How it all began
The journey of Kalter Bruder® began in Bielefeld. At the time, I (Carsten) had launched my first startup in the medical field but ended up working myself—quite literally—into the hospital. With 80-hour work weeks and little to no balance from exercise or hobbies, I was already pushing myself to an unhealthy limit. What ultimately broke me, however, were the restless legs that made sleep increasingly elusive over the years. I tried marijuana at the time and it worked quite well at first. But over time my body demanded more and more and at some point I started waking up completely drained, dragging myself through each day just as I had before my self-treatment experiment. This unhealthy spiral of overwork, drugs, and poor sleep came to a head during a business dinner when I experienced a full-blown panic attack, landing me straight in the hospital.

The roommate
Once there, I met my roommate—a stately man in his late 60s. We quickly became friends and had deep conversations about life. When I told him about my restless legs, he responded with unexpected enthusiasm, sharing the story of a “miracle gel” from Gran Canaria that he used to relieve nerve pain in his legs. He was convinced it could help me too. The very next day, his wife brought two bottles of this slimy substance for me to try. The cooling effect kicked in within minutes and felt amazing. However, because of the sedatives from the clinic, I couldn't really judge at the time whether and how well the gel would help with my restless legs.

A midnight revelation
Back home in my own bed, I began using the gel more often and was impressed by its effects—even though I was also taking Parkinson’s medication, which completely destroyed my entire intestinal flora. When I stopped taking it because of the strong side effects and the habituation effect, the true power of the gel became evident. Without tablets (and, of course, without marijuana), I slept through the night like I hadn’t in years.

One of those amazing nights, I woke up at around 2 a.m. with a flash of inspiration. My endless research in earlier days had taught me that nearly 10% of Germany’s population suffers from RLS. Surely, among these sufferers, many would benefit from the gel just as I had.

A brotherly affair
I headed straight to my twin brother in Lüneburg to share my experiences and ideas. Stefan, with his expertise in the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries, quickly understood the potential and agreed without hesitation. Kalter Bruder® was born.
Since then, a lot has happened. Today, tens of thousands of people use Kalter Bruder® daily. Over time, we’ve learned from our users that the cooling gel also provides significant relief for polyneuropathy and inflammatory joint pain. For me, the bottle naturally holds a place of honor in the fridge and continues to help me fall asleep reliably. Stefan uses it regularly after tough workouts to avoid sore muscles.