Stathis Stasinopoulos built his first bike so that he could get to and from work in Athens more easily. At the time, he could not have imagined that his idea would see him set up his own business in Bremen. We visited the entrepreneurial engineer in his new workshop in the north of Bremen.
1,100 kilometres – that is the distance that Stasinopoulos covered every month commuting to and from work in Athens. That is around 25 kilometres each way by bike and on the metro. This was no mean feat in Athens, as the city lacks the well-maintained cycle routes we are so used to in Bremen. “Only 1 per cent of the Greek population use a bicycle, so there are very few cycle paths,” Stasinopoulos says. Neither a racing bike nor a mountain bike were suitable for his route on the metro and through the city, so the 41-year-old engineer developed his own folding bike, the FP, short for Folding Project.
Stasinopoulos was certain that other people would find the FP to be a practical option for the big city. He presented the folding bike at various European cycling and outdoor pursuits expos and built up his network. He began manufacturing and selling a range of models, including the Kàro cargo bike, across Europe. But then the economic situation in Greece became more difficult. Capital controls introduced in 2015 made it impossible to transfer money abroad, and Stasinopoulos found that he was unable to import parts for his bicycles and attend trade fairs in other countries. This forced him to look for a new production site. Through a bike dealer in Münster and a friend in Bremen, he got to know the north-west of Germany better. “Bremen is a great city for cyclists. And it’s easy to service the markets and trade fairs in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and the UK from here,” he says of his decision to emigrate to the city on the river Weser.
No sooner said than done. He moved from his native Greece to Bremen with his wife and three children in July 2017. Kolja Umland, project manager for international relocation at Bremeninvest, the international brand of Bremen’s economic development agency, assisted him with incorporating the company and finding premises. Stasinopoulos found a workshop for his start-up, Velo Lab GmbH, in what was then the Sirius Business Park in Bremen-Woltmershausen, which since May 2018 has been owned by Justus Grosse GmbH. But he soon found that 50 square metres of space was not enough to accommodate a workshop, an office and storage. “I asked a metalworker based in Bremen-Burg, who has made prototypes for us, whether he knew where I could find suitable premises,” says Stasinopoulos. “And as it happens, there was space free in the building next door.” He now has 160 square metres of space to build his bikes, three times as much as he had before.
Two people are enough to build seven different models by hand. At least that is how Stasinopoulos and his colleague Jap Kellner see it. Kellner was tipped off about a possible job at Velo Lab by his sister-in-law, who went to the same school in Greece as Stasinopoulos’ wife. A stroke of luck for both parties.
Kellner mainly manages sales and visits bicycle shops in the hope that they will stock Velo Lab bikes. “We also exhibit our bikes at trade fairs, such as DRAUSSEN in Bremen, EUROBIKE in Friedrichshafen, VELOHamburg and VELOBerlin, as well as in London and Utrecht,” Kellner says. “It helps us to raise the company’s profile and spread the word about our bicycles.” He enjoys building up relationships with specialist retailers and visits dealers across Germany to persuade them of the merits of Velo Lab’s products. Back in the workshop, he also enjoys manning the sewing machine to make rain covers and children’s seatbelts for the cargo bikes.
The bicycles made by Velo Lab all have one thing in common: they are lightweight. The frames are made of aluminium, which Stasinopoulos sources from Greece via a wholesaler in Bremen. He takes care of the cutting, painting and welding himself. It is important to him that his bicycles are comfortable and fun to ride, and this is particularly noticeable with the Kàro cargo bike. “The cable steering system allows the front wheel to be freely rotated, just like on a regular bike,” Stasinopoulos explains. “The cargo bike provides a comfortable ride, even over long distances.” They also manufacture the accessories themselves, such as cargo boxes with a kids’ seat. The wood to make them is supplied by a Bremen-based company, Weltholz.
Customers can try out and buy the bicycles at Sønstebys, a retailer based in the Peterswerder district of Bremen. For Stasinopoulos and Kellner, an efficient aftersales service comes as standard, of course. It is also possible to arrange to visit the workshop in Bremen-Burg in person.
