Who is max brenner

Brenner, who had built the Max Brenner empire, was back to square one. Walking into Blue Stripes one is immediately hit with a strong aroma of melting chocolate that can stir even the most dormant appetite for cacao. The space is both industrial and cozy with high ceilings, bare metal beams, brick walls, wooden benches and decorative plants.

The signature chocolate Clouds drink is inspired by nitro coffee, but has a creamier, lighter texture because it uses nitrous oxide rather than nitrogen gas and is whipped with air. Brenner serves smoothies and breakfast bowls made from a cacao fruit pulp base, the very smoothie he fell in love with in Jamaica.

Other attention grabbing cacao treats include the signature vegan chocolate tahini truffle bar, a spin on the Israeli Krembo treat of soft marshmallow topped with a thin layer of chocolate, and chocolate globes that look like giant Ferrero Rocher bonbons wrapped in golden foil.

Even after 20 years in the business, it is clear Brenner still finds cacao to be absolutely enchanting. In Streetwise Hebrew for the Times of Israel Community, each month we learn several colloquial Hebrew phrases around a common theme.

These are bite-size audio Hebrew classes that we think you'll really enjoy. This month, we're learning phrases on the topic of strength and power. Ready to get tough with us? So now we have a request. Max Brenner was a big success from the beginning, but the success had nothing to do with making money. I had a lot of fame, I was participating in many TV shows, and everybody knew about the brand.

But maybe three years in, if I was making money, it was for sure not enough to continue. So I had to bring on a partner. Strauss was the largest food corporation in Israel, and they basically took over the company. They gave me a very nice salary, bonuses here and there, consulting fees and a little bit of royalties, but left me with a very small percentage in the brand — 3.

I became a very minor shareholder. So I had no other choice. I wanted to believe that we would grow this thing together, and I would still benefit from it. I was convincing myself that it would eventually be a billion dollar company, and my 3. I was addicted — in a good way — to the food, to the love, to the applause. You're this amazing guy, you're the creator!

Many people told me that an entrepreneur cannot work in a corporate environment. I don't want to generalize, but usually, an entrepreneur is a very impulsive, gut-instinct person. He has crazy passion, like a fire. He wants to do things, he wants to see them happen right now. The corporate process is extremely different. Why this packaging? Why these colors? Why are you changing the brand language? Who told you it's a market?

Why do you think this is the way? He's pushing and he makes mistakes. Doesn't matter. And the corporate is mostly people who are running an already existing business.

I mean, they cannot work together. For a very long time, bitterness and frustration were building up. At some point, I started to show up less to meetings, and I think they were relieved because they didn't want to see me there. I was showing up for PR, events, interviews, whatever, here and there, and I was making new recipes sometimes. But in general, I wanted to be involved less and less. And eventually I decided that I wanted to start a new concept, like a Starbucks of chocolate — smaller stores, self-service, quick serve.

It was called Little Brown. So I opened one on the upper East side, and then I had a franchise in Russia and one in Dubai, and I leased another store in Chelsea… they never told me I was doing anything bad.

It was a very short and aggressive fight. So I gave up on everything. The five year non-compete was always part of the settlement. But I just wanted it to finish, I didn't care.

You had to really change your lifestyle after losing the court battle. What was that like? I lived a very comfortable life in Manhattan, and I moved my family to a very small house in Jersey. No vacations, no nothing. I had to call friends and ask for help. It is not just about taste, it is also about beauty and body. When asked about politics and specifically about the protests at his Sydney stores — seen as a symbol of Israel — earlier this year, Brenner was quick to respond.

I am a very peaceful person. Whether it is in Israel, or not, anything to do with violence, aggressiveness or appearing at protests or boycotts seems silly [to me]. But then again I am just a chocolate maker.