Former Germany international Max Kruse has entered the stadium food business by launching a company that sells spaghetti ice cream across German football grounds.
The 38-year-old former Werder Bremen striker is now a co-owner of startup firm Byce, according to a report by The Sun. The commercial enterprise produces the novelty frozen dessert in official club colours and distributes it directly to supporters at matchday stadiums.
Kruse created the project alongside a business partner from the city of Paderborn whose family has produced ice cream for 30 years. Several prominent German teams have already agreed deals with the brand, including Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund, VfL Wolfsburg and multiple other clubs located in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Spaghetti ice cream venture
Spaghetti ice cream, known in Germany as Spaghettieis, is a staple dessert created in Mannheim by confectioner Dario Fontanella during the late 1960s. The dish is made by pressing vanilla ice cream through a chilled spätzle press to generate noodle-like strands, which are then smothered in strawberry sauce to mimic tomato sauce and dusted with grated white chocolate to resemble parmesan cheese.
Byce modifies that traditional recipe by tailoring the shades and toppings to replicate the home shirts of individual football clubs. Catering concourses at German grounds have long been dominated by savoury matchday food such as bratwurst and pretzels, making colourful club-themed ice cream a novel offering for match-going fans.
North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany's most populous federal state and represents the heartland of German club football, housing major venues such as Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park. Securing supply deals across the region gives the fledgling dessert company immediate exposure to tens of thousands of regular stadium visitors.
Omission from 2014 World Cup
The venture marks a fresh commercial chapter for Kruse, whose international football career was derailed by an off-pitch hotel scandal in 2014. Ahead of a friendly international fixture between Germany and England, the forward ordered an escort to his hotel bedroom.
Germany manager Joachim Low learned of the incident and immediately dropped Kruse from the national squad. As a direct consequence, the attacker was omitted from Germany's travelling party for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, a tournament that the German national side went on to win after defeating Argentina in the final.
Motorsport and media projects
Kruse eventually announced his retirement from professional football in 2023 at the age of 38, ending a playing career that featured spells with Werder Bremen and appearances for the German national team. Since leaving the pitch, he has built a diverse collection of commercial interests outside of football.
In addition to his stadium ice cream company, Kruse operates his own motor racing outfit, Max Kruse Racing. The former footballer also co-hosts the sports podcast Flatterball and makes regular appearances as a media guest and contestant across German television networks.
