Our Mighty 16 Stress Test

APRIL 2020

The Official Magazin of the DMK Group

Revealed

Who our customers are and what they really want Our mighty 16 Stress test

How the coronavirus SARSCoV-2 is changing daily life around the world MILK!A classic – and a powerhouse for the future 13 Tasted

Trainees present our new star products 26 New

Anna-Lena Etgeton, 23 years old (l) and Irene Hanenbergh, 39 years old (r) both at DP Supply EDITORIAL are playing Together We our part against the Our milk is added value. danger Oliver Bartelt Global Head of Corporate “The food sector is of systemic importance” – these are the Communications words of the Agriculture Minister and they are both a challenge and an opportunity for us. Almost all of our departments are grappling with the issue of coronavirus – as are our farmers countrywide – professionally, and also on a personal level. Days like these are making it very clear indeed, what “WE” means. Dear Readers,

We are DMK: 14,000 people – of whom 6,000 are farmers. As a cooperative Suddenly, in the space of just a few weeks, a virus has cast a shadow over our lives and dairy, we naturally look out for our farmers and their strug- work: The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is transforming daily life worldwide. Restrictions on gles, and we stick up for them when dealing with our trading our personal freedoms are in place to try and prevent the virus from spreading further, partners. Our farmers want to contribute and invest in today’s so that our health care systems aren‘t overwhelmed. socio-political issues, from sustainability to climate protection Schools are closed, as are daycare centers and playgrounds, and people are changing their homes into offices, to avoid large numbers of people becoming infected at once. and animal welfare. That will only work if the whole value chain Restaurants are shut, borders are closed, concerts, football games, trade fairs and other works together to make sure farmers have the money they need major events have been cancelled. People are being asked to keep their distance. to make such investments. This is the only way that consumers, We at the DMK Group are preparing our employees, farmers and processing plants as by paying fair prices for their products, can enable farmers to best we can for all imaginable scenarios. Right at the start of the crisis, we established a work in a way that is sustainable. That is what we are calling for dedicated working group to coordinate all the measures that are needed. in today’s discussions and debates. Now, each and every one of us is asked to take extra care, and adapt our behavior so that together, we can limit the dangers of this pandemic. This is actually the hour of the Strong together. We shape food. cooperative: What one person cannot manage alone, we will all manage together. WE, the collective. As colleagues with a rich tradition of working together, the sense Of course, there are other issues alongside the coronavirus. Our farmers are out and of unity between employees and farmers has always been at the about on the roads, showing their passion for what they do for us, day in day out. At the heart of our company. Our community is united by our efforts to same time, they are also frustrated that people don‘t seem to understand what they go feed millions of people. What makes us unique is the special care through and why their efforts are not reflected in the way food is priced here in Germa- we take of the milk on its journey from the farm to the dairies, ny. Here too, WE come into play: Our milk is important and valuable! And that is why we from the supermarket shelves to consumers‘ kitchen tables. Our have put it at the very heart of our spring edition of the magazine. milk is not just any milk – it is our farmers who make sure that it meets the highest possible standards. We hope you enjoy reading it. And stay well!

We want to develop solutions together and the way forward is through partnership and dialogue. Best regards, Our warehouses are well stocked. People are going to be Thank you! able to count on our supplies Oliver Bartelt during the coronavirus crisis

WE FROM DMK 1. scan the 2. see the HAVE A MESSAGE QR-Code full clip

April 2020 MILCHWELT 3 INSIDE INSIDE

COVER OUR MIGHTY MILK 12 –23 Boost your career at

DMK. Our trainees Answers from We cannot imagine life without milk, 26Milk’s new stars. gain more than just a Ingo Müller a classic product that is also our dairy Kalder Kaffee 32 profession: Each can cooperative’s DNA. Developers, research- unbelievably contribute their crea- ers and strategists are now working tire- strong, Ahoj ice tivity and ideas. cream and Baileys Our milk: lessly to create tomorrow’s products from mini ice cream – Where next? milk, that master of transformation. meet the new products 18 NEWS and find The Farmer. out why What he wants and how and what needs Trainees 2020: What DMK Offers they are Milk’s Interview to change. the Next Generation 32 – 33 made. new Frank About Our Brand 40 – 43 stars Claassen From The Regions 55 COMPANY

What’s Next? Ingo Müller 34 on the current situation 12 – 15 36 We are very well prepared: Consumer, Farmer, Retail – Trade, An interview with CFO It is Time to Take Stock 16– 23 Chocolate, praline and Frank Claassen about the The Long Way to the Perfect Product: candy: The Industry Farmer, challenges of our business Daily Life for Our Developers 24 – 25 business unit showcas- Consumer 39 and the measures that are Stars Made of Milk: es the capabilities of underway. Advertising DMK. with love: New Products and Synergies 26 – 31 Why it is so We are Well Prepared: CFO Frank important Claassen on our Finances 34 – 35 for people to What do they do? identify with a An Introduction to the brand. Industry Business Unit 36 – 38 Marketing: How People Come to Identify with a Brandt 39 51 The Netherlands – How the Maxima 44 Project is Bringing us Together 44 – 45 Logistics using an The Netherlands. app: Faster, easier Digital Tools for DMK 52 – 53 We want to grow and more precise, Practical Tips: together. thanks to a leap into Make your own Quark 54 13 the digital age. The coronavirus stress test. DMK is taking special FARMING AND AGRICULTURE measures to ensure a steady supply of our high-value milk The Biodiversity Report 46 – 47 products. The Sector Strategy Report 48 – 49 The Fieldwork Report 50 – 51

IN EVERY ISSUE

Contacts to the Editorial Department 56 DMK in the Media 56 – 57 Masthead 57 Contact to Regional Leaders 57 DMK Sweepstakes 58 Recipe 59

4 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 5 FACTS & FIGURES FACTS & FIGURES

1 A personal moment

You could see your photo here too: Starting in our next issue, we will share the best picture readers send us. It could be the Jenny Hensel and her husband birth of a calf, the prettiest part of your farm, a scene from Norman both work for wheyco in Altentreptow. Here, together the office or your family enjoying a meal together. Unleash with their daughter Mathilda, they are enjoying MILRAM’s your creativity – the sky is the limit new lemon and strawberry Find out more on page 58 buttermilk ice cream

6 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 7 FACTS & FIGURES FACTS & FIGURES

365 days is how long the Golden Olga will spend at the Fulde dairy farm, home to 400 cows. The prize celebrates the farm’s exemplary commitment to animal welfare and sustainability

8 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 9 FACTS & FIGURES FACTS & FIGURES

1000 tractors

Farmers have held protests over the last few months, calling for fairer food prices and opposing fertilizer restrictions

10 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 11 INTERVIEW INTERVIEW

Ingo Müller

has been CEO of the DMK Group since 2016 Coronavirus – How we are managing our responsibilities

“As a company in the food industry, we responded early to the outbreak of the coronavirus, and took the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe: We established a crisis management team which constantly monitors the situation, evaluates what needs to be done and introduces the measures that are needed. That’s how we are making sure that DMK is doing the right thing in this volatile situation. Of course, we also have to protect people. As Germany’s Ingo largest dairy cooperative, we atre feeding the popula- Müller tion and beyond, providing on: high-quality dairy products. Working hand in hand with our political and food retail … The year 2019 and the future … Positioning DMK partners, we are ensuring that 2019 placed enormous demands on all We are and remain a company of farm- the nation is supplied with of us, the farmers, the employees in the ers. And we will step up and defend our dairy products. I would like DMK Group and the entire industry. farmers – also when it comes to negoti- Our mighty to express my special thanks Our payout price in 2019 was not what ating prices with retailers. We are in a to our employees, who do we wanted it better posi- their very best every day, in to be. On the tion to do this difficult circumstances, to upside, how- “We are and today than ensure business goes on as ever, at DMK we were in the usual. I also have the greatest we managed to past, because respect for farmers through- solve many dif- remain a we know that out the country – ours and all ficulties over we are not just others – who are making sure the past year company supplying a It’s a classic product – and a our food supplies continue. that had been raw material This shows how important weighing on us but are creat- MILK!powerhouse for the future it is to support our farmers for some time. of farmers.” ing modern and to protect them. The We have fin- food products. coronavirus epidemic calls ished our extensive restructuring of the That’s why we will not accept prices on the population to show DMK Group. We have put a period of that do not allow us to pay our farmers Take a trip and watch our milk on its journey into the future: a great deal of solidarity. As high investments behind us for now. We enough money for their milk. CEO Ingo Müller spells out our strategy and how together, a cooperative, that sense of have done our homework for 2020. We “we” and “us” is already part will continue to be careful with money … Market challenges we can overcome the challenges we are facing. A consumer of our DNA. I am proud that and we are seeing that the investments Agriculture is under massive pres- we at DMK are doing our bit made over the past years are starting to sure – and not just from one but from expert discusses customers’ many needs. A farmer describes to make sure people come pay off. However, given the overall sit- several different sides. Consumers and how rapidly everyday life is changing. And the many ways in through this difficult time in uation, we will have to continue to be food retailers come with ever greater good shape.” cautious. Nowadays, amid the corona- demands: GMO-free, organic, low which retail is being transformed virus pandemic, it is difficult to make fat, high protein, ecological packag- any forecasts about the future. ing – and yet safe and convenient, all

