

Erasmus für Jungunternehmen ist eine Initiative der Europäischen Union.