A Kàro cargo bike is currently on show at the Universum Science Museum in Bremen, where the BIKE IT exhibition is running for a year from the end of June 2018. Here, visitors of all ages can explore the past, present and future of cycling.
The person to contact for international relocations to Bremen is Kolja Umland, project manager for international relocations, umland@bremen-invest.com, +49 (0)421 9600 339.
Why is it so much fun to ride a bike in Bremen? Because we are in Germany's third greenest city.
Kolja Umland
Team Bremeninvest
Project manager Turkey
P +49 (0) 421 9600-339
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Stathis Stasinopoulos was unable to find the perfect folding bicycle for his commute to work across Athens. So he developed his own. The bike, called ‘Folding Project’, is lightweight and comfortable and folds up in five seconds. This has given Stasinopoulos an unexpected new direction in life.
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From initial idea to successful move. Andreas Gerber, who heads up the international relocation team at Bremeninvest, knows what international companies need to do to set up a business in Bremen. Here he tells us about the most important steps on the ...
BLG LOGISTICS GROUP AG & Co. KG’s AutoTerminal in Bremerhaven is a record-breaking automotive hub. Every year, the terminal handles some 2.3 million vehicles. But that’s not all.
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Geographical distance and cultural differences make it hard to relocate or start up a company in another country. Luckily, help is at hand from the team at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Bremen. They'll do all they can to make your international business a success.
In December 2016 ministers from the European Space Agency (ESA) member states met to determine the roadmap for the European space sector for the years ahead. Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Bremen submitted joint recommendations. In the following interview Dr Peter Vits, Bremen's State Coordinator for the Space Sector, talks about Bremen's strengths and opportunities.
The sky is not the limit, at least not in Bremen. All parts of the aerospace sector are represented in the city, from R&D to production. Aeroplane wings, Ariane rockets and Galileo satellites – Bremen is one of the leading locations in the international aerospace industry. Here are five factors behind Bremen’s story of success.
In 2015 Bremen won the right to host the International Astronautical Congress for the second time, after having successfully held the event in 2003. Its bid was the result of a collaboration between the Bremen regional government and Bremen’s space industry and space research sector. Event partners include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the German Aerospace Centre.
The Bremen region has long been a pioneer in electric mobility and is now set to enjoy further success after Mercedes-Benz and Borgward announced that they will be making electric vehicles in the city.
Bremen knows how to make cars: the Mercedes-Benz plant by the Weser river has been in operation for almost 40 years, is the focal point of the city’s automotive industry and automotive clusters, and is now the company’s biggest global facility in terms of vehicle production numbers. Reason enough for an ever-growing number of suppliers and logistics firms to base themselves in Bremen.
For 30 years, the Cargo Distribution Centre in Bremen has delivered excellence – as an investment location and a logistics hub. Today more than 150 companies employing approximately 8,000 people are based at the site. It offers direct links to the ports, the autobahn and has a close proximity to Bremen City Airport.
Language barriers, unfamiliar legal and fiscal systems, qualifications that need to be recognised. There are many additional hurdles that entrepreneurs have to overcome when setting up a new branch or a new company in a different country. Bremeninvest is committed to offering you advice and support from the outset.
You might expect a Bremen-based company specialising in innovative instruments and implants for spinal surgery to be located at the Technology Park. But you'd be wrong. NuVasive Germany GmbH has its head office at the heart of the city centre next to Wallanlagen Park. Now employing a team of 44 people, the company generates annual revenue of more than €10 million – a figure that looks set to rise.
David Zhou came to Bremen three years ago with the aim of conquering the market – and a new continent – with LEDs. He started his business selling LED lighting and electronics at the World Trade Centre at Bremen Airport and has gradually built it up over the past few years.
What makes an aircraft fly? You don't have to be an aerospace expert to be fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes at one of the largest aircraft construction companies in the world. The Airbus Group in Bremen turns the dream of flying into ...
Revolutionising house hunting in cities using virtual reality. Training people to live a sustainable lifestyle using an app. Introducing food-sharing ideas to tackle our throw-away society. Offering professional HR management methods to smaller trade ...