April 2020 MILCHWELT 13 INTERVIEW

A conversation with CEO Ingo Müller: Our ten regional members’ A task force is handling the chal- conferences were cancelled lenges of the coronavirus. It is not yet this year due to the corona- clear what effects virus pandemic the epidemic will have, but DMK is preparing as well as possible

at the same time. Younger consum- the issue is now getting the attention it the start of the year, we reconfigured it ard goods towards being a producer However, both sites will earn money duction of cheese is likely. Production ers have additional wants and needs: deserves. to make it clearer. We have made our of high-margin products. That‘s why in the coming year and we still have of butter and skimmed milk powder is vegan products, environmental protec- With our sector strategy, we are bun- milk money accounting more transpar- we are constantly launching new capacity at Strueckhausen so we won‘t likely to be scaled back. Across the EU, tion and resource-conserving produc- dling forces in dairy farming. We are ent and we have updated the surcharges products onto the market. To name have to invest more to work at full milk production is expected to increase tion. We cannot and will not ignore our consistently pursuing our goal, setting for GMO-free milk production, Milk- a couple of examples: “Kalder Kaf- capacity there. We have also now con- by 1%. Global milk production will con- consumers’ desires. On the contrary, standards ourselves as an industry, and master, logistics and cooling costs. We fee – amazingly strong” and “with solidated the ice cream division. Above tinue to grow, albeit at a slower rate they also offer us enormous opportuni- not allowing politics to dictate the way have also launched myMilk, our digital oats.” We are going to create an overall, however, we had to cope with an than in the past. Otherwise, much is ties! And that is why we are happy to do we work. We want interface. Now, farm- arching theme for our protein-rich enormous loss of milk volumes in 2019. unclear, for example regarding the all this, as a company and as farmers. to shape the debate “Away from ers can access forms, MILRAM products that focuses on We achieved this, too, by acting deci- negotiations between Britain and the But it also costs us effort and we want ourselves, speak in news and individual healthy eating. We are going to cre- sively and I can say in all honesty that EU following Brexit, or increasing pro- to be rewarded accordingly. We at DMK a confident, power- the pure information with just a ate more ice cream flavors under the we have made DMK fit for the future. tectionism in terms of global trade. play our part in this: Providing food for ful voice, actively few clicks. We are also MILRAM and Baileys brands. And we consumers and supplying the food retail engage in dialogue working on a fixed- are busy abroad, too, expanding our … The situation in 2019 and 2020 … The effects of coronavirus trade – but above all as a cooperative of with our consumers, supplier of price model meaning site in Russia, and we have raised our As before, most of our processing was This situation is extremely dynamic and farmers who, as suppliers, also want to politicians and the that some milk vol- stake in the flourishing whey deriva- of standard goods that are more sub- it is difficult to make reliable forecasts. be able to make a living from their work. media, and ensure standard umes can be hedged on tives business to 100 %. And another ject to major fluctuations in price than At DMK, we have set up a coronavirus the discussion is the exchange through piece of good news is that we have had branded goods. We had hoped that task force, which addresses the situa- … Legal regulations … Positioning DMK based on transpar- products” DMK. That helps create our Strueckhausen plant certified for prices would go up after the drought tion each day and is in ongoing contact Even in a time of great uncertainty we ent information. much more security in China. but this was not the case. This year, we with the authorities and industry asso- can count on the regulatory jungle in planning, if needed. are expecting stable milk volumes in ciations. Our goal is to prepare as best Brussels and Berlin to keep on grow- … Improvements for farmers … Challenges in 2019 Germany, due to smaller dairy herds we can for all possible eventualities. ing. The latest regulation on fertilizer in the new year … Key DMK milestones The plant in Strueckhausen and the and tougher requirements under Ger- The task force is also in close contact that saw many farmers protesting on the We are continuing to develop and Our goal is still clear, to move away powder tower in Beesten cost us a lot man law governing fertilizer. Feed is with suppliers and service providers to streets was just the last straw. At least improve our Milkmaster program. At from being purely a provider of stand- of money in 2019 and the years before. also scarcer. An expansion in the pro- maintain supply chain security.

14 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 15 TELLINGUNTERNEHMEN STORIES

hen Hans-Georg Häusel talks about products available over the past 20 years has not only vegan products has been growing for years, on the the average consumer, he is not led consumers to become accustomed to a broad selec- one hand: Sales of such items rose 17 % in 2019 alone. particularly complimentary, calling tion, but many shoppers also expect constant innova- On the other hand, the broader population has not shoppers spoiled, choosy, lazy and re- tion as a matter of course. This makes it harder and switched to become vegetarian. How can that be? luctantW to think at all. Häusel should know: As a psy- harder for suppliers to identify specific target groups Only 7 % of households are vegetarian and only 2 % chologist, he has been researching how consumer for their different products. are vegan. Most buyers say they do behaviour in the German retail sector has changed ”Shoppers form the habit of “The older not see eating animal products as an and developed over the decades. It has never been as buying something in a process,” either-or-question. They don’t want complicated as it is nowadays. says Häusel. “You can really only people get, the an exclusively vegetarian or vegan speak of a connection once some- diet – something else is going on in The year 2020 is characterized by opposing trends. one has bought a product five to more habits their minds. “Vegetarianism is seen Nowhere is that more obvious than at the super- ten times.” The only natural limit as a feminine, hedonistic and metro- market checkout. On the one hand, consumers imposed on this process is the they have” politan consumer option that eases say what really matters to them is that goods are size of the supermarket shelf. For people’s consciences to a certain produced sustainably and ecologically. On the other every new item that is added to the shelf, another one degree,” says Häusel. “That requires certain product hand, they are rarely willing to pay more, although has to make space. If this is a product people are used segments. That will always be the case – but it does they could afford to do so – another contradiction. In to buying, that is a painful change for a consumer. not mean it will entirely transform consumer behavior 42 % of German households, shoppers feel they have There is a similarly contradictory process at play overall. We are talking about an evolutionary trend, enough money to buy almost anything, according to when it comes to what buyers select in their shop- not a revolution.” Dealing with the consumer is not a survey by the society for consumer research, and ping trolley. The trend towards more vegetarian and likely to get any easier any time soon. the proportion is similar in other European coun- tries too. Despite all the fears about the economy, this is a historic high. Consumers are contradictory Retailers’ sales of vegetarian and vegan products rose by 17 % in 2019, Only 7 % of households are veg- mainly thanks to younger shoppers. etarian, according to a study by 17 % Overall, the percentage of sales of a consumer research institute. The Consumer these kind of products is in the An even smaller proportion are single digits. vegan: Polls say only 2 % of households have What customers eliminated all animal really want When they are shopping, products from their 42 % of German house- diets.. 7 % holds feel as though they Dr. Hans-Georg Häusel is a beings, particularly at first glance. “We must always 5 – 10 x could afford anything, psychologist and international remember that man is a creature of habit”, Häuser That is how according to a represent- expert in marketing, sales and says. “Purchasing decisions, especially when it often a shopper ative poll management neuroscience. He comes to everyday goods like dairy products, often has to buy a 60 % of shoppers opt to buy has written several bestselling aren’t real decisions, they are habitual purchases.” particular product habituated products – goods business books. His book “Brain In other words, many shoppers head into the su- before it can be that they are already familiar View – Why customers shop” permarket with plenty of lofty ideals about animal described as with and know well. was named Germany’s best welfare or sustainability. But they usually leave with a habituated 42 % marketing book in 2010 and the same products as always. “The older a person purchase. was listed by an international gets, the more habits they have”, says Häuser. “The jury as one of the 100 best busi- way our brains work is that our subconscious is 60 % ness books of all time. stronger than our conscious mind.” He says the way some 60 % of consumers shop is that they know the products they like, ideally they will be in the same spot on the shelf as they were last time they went shopping, the products will look the same and cost “For our the same. “For our brains, spending money is a The coronavirus is leading shoppers to abandon their habits, as people throughout brains, painful process,” says Häusel. “That’s why we find Europe hoard food out of the fear of supply bottlenecks. Sales of disinfectants, for price increases so hard to handle.” We are creatures example, rose by 238 percent in the Netherlands from mid-February compared spending of habit through and through. The challenge for the to the same time last year. In northern Italy, which has been hit particularly hard by money is a food industry is the other 40 % of shoppers. Häusel the pandemic, sales of canned meat shot up by 496 percent when the virus broke out. describes this group as “experience-oriented.” He In Germany, shoppers are buying up toilet paper: Sales quadrupled after the govern- painful says they are younger than the more habit-oriented ment started to introduce measures to stop the virus from spreading. process” buyers and expect producers to keep coming out with new products, fresh designs and tasty experiments. The explosive growth in the range of

