The German company behind Nomoo ice cream is a perfect example of how the GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network (GS1 GDSN®) makes it easy and affordable for entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses to share high-quality product information with their trading partners.

In 2016, Rebecca Göckel and Jan Grabow created NRDS GmbH, a company that makes milk-free, 100% plant-based organic ice cream. They named the brand Nomoo, and it is today quite a success with vegans and non-vegans alike. Though the young company has only 30 employees, Nomoo is nevertheless present in more than 2,000 stores, not only in Germany but also in Austria and Switzerland, and is conquering the café and restaurant markets as well.

Along with this marketplace success came a pressing demand from retailers and end consumers for detailed and reliable product information about their ice cream. Several of their larger retailers, in fact, specifically requested that they make their product master data available via the GS1 GDSN.

GS1 GDSN… what’s that?

The Nomoo team didn’t even know what GS1 GDSN was. They had been manually preparing Excel spreadsheets with information on each of their ice cream flavours, including data on size, weight, packaging, ingredients, nutritional values and allergenic substances.

This also meant that whenever new products were introduced or changes were made to ingredients, the spreadsheets and lists had to be updated and sent again. It was tedious and time-consuming work, and naturally, the occasional human error slipped into their charts.

Definite interest in saving time and money

Nomoo wanted to meet the requirements of their retail partners and better serve their end users. And, like any business—small or large—they also wanted to optimise their time and reduce their costs. They quickly understood the interest in being able to provide consistent and reliable product information, electronically, from a central source. They also hoped for a solution that they could use in their production, marketing and sales departments, and not just for product data exchange.

Solutions and support well suited to SMEs

For the Nomoo team, the topic of “central product data exchange via GDSN” was completely unknown territory. So, they did what most people would do: they went to the internet. During their search, Rebecca Göckel and Jan Grabow came across 100% GS1 subsidiary and GDSN-Certified Data Pool atrify – a 1WorldSync Company.

The GDSN was completely unknown territory to Nomoo. So, they did what most people would do: they went to the internet, where they quickly found GDSN-Certified Data Pool “atrify.”

Right there on the atrify website was information about all the possibilities and options, and they were quickly able to find a solution that suited their needs. Clicking through to the atrify online store, they easily compared the various system packages and read about what services each covered and how much each cost. This enabled the Nomoo founders to put together their own individualised package. They were even able to choose whether they preferred monthly payments or one annual invoice.

Furthermore, if they needed support, an atrify consultant was available — by chat, email or telephone — to answer any questions about the system package, explain the technology and help Nomoo get started.

Services beyond data sync

The atrify system really suits the Nomoo team’s tastes. Besides providing them with a cost-efficient, reliable and fast way to exchange data with retailers, atrify is now also their in-house data management (similar to PIM) system. Every department at NRDS GmbH can access a dedicated interface on the web. There was no complex or costly software system to purchase or implement. It’s intuitive to use, and data entry is fast and easy.

Plus, as the company grows and hires new team members, they won’t need to schedule lengthy or complicated training sessions, because information guides and helpful tips and tricks are provided free of charge through atrify’s online academy.

Of course, the key benefit is the fact that the company is now meeting the requirements of its retail partners and end consumers by sharing product information that is reliable because it uses global standards and universal product attributes

Although they are a small business, the makers of Nomoo have found GS1 GDSN to be an excellent way to simplify and harmonise their product data exchange and boost their operational efficiency—ultimately benefiting everyone who loves their organic, sustainable and 100% plant-based ice cream.