April 2020 MILCHWELT 17 TELLINGUNTERNEHMEN STORIES

It’s not the way to describe a space assessments and identified several where cows can move around freely “red zones“ where too many animals and their food is mostly homemade. I are kept, there’s too much manure, have to treat my animals right if only and too much corn has been planted because that is how I make a living, for bio gas. That has damaged the soil. they provide my income. When I show That’s a fact. And we farmers have to school kids or visitors around my do something about that. We need to farm, they are usually amazed and say, talk about how to change that. But it “wow, the cows look good, they’re so doesn’t help to get hostile and angry calm and relaxed.” Suddenly, they see about politics. What we need is to get the farmer as a person and I am associ- a clear view of the situation. How? We ated with something positive. should capture and transfer nutrient surpluses, remove liquid manure or Farmers’ fears shift livestock farming to areas where For many farmers, consumers are less animal husbandry is underway. mysterious creatures. Many of my fel- We need to recreate a more natural low farmers are afraid of them because connection between animals and the they don’t know how to deal with the earth. The nutrient limit is 170 kilos massive amounts of criticism we get. of nitrogen per hectare. We wouldn’t We farmers, like consumers, also live have the nitrates problem if we re- in our own separate bubble, and we thought everything through and tried look at the media and social media to put things back in balance. to get an idea of what’s happening. And then people get a one-sided view Sustainable agriculture of things. You get the feeling that all It’s in our own interest to try and keep On his farm in Sillerup, consumers are against us, that at least the soil fertile and to enable biodiver- in northern Schleswig- half of them are vegetarians or vegans, sity because otherwise we will destroy Holstein, DMK supplier and that they are against all forms of our livelihood. Last year, for the first Thomas Andresen (39) animal farming for example. If you time, we did without glyphosate, and keeps water buffalo look at the actual figures, though, you tried using bacteria instead to do what alongside his 400 cows. get a different picture. Namely that the weedkiller would have done. As a blogger, he regularly 2% of consumers are vegan and 7% It worked out really, really well. And takes the time to post are vegetarian. We don’t see anything it’s really fun doing those kinds of pictures and videos about Where the going gets tough about the rest, the silent majority. So biodiversity, agricultural out of fear, we shrink back into our lit- policy, rural life and farmers’ fears. tle bubbles, and that’s how misunder- The Farmer standings develop on both sides. More independence I am the fourth generation to manage this farm. My great grandfather bought Thanks to his group “land creates connection” (“Land schafft Verbindung” which That’s always good to hear. But then in the farm in 1911 and luckily, at some the supermarket, people are still tak- point, my son will take it over. He’s means land/agriculture creates connection), Thomas Andresen became the voice of ing up the special offers and cheaper seven right now. So it is absolutely in Germany’s farmers. He tells us why the demonstrations that filled the streets were not products. That’s when you realize for my interest to make sure that I don’t most people, they can’t imagine the pass down a farm to him that isn’t about conflict, but about creating a dialogue person who is making those products. profitable. I think I speak for all farm- But we can’t just keep passing the ers when I say that nobody wants to he situation is not easy for been passed down three or four gen- showing that than others. But I know blame. We farmers know that not eve- close the gates behind them for good. any of us, but there is no erations. We have grown up on them, that it is true for everyone. rything always goes as it should, and That applies to German farmers just use in complaining about we know every cow, every hill, each not every criticism is totally unjusti- as much as it does to Dutch farmers. it all the time. We need solu- little hole in the barn. Our work is not Who we are fied. So how can we make sure that every- Ttions and it is up to all of us to find anonymous, alienated, automatized Many people have no idea who we one involved in agriculture agrees on them: Farmers, politicians, consum- or hostile in any way to our animals. farmers are. That also applies to the Real farming life better conditions so that farming is ers and dairies. I have faith that this We live in nature and that includes consumers who always say in polls that I keep 400 cows on my farm in sustainable, animals are treated well, will work because at the end of the our animals. Even when we slaughter they prefer regional and organic prod- Schleswig-Holstein and some people fertilization methods improve and milk day, we all want the same thing: them to feed people, we are con- ucts. People say milk from convention- would say, “oh nooooooo! Factory prices are reasonable? Healthy products from healthy ani- nected to them. Every cow that dies, al farms is right at the bottom of their farming!” But what does that really Fertilizer regulation has become a Relation to each animal - Unlike his mals. The vast majority of us farmers every calf that is born, touches our list, because those are the farmers who mean? Factory farming is when there huge topic but it really doesn’t need cows, his 350 chickens have no names, but a warm, dry container that lets them love our farms and often they have emotions – some of us are better at are poisoning the water and soil. isn’t enough space and too many cows. to be. In Germany, a study carried out outdoors via an electric floor ramp.

18 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 19 TELLING STORIES TELLING STORIES experiments. But each farmer needs to take care and make sure they don’t ac- “Agriculture cidentally destroy their whole crop in A connection to each animal – an experiment. It may work out for the Unlike his cows, the 350 chick- needs lots of best, but not everyone has the resourc- ens don’t have names but they do have a warm and cozy place es to take that risk if it doesn’t. to stay, and an electric ramp different people” that lets them go outside. Sensible policies How can consumers and farmers understand If agricultural policy was more relaxed each other better? Author says about regulations, it would be possible Andreas Möller poor communication can lead to serious conflict. to implement many measures which are environmentally friendly, without taking a risk. You just have to let us Stop the prejudice out what they mean. Agriculture farmers be farmers. You can see the It isn’t farming overall but just needs to show its human side, with problem if you look at extreme weath- some aspects and practices that people who the public can get to er events like droughts or unusually deserve criticism – we need to make know and can identify with, innova- heavy rain. If we’re going to be able to this differentiation clear in public tors, farmers who drive change and react to whatever the weather throws debate and then focus on specific make things better! Nothing is more at us, we need to be able to take a more points. Otherwise there is a danger powerful than people and their biog- flexible approach to grassland conver- that we make farming part of the raphies – even if not everyone is born sion. That means if it looks like there economy that is seen in hostile terms to be the founder of Apple. will be a shortage, we need to be able by large parts of the public. And also to sow grain as needed. It would mean that farmers feel more and more like Taking debates seriously ploughing one or two meadows and outcasts. Without social acceptance, it is sowing cereals to be able to harvest going to be more and more dif- them on time. But the laws don’t per- Work together on solutions ficult to succeed economically in a mit us to do that. You have to apply to In many regions, farms are key highly networked, media-dominated plough meadows months in advance, employers, and businesses that society. That means associations way too far ahead of time to be able train people, and numerous fami- nowadays should no longer see their to assess what weather extremes we lies depend on them. Not only that main task as bundling interests and might see. What we need is less regula- though, they also take on many other presenting these as powerfully as tion and more faith in what farmers activities from clearing the roads in possible to the outside world, so have been doing for centuries. the winter to volunteering for the people say “hear hear!“ Rather, they fire department. Above all, though, need to create a credible interface to Farmers’ voices they are highly competent special- society that is respected by allies and Farmers are increasingly confused ist producers of food. And they are critics alike. And they need to listen about all the agricultural regula- producing that food at quantity and to what is happening. tions, so together with a number of quality levels that are historically colleagues, we set up a group called without precedent. This is just one They need to analyze this early on, and “Land creates connections”. We called of many positive stories that should feed it back to their members, so farm- on people to join our demonstrations hope,” he said. My blood ran cold, as I raise awareness about biodiversity Loving the countryside be told – without covering up ethical ers are prepared for the real situation and protests but it wasn’t about con- realized that we had waited too long to among consumers. It’s also good when Sometimes, when things get questions about animals and the en- out there. flict, we don’t want to see tires burn- get involved. It really motivated me to it comes to negotiating prices to bring really tough, or the harvest is vironment. These questions are not ing, bales of straw or slurry in front of do more. We farmers really need to be farmers to the table. We also talk with really stressful, I go out and visit just for farmers and a faceless “agri- government buildings, supermarkets more visible. retailers about prices and trading prac- my water buffalo. I can see them business“ to deal with but should be or dairies. That’s deeply shameful in Dialogue with retailers tices. It’s a sensitive issue on both sides from a distance grazing on the faced by society as a whole, together my view, and it casts a Getting involved also and we can only tackle it if both sides bog meadows with their gigantic with farmers. Andreas Möller, author of really negative light on “Trust is means talking construc- are calm, and take time to listen to one horns. In the afternoons, when “Zwischen Bullerbü und Tierfabrik. our work. The alliance is tively with retailers. another and then look for solutions the sun shines on the misty Making it personal Warum wir einen anderen Blick auf die meant to be a way to be something We’ve already sat down together. For that, you need trust, and meadows, it looks like a picture Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, you can see Landwirtschaft brauchen“ (“Between seen and mainly to start you can in my kitchen to have a that’s something you can build up. One of African grasslands. I sit at the by such well-known names why fairy tales and factory farming. a dialogue. Farmers chat with the manage- positive thing is that the dairies are pasture and tell my buffaloes the latest trend in communication Why we need to look at farming are angry because the build up” ment of EDEKA, and also standing up for us in the nego- what’s bothering me or what is called personalization, and it is differently“) industry is under such spelled out what we find tiations and that’s a good thing. My I’m happy about. That calms me growing because business is becom- pressure. At a demon- problematic about their dream is one day to be able to manage down a lot. Many farmers do ing more complicated. In agriculture, stration in Berlin, a farmer came up to attitude and they listened. We felt without emergency loans and support. that. Our voices calm the animals too, we need to see stories about Andreas Möller me, and I thought, “oh dear, I’ve done connected because we also started a For that to happen, both sides have to down, and this helps us to relax people, so that the public under- Published by Gütersloher something wrong.” But he hugged me campaign together to help meadows show up at the table, negotiate, keep as well. You can’t tell me that stands that we are talking about Verlagshaus. You can contact the author and started to cry and thanked us for flower again. We made seeds available talking, keep fighting. The worst thing farmers don’t feel anything for individuals and their business ideas. directly via his Twitter what we’re doing. “You are my last at the checkout tills free of charge to would be silence. their animals.” And who have the guts to say straight account, @andmoeller

20 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 21 TELLING STORIES TELLINGUNTERNEHMEN STORIES Trade

Customers love variety. The competitive retail sector is The supermarket is a challenge for dairies but also an opportunity to show off where consumers innovative products. make the big decisions

The food retail is our interface with shelves to help orient shoppers. Con- Nowadays, alongside selling products and services, the products that cost less, in larger packets, to feed the whole consumers. Supermarkets are where sumers need to be able to get a quick aim is also to tell the stories behind them – that’s what family. DMK’s Foodservice faces a similarly broad range of they decide what to put on the table. overview of what they are looking at and MILRAM is customers like. DMK is doing this too, by MILRAM-izing all needs. In the fast-moving catering business, for example, There were times in the past when shop- products on refrigerator shelves need the strongest of the brand’s new products and relaunches. That includes ready-made products such as MILRAM Porridge are making ping at the grocery store was a little bit to be organized in an orderly fashion. brand in MILRAM Kalder Kaffee “unbelievably strong” and “with chefs’ work easier. And MILRAM Gourmet Stations for can- like the comedy film “Groundhog Day“ DMK’s experts work together with the whole oats,” Friesendrink, Moin! cocoa or the marketing of MIL- teens, cafeterias, service areas and convenience stores allow whose protagonist Phil Connors lives the partners from trade, industry and bulk flavored RAM cheese – all are being sold with the claim “MILRAM – consumers to put together their own servings of quark, add- same day over and over again until he buyers to analyze how best to arrange quark from the home of freshness.” The aim is to connect with the ing fruit, sauces and cereals as they like, without needing almost goes crazy. Seeing the very same categories and subcategories of products market, customer emotionally. The images of the northern German staff on hand to help. thing in supermarkets every day, shop- so these are placed logically in terms of including 45 % coastline and the local dialect awaken a sense of home, and pers may have occasionally felt a little brand, trademark and matching prod- sour cream enable customers to identify with the products. Agile, not slow like Phil Connors themselves, with too ucts. Category Management continu- DMK is on the right track with its strategy, and proof much routine and not enough novelty. ously gathers and evaluates data about Healthy living of that can be found in people’s shopping carts. Analysis Nowadays though, whether they are in market trends and developments to en- Despite all these changes, one thing that is constant is show that more people are buying MILRAM products than Germany, the Netherlands or anywhere sure that goods are placed in a way that that customers still want to eat healthy food. This is an comparable goods made by competitors. Shoppers are also else in the world, customers want more. is as logical and practical as possible. important factor in their decision making when shopping. spending more money on MILRAM goods than on compet- They want to see cool products that are DMK is running innovative initiatives ing wares, on both the yellow and white fashionable around the world. They also Taking a holistic view 300 % to work out how to lend food a sense of product lines. The dairy industry is want a sense of home and familiarity, The Perfect Shelf is a key factor when Sales of “healthy hedonism,” meaning food that changing rapidly and just like an agile, and are keen to buy regional products. it comes to sales. Experts take a holis- sliced cheese can be enjoyed but is still healthy, rather The world dynamic start up, DMK has to navigate Shoppers want variety, and also they tic view, looking at the whole positive have tripled than going without. An example of that is changing its way through these new times, where support animal welfare, and they want temperature area before recommending in 7 years way of thinking might be someone who what’s important is being able to act, food that is GMO free and transparent what product to place where. Alongside doesn’t eat meat today, but might fry up and so is the develop and try out new things. Being supply chains. And they our white and yel- a steak tomorrow. That’s fine, a con- more agile also means innovation cycles don’t want this to be too low ranges, that also scious decision. Another question DMK world of can be shorter. Nowadays, Driving expensive, either. The applies to the red line is addressing is how to help consumers food retail world is changing and customers of sausage products, growth: who are used to sugar to switch to – and It’s working: the food retail business is convenience and Mixed milk enjoy – products which are less sweet. The Lebensmittelzeitung, a German changing too. Nowadays, want more delicatessen goods. If drinks grew +15 % DMK is responding by cutting back the grocery trade publication, recently voted supermarkets offer shop- goods in the refrigera- almost 15 % amount of sugar or gradually replacing it with alternatives, MILRAM one of its top brands. These days, consumers want pers experiences, wheth- tor are arranged clearly in a year for example by splitting lactose to release the natural sweet- to know what a brand stands for and where it comes from. er it is products that are being baked, or and logically, that guarantees products ness contained in the milk sugar. As the company creates Brands have to deliver something that their rivals cannot, a tasting stand. They are places where there will sell better. The experts also products for the future, all of these considerations are taken whether through their packaging or the product itself, to consumers can explore new trends and consider the latest consumer trends into account. justify their existence. a range of products suited to lifestyles and desires when they provide advice that could hardly be more diverse. on how to organize store shelves. DMK Retail goes gastro Dairy products are one of the best-selling ranges How can a dairy like DMK score points works closely with its retail partners to With the seemingly unlimited supply of goods, and the in the retail sector. Thanks to innovation and a wide when shopping is no longer about meet- achieve these aims. This new form of co- Protein in trends towards greater individualization, mobility, single- range of products in the refrigerated section, nobody ing people’s basic needs, but the differ- operation encompasses the whole value Skyr cheese, person households and high purchasing power, retail is has to be like Phil Connors and make do without any entiators are experiences and services? chain. And it is working, too, meaning making it one of becoming gastronomical. More and more food in stores is variety. For consumers, every new day is different, This is a question for Category Man- there are only winners, whether they the top sources 30 % ready to eat, available for consumers to take away. Consum- thanks to our farmers’ milk, which is the foundation agement, the team that considers which are farmers, consumers, retailers or the of protein ers with less purchasing power, meanwhile, are looking for for everything else. assortment mix to run and where ideally dairy. Everyone benefits in their own these would be placed on supermarket way from this consistent approach.

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Problem: Climate change Carrageenan is an important Vegan? stabilizer that has been used for years in cream, mixed milk No way! drinks and other products. One Red fruit pudding is vegan day though, Axel Mehrtens, through and through – or so you a product developer from might think. But take a closer Zeven, and his team noticed that look and you will see the chal- something had changed about lenge. The dessert needs to be the milk additive which is made red, and that often means using using red seaweed. Ocean tem- carmine, a dye won from crushed peratures are rising due to cli- cochineal insects – meaning he process of dreaming up new prod- mate change and the seaweed is animals are involved. The vegan The ucts, flavors and varieties starts in the adapting. Now, the raw material version uses a different coloring, laboratories of the DMK Group’s devel- is different and sometimes there although often this is not opers. This is where the experiments, is not enough available. as effective. Tthe creativity and the exploration take place. For long way some products, it can take weeks or months to get the recipe exactly right. For each and every variety, developers have examined the composition to the step by step, the shelf life, whether it can be mass produced, and, of course, the flavor. Teams work through that process in their kitchens, eliminating versions that don’t make the grade, until they perfect identify a winner to bring onto the market. It is rarely a linear process and there are plenty of unexpected challenges along the way – even if some Herbs product of the products have been on sale for many years. exclusively for chefs Less is more

Everything looked as though it would All product developers are be straightforward in 2017 when the From the initial idea to the fine Grateful chefs trying to work out how to reduce plan was to bring a five-kilo bucket of the amount of sugar products sour creme onto store shelves. Product tuning: Developers test each and Gelatine, which is usually ob- contain, without compromising developers agreed surprisingly easily on every single detail when creating a tained from cows and pigs, is widely the original taste. MILRAM’s the recipe, the taste and even the photos used in kitchens as a stabilizer in “FriesenDrink” shows it can be were all set for the new herbal sour new product. Often, they run into numerous products. However, it is done, thanks to the knowledge cream. Then came the feedback from the most unexpected obstacles unsuitable for vegetarians. Zeven and creativity of the research and chefs, who said they would prefer to fla- decided to create a long-life vegetar- development team. Faced with a vor the product themselves and did not ian cream so vegetarians could also complex problem, they showed want a product that already contained enjoy certain tarts and pizzas. The that less sugar does not have to herbs. That was no problem, the team of DMK Group reduced the amount mean a product tastes less sweet. developers adjusted the recipe. Howev- of fat in the regular sour cream The Zeven team integrated a er, a creative solution was needed for product from 24 % to 18 %, creat- process whereby they broke down the product photos. Photoshop saved ing a product that was stable even lactose, which happens to be what the day, eliminating without gelatine. All of the feedback is known as a “double sugar.” the herbs from the from chefs was positive. And happi- Splitting it creates glucose and pictures at the last ly, the product is not only suitable galactose. When they are com- minute. At last, for vegetarian dishes but users also bined, these two simple sugars the sour cream appreciate how easily it spreads. taste sweeter than lactose. That came to market, enabled the team to reduce the and everybody amount of regular sugar in the liked it, even if it product. Mission accomplished. didn’t look quite like the original images suggested.

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t’s powerful, uncomplicated, of innovation in packaging design and can be ice cold – and is wildly marketing strategy. popular: Kalder Kaffee. It’s a purist mixture of strong coffee Waking up with a familiar face Iand milk, and some people at DMK How does a dairy cooperative were not initially too sure it would be transform farmers’ valuable milk popular, given its ingredients are so into products that keep up with the simple, without any added sugar and changing times? All of the experiment- flavorings. ing, research and discovery centers on what customers are saying. When But it’s a hit. buying iced coffee, the word is that Now, MILRAM’s iced coffee is a energy is the determining factor, shooting star in its range – and there which is why buyers are reaching for is more to come. Thanks to its initial the products with the most caffeine. success, MILRAM has created a twin However, 20 % of customers say they that packs an even bigger punch. want a milder taste and more variety, Kalder Kaffee “unbelievably strong” so for them, a mild, nutty tasting cof- will hit stores’ fee will hit the shelves shelves in April. It Eight out in April: Kalder Kaffee contains 50 mg of “with oats” – contain- caffeine per 100 ml of ten ing 27 mg of caffeine and seems to stand per 100 ml. Here, for everything consumers those in the target that customers are in Germany group are impulse calling for: a fast know buyers aware of the Stars product they can latest trends and with grab as they go. MILRAM plenty of purchasing made of milk With inventions power. They want a like Kalder Kaffee, milk is finding its product they can trust to consume way into a market with great potential while they are on the go, without too beyond iced coffee. What counts is to many ingredients. The best proof that DMK is betting on new products, exciting dare to make a move in these swiftly this mission succeeded came in the changing times. These days, custom- form of a brand new group of buyers: interest among consumers and winning ers make their purchasing decisions almost two-thirds of new consumers them over ever more quickly, a fact obvious buying Kalder Kaffee although they from the iced coffee category, which hadn’t bought any other iced coffee is growing faster than the market, product in 2019. They were driven though with only 12 items in the range not just by the desire for a coffee but is hardly overrepresented. Many mainly because they know and trust other products DMK has developed the MILRAM brand. Eight out of ten and launched as part of Strategy 2030 consumers in Germany know MIL- prove that too, including new kinds of RAM, a fact that led many to reach for spring quark, Ahoj-brause sherbet ice the drink even if only to try it. That cream, new kinds of Baileys ice cream, made one thing clear: consumers trust and MILRAM buttermilk ice cream the brand, want to learn more and are cones. And that’s alongside all manner eager to try out something new.

26 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 27 COMPANY COMPANY Simply unforgettable

People’s curiosity extends to all of MILRAM’s products – including ice cream: Sales of 850-ml tubs of buttermilk ice cream jumped by 200 % in 2019. And sales of SKYR ice cream on a stick rose by 23 % despite major competition from private label goods. The fact that we are heading into spring equipped with strawberry and lemon flavor varieties “How could of buttermilk ice cream, now also in cones, is thanks to you say no?“ market research. Polls found that this met the sweet spot Jenny for customers who want variety and also to eat healthily, Hensel, 32, and who pick products that are high in protein but low in production fat and sugar. Synergies with the traditional Bahlsen cookie employee in Altentreptow, brand also bore fruit with Bahlsen ice cream available in with Mathilda, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavors, also a winning her 4-year-old combination, whose success was obvious just weeks after daughter (below) its launch. Social media campaigns highlighted the fact that people have faith in brand names in a rapidly changing world. Biscuit maker Bahlsen reaches 788,000 Instagram users through the hashtag #simplyunforgettable. Fans share fond childhood memories and trade recipes for waffles and Bahlsen ice cream, and recall their grandmothers who always had cookies on hand. “Mathilda The next generation does not actually like DMK believes that young people will be loyal to tradition- woodruff “Mmmmm, delicious! The foam al brands and has opted to create a special combination, flavor but on the cappuccino is made from a “Kalder Kaffee is already a great way to with Ahoj-Brause ice cream on sale since March. The com- when she dairy-free milk that’s used in vegan wake up and – Kalder Kaffee “unbeliev- bination of woodruff and raspberry ice cream, topped with tried a drinks to make a thick, creamy ably strong” is ideal for when you are lemon sauce and dotted through with Ahoj-Brause pearls of spoonful of foam, say for hot chocolate, Vien- on an early production shift. Usually I sherbet is sweet, sour, sparkling and fun. It is anything but Ahoj-Brause nese mélange or cappuccino.” don’t drink coffee in the mornings but boring, a fact confirmed by ten social media influencers. ice cream, “Kalder” really goes down a treat.“ They tasted the ice cream and shared fun stories of daily she said, Elisabeth Robers, 59, life and the thrills and spills of youth under the hashtag ’Oooooooh!’ secretariat, Björn Schmidt, 19, DP Supply in Beesten a first-year dairy #icecreamthrills. A collaboration between Katjes.Fassin She thought technology trainee is planned, to further excite DMK’s young target group. the hidden in Altentreptow Baileys ice cream, which won retail awards, seems almost sherbet balls like a famous opera diva in comparison. That success and were exciting confirmation provided by retailers gave DMK’s ice cream and liked the developers a real boost. In 2020, packaging designers will sweet-sour provide a splash of color that will mean shoppers will be taste.“ unable to ignore two new products in the ice cream section: Baileys Mini Selection – mini ice creams in different flavors on sticks - and Baileys Strawberries&Cream in 500 ml tubs. DMK managed to win Janina Uhse, a TV influencer famed as an actress in the German soap opera “GZSZ” to help communicate about the brand and provide additional reach.

MILRAM lemon Kalder Kaffee “unbelievably Ahoj-Brause ice cream – and strawberry strong” with 50 mg of caffeine Baileys Strawberries & Cream buttermilk ice cream ice cream with strawberry woodruff-raspberry per 100 ml, and Kalder Kaffee with lemon sauce cones, available in “with oats:” Both with no added sauce and white chocolate packs of six chips, Baileys Mini Selection and Ahoj-brause sugar or artificial flavorings sherbet balls

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“I like this cheese! It’s nice and mild and The bigger, the better has a soft consistency. I know Our milk is found in a whole range of foods and it is homemade herb- almost impossible to imagine supermarkets and discounters al goat’s cheese without it. Brands like Osterland emphasize this fact as big- from my home ger packages of the classic and widely loved red fruit pud- in Somalia. This ding and vanilla-flavored dessert sauce hit the shelves. tastes quite dif- That’s because among the many trends, including ferent. Not bad for products that can be consumed quickly, there is at all!“ also a desire for larger family-sized packs. Big packs make up two-thirds of sales of red fruit pudding. Ahmed Abdi Isse, 23, “Usually I eat MILRAM quark dairy technologist in Osterland’s compote-like dessert is the best-selling red when I’m having a barbecue – his first year of fruit pudding in the German retail sector, and a close I add lemon and herbs. But it training, Waren second in the national dessert market. And that’s despite tastes really good just as it is the fact that this classic is only available in the eastern part on a piece of crusty bread!“ of Germany. People buy an average of three dessert packs per purchase, which is a good reason to provide a bigger Brian Tiedt, 16, dairy technologist in his first year of training, Altentreptow package for those who want it. The milk of our farmers

Looking good Our farmers’ milk is a boundless and precious commodity that inspires DMK’s developers, designers How a product looks matters more than ever before, so and strategists to ever new ideas and creations. “I love red fruit pudding when market leader MILRAM has opted to refresh the design of Without milk, people’s fridges would feel much it tastes like my grandma used its spring and spicy range of quark products. New, striking emptier and would contain far fewer fun and to make it. Osterland’s prod- color combinations help shoppers differentiate between the delicious goods than they do these days. DMK is uct comes pretty close! The different varieties at a glance, and encourage them to reach aware of the challenges of these times, with the fruity taste of the berries fits for the products. Now, there’s also a more appealing picture focus ever more on customers’ desires for a variety really well with the creamy of the quark on the packaging. Factors that help customers of healthy, sustainable and convenient products. vanilla sauce – I’m sure that’s decide on a particular variety, such as high protein con- This is the only way the cooperative can keep up what Grandma Hannelore tent – in Spring Quark ACTIVE - or low fat content - in Spring with global competition and show its colors. Its would say too.“ Quark light – are now highlighted visually to help shoppers new strategy means it is well on the way to Mathilda Rautenberg, 19, dairy laboratory find what they are looking for. Shoppers liked being able to achieving this goal. assistant, third year of training, Waren see the different varieties at a glance, market research has found. Customers said they found the design more striking and appetizing, increasing their willingness to buy the products to 87 %, according to research.

MILRAM Spring MILRAM cottage cheese, MILRAM Skyr cheese is Osterland red fruit quark – all varieties skyr and quark all contain 30 % protein per 100 grams, pudding with raspberry with a fresh new lots of protein and will making it the champion flavoring in a 1-kilo pack- design starting in May help people who want among protein-rich age, and vanilla dessert a healthy diet skyr products sauce in a 500-ml package

30 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 31 COMPANY COMPANY Trainees

DMK has altered its approach to recruiting the next are not there Dairy industry laboratory assistant m / f / x generation – what are the biggest changes? Duration of training the apprenticeship: 3 years Now, we have raised our profile at schools and career fairs. to make coffee In the We want to reach new employees right at the outset, and Requirements: show them the kind of possibilities offered by a dairy cooper- • Very good graduating grade from secondary school dairy cockpit ative like DMK, and the range of development opportunities Newcomers to the company want to • Good grades in the natural sciences they would have here. get involved, share their ideas and feel • Good team player I have been working at the company for 19 years, and as a dairy technologist for more than 10 years, How do you do that? like they belong. Yvonne Höft and her Description and I still find this job as exciting as ever. It’s really It’s important for trainees to be able to find us on websites recruiters support these goals Dairy industry laboratory assistants carry out chemistry, fun to follow the whey from delivery to finished prod- such as Azubi.de, Unicum, Ausbildung.de but that alone is physics and microbiology tests on dairy products at each uct. Every single day is different! Even when I was a not enough. Our company has to raise its profile so people gave people a real feeling of what it is like to be a dairy labora- stage in the production process. They take samples, ana- trainee, I was interested in the production and filling can learn about it, understand it and get a sense of what it tory assistant. We staged experiments and tested milk prod- lyze them and document the results. Dairy industry labo- processes: We made and packaged UHT milk, fresh is like. We offer schools and students the chance to visit our ucts. Visitors were also able to see what can be made with milk ratory assistants also check the quality of all the materials milk, butter, and products in pots. Later, I worked plants and show what a dairy technologist does. Very few through chemical, physical and microbiological processes. used in the production process. at the Altentreptow site, in the drying facility and know that these employees operate gigantic machines that afterwards, when wheyco was set up, I was a team process raw milk into become milk that’s ready to drink, but- Are applicants changing? leader, steering and monitoring the whole produc- ter, yoghurt, quark, cheese and other things. Yes, they are more self-possessed, more critical and their tion process. The complex production processes in- expectations are higher. Sometimes it feels as though it is us Dairy technologist m / f / x volved in making whey derivatives were and still are How do visitors react? who are being interviewed for a job. They want to know how Duration of the apprenticeship: 3 years a real challenge for me. You sit in the dairy’s cockpit. They are often amazed and impressed at everything a we treat employees, how they can continue to develop, how Especially as conditions change daily, you need a high-tech dairy can do in these digital times. They also get sustainable our work is and how open we are to new ideas... Requirements: lot of skill and knowledge to make sure that all the a chance to experience milk closeup close. At the dessert • Very good graduating grade from secondary school products are of a consistently high quality. You stand, they can taste how we mix quark with totally differ- They really want to get involved. • Good grades in the natural sciences need to be pretty good at organizing, too, given ent ingredients to create new pro- How do you handle that? • Good team player today’s todays automated and controlled pro- Yvonne Höft, ducts. The main thing is that they gain We are delighted! Trainees are not supposed to make coffee. duction processes. Head of Recruitment, a sense that milk is not anonymous – That wish really underlines DMK’s guiding principle, that Description Employer Branding they can talk to other trainees and our everyone can get involved. In Bremen, we have set up a think Dairy technologists process milk for further production. plant manager during the tour. They can ask questions and tank for trainees with other companies. One of the things they During the process, they use recipes and standards spe- that makes them feel safe, and they can see whether DMK as look into is how to persuade young people to take up appren- cific to each product, operate process control technology MARCUS GRABBERT, 34 a company is right for them. That is better than any online ticeships. And during our start-up days, which take place in and monitor the processes. They prepare production advert. the first month of their training, all of our trainees meet up plants, machines and equipment, operate them, clean on his time as a dairy at a camp and get to know each other. We tell them about them and reconfigure them. They also intervene in the technologist at the site How do you present the company at trade fairs? the company’s history, DMK’s strategy and vision. And then event of a malfunction. Additionally, they check packag- in Altentreptow At the Ideenexpo in Hanover, Germany’s biggest youth- the trainees get together in workshops and develop ideas to ing materials and operate filling and packaging systems. event for science and technology, for example, we improve the world of work, among other things.

Facing the future together – Each year, all the trainees meet up at a start-up event at the outsetbeginning of their apprenticeshiptraining

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Dr. Claassen, nobody could have hausen, where we invested around But that’s all, hopefully? here the fastest, and win time for predicted this crisis we are in due € 145 million in a new plant that has We still have a lot of work ahead of us. longer term optimization. We are look- to the coronavirus outbreak. been making baby milk powder for the We have to keep working on being able ing closely at purchasing throughout Dr. Frank How difficult will this be for DMK? Humana brand for the past few years. to manage our processes more pre- the company in our Pacesetter pro- Claassen As things stand today, we should come The spray tower in Beesten also started cisely. We also have to make sure that gram. We are redesigning numerous through the crisis in good shape. That’s operating at the beginning of the year. we are producing sufficient amounts supply relationships and service con- has been very optimistic because nobody knows of our most profitable products. We’re tracts, and we are bundling purchas- CFO of the what will happen next – but we are pre- What impact did lower milk carrying out extensive restructuring as ing volumes. That will help us obtain DMK Group pared for two possible scenarios. One volumes have? well. Unfortunately, the market didn’t better conditions when we negotiate since 2019 is that the situation will calm down We lost around 1 billion kilos of milk at help us much in 2019. But strategically, prices. and slowly return to normal. The sec- the start of 2019. It was an enormous we are aiming to become more inde- ond is that the crisis will continue, or challenge for us and impacted almost pendent of short-term market fluctu- Are you DMK’s top penny pincher? get worse. That could require tougher every part of the company. We man- ations, by focusing more on products Saving is not an end in itself – that measures, and that’s something we aged to adapt by closing plants and with higher margins rather than stand- wouldn’t be very imaginative. My main should all be aware of. But we are introducing wage models. Both of these ard products. task is to support Vision 2030, and very well prepared for both of these measures cost money but they also help we cannot reach that through sav- possibilities. us to stay competitive. As CFO, your job is to ensure the ings alone – our business model is very company spends as little money challenging. For our standard goods, When you took up your post, Were there other problem areas as possible – is that also the plan we have to make sure we’re producing you promised to make a big differ- and how are you dealing with for 2020? large quantities at a low cost. At the ence in 2020. Have you started them? I would say my job is to make sure that same time, we need to produce and sell that already? We also pushed ahead consolidat- we only spend money when it makes specialty products which have higher I would say that we already made a lot ing the ice cream business – what was sense to do so. We are basically still margins. That’s why I focus on how of progress in 2019. Last year, though, important here was concentrating on keeping the brakes on, especially in easily we can steer the company, mean- we were still very busy making DMK fit two locations, Everswinkel and Pren- terms of personnel. We’re still going to ing internally, we have to improve the for the future. We had to push forward zlau. We will sell the plant in Wald- make as few new hires as possible, and way we organize our processes, skills with many measures for greater trans- feucht-Haaren. And we are increas- keep using natural fluctuation. We’ve and abilities. One thing that will help parency in order to be able to manage ing Everswinkel’s production capacity managed to fill 70 % of vacant positions us with that is the financial transfor- the company better. We also invested a from the current level of 65 million lit- with current staff or not fill them at all. mation we started, the One Finance lot. That kept us pretty busy. ers of ice cream, to 100 million liters. program. How do things look for the milk prices? We make the same amount of ice cream That alone can’t be enough, can it? In 2017, we paid above the average, and at just two locations – that’s an invest- Right. Purchasing is another area we What are your personal almost the average in 2018. In 2019 we ment that will pay off quickly. are focusing on, and we can cut costs goals for 2020? were below the average, for reasons we I want to help DMK come through the are all aware of. In the year to come, coronavirus crisis in good shape. Even we want to close this gap and reach the PACESETTER: IMPROVING PURCHASING if the real effects of the virus pass, we We are average. will still have to deal with the economic The “Pacesetter” project has been So far, there are plans to jointly procure consequences. That’s something we are Farmers will be glad to hear that. running at full speed throughout the goods in the areas of merchandise and all working hard on – and we have to Looking back once more, how do DMK Group since January. It aims to Baby. Despite all the cost pressure, DMK accept that there will be consequences very well the figures look for 2019? save a sum in the double-digit millions still wants to act as a partner: In return for us, too. However, after the crisis, According to preliminary calculations, in purchasing. In order to do so, DMK is for lower prices, suppliers will get larger we will make a full recovery and con- the DMK Group’s turnover reached relying on the knowledge and networks purchase volumes, enabling them to plan tinue pursuing our change projects. € 5.8 billion. That’s up from € 5.6 bil- of everybody involved, as all the meas- better. The coronavirus crisis will mean And one of my personal prepared lion in 2018. Our equity ratio is stable ures are being coordinated with buyers delays for some of the individual meas- goals is that I will be at around 30 %. At group level, our net at the subsidiaries. So far, the team has ures at Pacesetter. But CFO Dr. Claas- moving to Bremen with profit reached € 24.5 million. That’s a defined 64 measures and has designed sen is confident that the overall my family this year, to solid result for a year of restructuring. fact sheets that are filled out jointly. The targets will be achieved, even focus our lives here. CFO Dr. Frank Claassen wants to make the DMK strategy is to negotiate better prices by if slightly later than at the Group less exposed to market fluctuations – and How come the investments were bundling products and buying larger start of the year, as was so high – wouldn’t the money have quantities of items that so far were being initially planned. bring it safely through the coronavirus crisis been better spent on other things? ordered individually. It will work if every- The investments were absolutely nec- one combines their purchasing volumes essary. Take the new plant in Strück- and we put these out to tender again.

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the start,” says NORLAC manager Hen- drik Hombergs. “We really met a need, helping not only in terms of animal Insa Cordes Marketing Specialist welfare but also reducing how much NORLAC GmbH, Zeven medicine they needed,” says marketing Produkt: specialist Insa Cordes. Das neue ASS Trigosal wirkt schleimlösend und hilft Kälbern, A textbook case of team work erkältungsfrei durch NORMI has a local advantage as the die Wintermonate milk powder is produced in Zeven, zu kommen. right next to the dairy, meaning direct access to food-quality raw materials and cutting out the need for extra transport. But it is not only calves, lambs and piglets who benefit from the variety and quality of products offered by the Industry Business Unit, but people, too. Much of the sweet goods and confectionery available in retail stores contain dairy products like cream, but- Bernd Herkenhoff (l.), Project Manager ter or sweetened condensed milk made Operations, André Hausendorf (m) Team Coordinator Production, Andrea Lüschen (r) by DMK Ingredients, another part of Specialist Production Planning, all work at the business unit. DMK’s products and the Holdorf production site expertise also help create new prod- Product: ucts beyond chocolate and ice cream. Our cream has an unbeatable In November 2018, for example, Nestle whipping volume, tastes fresh, is stable when frozen or defrosted and Wagner needed a new kind of sour is packaged perfectly for our customers. cream for “piccolinis” with a special mix of spices and also particular prop- “We obviously met a erties. DMK Ingredients’ research and need, helping not only development team worked with colleagues from marketing and sales, and in terms of animal wel- production, on creating the sour cream fare but also by reduc- that was needed. Shortly afterward, they had come up with a solution ready ing how much medicine for the market, in a prime example of they needed.” the kind of teamwork and commitment Insa Cordes, NORMI Marketing that is to be found throughout the DMK ’We’ as Group, day in, day out.

Sustainability instead of palm oil the binding ingredient That is also evident in the DP Sup- ply part of the business. The growing popularity of vegan diets is one of the The Industry Business Unit shows how multifaceted the world of milk is. Thanks to challenges for product development as they try to create foods without using DMK’s teamwork, employees keep on overcoming new challenges animal products. DP Supply also provides these custom- ot all milk is the same and new products. What is important is subdivisions, launched the new NORMI ers with products that are dairy and monitors how the product is processed DP Supply demonstrates to customers that can be seen at the that we are familiar with the prod- ASS Trigosal onto the market, demand allergen-free. One example of this is the further, and ensure the high- that there are sustainable alternatives to Industry Business Unit, one ucts of our industry customers, their soared. NORMI had already established processing of shea oil, which can est quality standards are palm oil. of the six divisions at the processes and their applications. What a reputation for providing milk alterna- be used instead of palm oil as met. The oil is used Insa Cordes Marketing Specialist NOR- NDMK Group. All products pass through makes all the difference here is the tives for calves. The new NORMI calves it is more sustainable. Shea to make products LAC the unit, from whey-based products human connection, our employees, milk ASS Trigosal 25 kg was unique on is won from nuts of the shea such as powdered Zeven Product: The new ASS Trigosal is to powder for baby food and on to who are the binding ingredient the German market, however. It has an tree, which grows exclusive- fat, (whole) milk expectorant and helps calves to make additives for animal food, to milk and and who make all the difference,” expectorant factor that enables calves ly in West Africa. DP Supply powder and milk foam it through the winter months without cheese that is ready to eat. “Our area says Alexander Godow, who has been to make it through the winter months is a member of the Global substitute. That’s how catching colds. serves business to business customers, leading the Industry unit since 2017. without catching colds. “Demand for Shea Alliance which not only so processing industries – wherever This is also reflected in the products. NORMI ASS Trigosal was so great that ensures that local workers The brown shea nut grows on shea trees in the West African savan- our customers refine dairy goods into When NORLAC, one of the unit’s four we could barely produce enough of it at are paid fair wages but also nah and is about 4 centimeters long. The seed kernel contains up to 50 % of the rich vegetable fat.

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Home, joy, taste: MILRAM cheese has become a trusted brand Short routes, high value product The start of the year saw As the fourth part of the business, the completion of the wheyco completes the Industry transfer of Dutch whey Business Unit. Every day, two protein producer DV Nutri- plants churn out high-value prod- tion (DVN) to the DMK ucts for food, sports nutrition, baby Group. Within the busi- food and for animal feed, from up ness unit it is now man- to eight million liters of whey. That aged by wheyco. “Global makes wheyco one of the largest demand for high-quality whey refiners in the world. Wheyco whey derivatives continues also profits from its location. “Both to grow,” says Alexan- our plant in Altentreptow and the der Bayer, also a wheyco plant in Hoogeveen are right next managing director. “With to the cheese factory and that’s the acquisition of DVN, we where they draw most of their Nele Nädler have doubled our product Junior Key Account whey from – they’re connected to it Manager Sales, Hamburg volumes to become one by pipelines,” says Martin Hum- Product: of the largest suppliers of feldt, one of wheyco’s managing Permeat is used to improve whey derivatives in the directors. “That means we can pro- the coloring and shelf life of world.” muffins or cupcakes. It is also cess the whey when it is extremely often used in confectionery. fresh, so that the quality of our products is particularly high.” Advertise with love

#thebindingingredient In its marketing, DMK is focusing on strong The Industry Business Unit advertises its work emotions – that’s how people come to identify as “the binding ingredient.” The individual Together, wheyco, Norlac, parts of its business have grown DMK Ingredients and DP with a product even closer together. Supply make up part of the Industry Business Unit. Love and a sense of home and belonging likely to identify with them, are a smart and They offer a wide range are at the heart of the television commer- credible way to reach consumers as a brand of goods and face a broad cials for MILRAM cheese. Why is that? and enter their everyday lives. While the range of challenges – ex- The reason is that successful brands inspire reach of this approach – focusing on indi- actly like the DMK Group their fans, particularly on an emotional level. viduals – might be limited, the effect is more as a whole. Aside from Our consumers from all over Germany have powerful than using classic mass media. the fact that milk is their told us that MILRAM’s connection to north- How important is social media to DMK? business, what binds them ern Germany and the local way of life there Social media is an integral part of our com- together is the passion of is relevant, and make the brand more ap- munications strategy, and not only to reach employees. pealing. In MILRAM’s latest television com- young people. Through social media, we can mercial, we show friends relaxing together reach very specific target groups according in a place that is clearly northern Germany, to their demographic data, interests and a situation the target group is highly likely behavior. That way, we can make our adver- to identify with. tising more successful. Jörg Beckmann (l) Why is it so important to give a brand Supply Chain Planner Fresh products / Butter, Bremen an identity? Bernd Rauschenberger (r) Because if a brand has an identity, attitude Team Coordinator Supply Chain and position, that allows the target group Management Cheese, Bremen to consciously decide to identify with it, Product: or against it. How else are consumers to Our numerous fresh products decide, in a saturated market with plenty range from quark to yoghurt and of products in the same price level, if not by cream. We supply these to our customers who provide baked identifying with a product? goods and these are exactly the Marketing goes beyond television ingredients they need for their advertising. Why does DMK also work cakes and pastries with influencers? Influencers who fit well with MILRAM, and Nicole Peiler, Head of who are chosen because the target group is Marketing Brand Retail

38 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 39 BRAND WORLD NEWS FROM THE REGIONS

DMK Baby Happy Birthday! Sales has been completely Altentreptow moves with the times reorganized In early March, 25 years ago, the first trial run was made at the Altentreptow site to process milk and the site started full The integration of Alete production later that year. and German Baby Food 1992 The Westmilch Milchunion Meck- is complete lenburg-Vorpommern laid the foundation for a production site in Altentreptow, Last spring, the DMK family MILRAM Food Service where cheese and whey/milk powder MILRAM- welcomed Alete and Ger- chefs present the were to be produced. After a delay in man Baby Food and has Building a trend trend-scouting app construction of more than a year, as The plant in 1996: 200 people used to work here been integrating them step archeologists needed to access the site, by step ever since. This year, community for the work began in 1994 on the new plant two new DMK Baby sales “Am Heidbergtrift“. companies were established on January 1. Now, professional gastronomy scene Early in March 1995, the first milk was the German brand business dried and in mid-September, the first (Alete, Humana) has been cheese rolled off the production line bundled into Humana sales Much praise for DMK innovations at industry trade fair and started the ripening process. At the and is managed directly time, the dairy was processing some from Bremen. The own DMK is on top of the latest trends, a fact Trend-scouting App was first presented at 20 % of the milk produced in the state of brand business in Germany that was again obvious at the INTERGAS- the MILRAM chefs’ meeting, and also at the Mecklenburg Western Pomerania. It also (German Baby Food, Sunval) TRA trade fair, as chefs heaped praise on Internorga 2019. The cooks have been part included a Camembert cheese dairy in will be managed from the two new products, MILRAM Porridge and of our community right from the outset Bergen/Rügen and a processed cheese Now, Altentreptow processes 350 million kilos of milk new administrative office Milkshake. Our brand new DMK trend- and can use the app to check out the latest and cheese slicing and packaging plant in Mannheim with its own scouting app, unique in the food service trends. The network has been expanded to in Altentreptow city center. All together, In 2004, a whole new cheese production the DMK Group and is run by the Industry management, sales and lo- sector, has made waves throughout the include trend scouts and gastronomy ex- these operations processed 286 million plant was added to the Altentreptow site Business Unit. The cheese slicing opera- gistics at Sunval Baby Food. industry. The subject of much interest, it perts such as celebrity chef Heiko Antonie- kilos of raw milk. to increase the capacity to produce sliced tion is part of the Private Label Business Integrating the two new was developed for the sector together with wicz. A team evaluated the pilot group’s cheese beyond 45,000 tons. Unit. Some 100 employees in the sliced sales companies mainly Kristin Mitlewski, the Group strategy team initial trend scouting results and further In 1996 EuroCheese Vertriebs was cheese area alone process 350 million involved IT infrastructure, contact for trend management. The DMK developed the app, so it can now be used by founded in Altentreptow and the com- In 2005, wheyco arrived and extended, kilos of raw milk plus milk concentrates sales (order management Trend-scouting App is an exciting addition experts to network and identify the latest pany developed the cheese slicing plant took over and modernized the drying to make around 40,000 tons of sliced & invoicing), supply chain to DMK’s Trend Radar, which brings together market trends and developments. And if to become a leading food retail supplier: plant at Heidbergtrift to additionally Gouda and Edam as well as a Sylt cheese and logistics, procurement, trends observed around the globe - and you are also interested in new products and In 2001, a new cheese slicing plant with produce special whey products. by MILRAM. Now, a total of 380 people quality management, now, increasingly, from the restaurant scene innovation in the food industry, and have a 45,000 tons’ capacity began operations work at all three of the production plants product development and too. The aim is to work together with the good nose for trends, then join the com- at the Heidbergtrift site. Now, the Altentreptow dairy belongs to at DMK’s Altentreptow site. personnel. Right now, community to identify trends early on, and munity! processes are being opti- evaluate them to spot opportunities for mized so the brands can be innovation. Sven Kreitz, Head of Marketing The app is free and can be downloaded from repositioned and further Food Service, and his team are busy building the Play or App store. Edewecht developed. a broad network. In a pilot phase, the DMK Search term: DMK Group: Trendscouting It is bright silver, emblazoned with Silver DMK diplomat publicizes blue letters and its logo brings our Target Image 2030 Target Image 2030 to everyone “That’s how it works! throughout the country. This milk tanker and its trailer have been on MILRAM’s tips for the environment” the road since March, sharing our message wherever they go: Together, Helping the environment does not have to be difficult: we are strong. This shiny diplomat is MILRAM shows consumers the way forward by provi- housed at the site in Edewecht and ding tips on how to recycle its packaging. The label can can be seen throughout the surround- easily be removed from the pot and discarded with the ing area, from Norddeich to Nordhorn paper recycling. The lid, top and pot can be separated via Bassum and Cuxhaven. It will and recycled with other plastics. also serve the Zeven, Strückhausen, Neubörger, Holdorf, GMH and DOC facilities.

40 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 41 BRAND WORLD

Bremen’s Milky Way - 3.7 % – or a version with 1.5 % fat. The two options are easy to identify from Bremen’s A tradition mayor their different colored packaging. The Andreas full fat content milk is sold in a dark blue Bovenschulte comes home at last packet while the lower fat milk is dis- talking with tinguished by its lighter blue packaging. moderator Additionally, shoppers can clearly see a Dirk Böhling Bremerland is back in the bag, description of the contents on the front. A further feature is the innovative bag to celebrate the DMK site’s jubilee packaging, of which 40 % is calcium car- bonate and the rest is recyclable plastic. The bag itself is very light, weighing only What is Bremen all about? Ask a local comes from their region,“ says Professor 14.3 grams, and is more economical in and they will come up with a whole list: Dr. Christoph Burmann, an economist at that it uses less water and energy com- The town musicians in the famous fairy the University of Bremen. He assessed pared to other disposable packaging. tale, Werder, Roland and Beck’s beer. Not the potential for the brand’s return It significantly reduces waste volumes, to forget milk, of course! The city is also together with Professor Dr. Tilo Halas- too, as the small bag can be folded up to famed for its Bremerland milk, residents zovich from Jacobs University in Bremen. take up even less space. The innovative Nicole Peiler, “Fresh milk from Bremen” is first poured say, and that’s 14 years after it disap- “The Bremerland brand is still one of the design also means less milk remains in Dirk Böhling and into its environmentally-friendly pack- peared from supermarket shelves. That is most popular brands in the Bremen city the empty container compared to classic Sascha Taube aging and then poured out again. The one of the main rea- area among citizens cardboard packaging. The packaging difference between the two varieties is sons why now, Bre- who are over 40, even was developed by Ecolean of Sweden. clear thanks to the color and the infor- merland has come “We have 14 years after the last Ingo Müller says, “We unite 6,000 farm- mation provided about the fat content. back home. The DMK given the product was sold. It is ers at the DMK Group. Our DMK farmers Group is celebrating one that citizens look in Bremen are really backing this local 20 years at its site in people of back on fondly,“ he said. project, and that sends a positive mes- Bremen and to mark For DMK Group CEO sage about their profession, as they the occasion, it has Bremen their Ingo Müller, one thing revive the Bremerland brand. As society brought the famous own milk is crystal clear: “When becomes increasingly alienated from milk brand back onto shopping, many cus- agricultural projects, this is a very im- the market. Retailers back!“ tomers now consider portant move. Consumers want to know have been selling says Sascha Taube, again whether goods where products are from and how they the only milk made Bremerland project come from their re- are produced. As Germany’s largest exclusively by local gion.“ Their decision dairy cooperative, this is an impor- manager Bremen farmers is not only made tant task for us.“ again since April. in their Bremen’s mayor Dr. Andreas Boven- At Bremen’s schulte is thrilled. “I am delighted that milk bar part of Bremen’s tradition has returned. Especially given that this is not just a logo but a genuine regional project.“ This is also thanks to the efforts of a small group of DMK farmers from hearts Bremen who joined forces two years though, ago to promote the return of Bremen’s but also very own milk by addressing the Bremen when they reach the super- Chamber of Agriculture and the Senate. market. Consumers want to They founded a project group together be able to tell at a glance what with the DMK Group and looked into a package contains. “That’s whether the regional brand would be vi- why we deliberately opted for able. “Bremen’s citizens are enormously a new packaging design. We attached to their local brands. That wanted it to appeal not only to doesn’t just apply to beer. Products from those who are already familiar the region are people’s first choice, they with the product from their child- have an extraordinarily strong bond with hood days, but also to young people the city and everything that’s associ- in Bremen,“ says Sascha Taube, who Juliette Lakic, bartender at Bremen’s cult pub Spitzen ated with it. More than 85 % of those leads the project. Shoppers can buy Gebel, with her sister (left) and Sven Michel, Group Ingo Müller in discussion with polled from Bremen say when they buy Bremerland, the fresh milk from Account Manager Brand Retail moderator Dirk Böhling fresh milk, they look at whether or not it Bremen, either with full fat content

42 MILCHWELT April 2020 COMPANY COLUMN

“We want to grow together” Michael Feller, COO International Business Unit: “Uniekaas and DOC make first class products and I really appreciate how openly we are working together with our To integrate Dutch activities into DMK’s structures, unified processes are needed. Dutch colleagues. I will certainly be reach- Carsten Klapproth, Head of Global Business Services DMK, is part of an international ing for that great Dutch cheese, not only to enjoy it at home but also as a global The team ensuring collaboration works out export.“

How does DMK manage teamwork with the Netherlands? Who is in charge of the project? We set up a project called MAXIMA. It pulls together the The group management commissioned a project team diversity integration of all of our activities in the Netherlands under from the Netherlands and Germany, which was tasked with Thorsten Rodehüser, COO one DMK roof. The aim is to work out how to optimize coop- developing solutions and processes here. The top priority is Private Label Business Unit: eration between DOC, DDP, Uniekaas, DVN, DP Supply and teamwork. “The Dutch private label business works a little differently than the one dividend DMK. What’s important for us is the “one way of working“ in Germany, and has its own appeal. principle – whether it’s in Hohenwestedt, Holdorf or Hoo- Why does this project exist? This is an area where we can learn geveen. We want to introduce international process flows The DMK Group as a whole has yet to tap the full potential from each other and ensure that DMK and an international way of working – and to continually that we and our farmers expect from us. We could still do Group customers get the very best. We Marco Bode learn from each other. If a Dutch solution is better than a better at improving and streamlining processes across bor- have a lot to offer!“ head of the SV Werder Bremen German one, we will integrate that into our processes and ders, and we could cooperate better in administration. Supervisory Board and European vice versa. What counts is getting the best result for the DMK What does the project team want to achieve this year? football champion Group. We want to make sure Uniekaas and DVN have SAP, clearly structure the organization, define a roadmap and coordinate Matthias Rensch, COO Brand Business Unit: And how is the integration going, specifically? our core processes. “Uniekaas is a traditio- We have clearly defined areas of action and regional nal Dutch brand and Diversity can help a team to achieve its allocations for our business units within Vision 2030. The How will things look in 2021? its naturally matured best possible performance – in football as prerequisite for that to run smoothly is that we have uniform By then we hope to have implemented all the issues that cheese is a real asset. systems. So we are rolling out SAP for our Dutch locations as we are addressing in 2020 – processes, IT and organisation, I am looking forward well as at work well, for example. and to be seeing a noticeable improvement in how we work to our future exchanges together. and to working together closely with our Dutch n my last column, I talked of thinking and nationalities, it can colleagues.” about Otto Rehagel and Florian really benefit and perform far better Ron Krekels, Managing Director, Uniekaas: Kohfeldt to make a point about than a homogenous team which “I’ve been working closely management today and in the hasn’t faced any of these challeng- with DMK for several years Ipast. I noted that while of course es. Creativity and performance can now and I think we can things have changed and developed benefit from diversity and friction, still learn a lot from each Marcel Bruins, over time, there are a few principles if this diversity is shaped by shared other and improve togeth- Director Administration DOC Kaas: that still apply. One of these is to focus values, goals and rules. The world is er. I hope that MAXIMA “I took on responsibility for the on the people! colourful and so are the best teams, provides a foundation for DOC’s Finance & Administration in If you look at teams themselves, in football and beyond! this. We can only continue October. I started working closely nowadays they are also made up If we look at today’s companies, to succeed in the future if with my German colleagues im- we all feel as though we mediately. I am sure that MAXIMA differently. Back in the nineties, our we can also find many analogies with team was sill pretty homogenous in football. Many companies are also are part of the DMK Group Where will I find will continue to improve this close and keep developing which parts of the collaboration on both sides.“ terms of nationality and language. diverse and here, too, it doesn’t auto- together.“ Dutch business in Wynton Rufer and Rune Bratseth matically mean everything is better the future? Our were the only players from abroad just because it is mixed! Nowadays, “target image”: and everyone spoke German together. diversity is more and more seen as an Alexander Godow, COO Now, that has changed. We currently opportunity, although it is also still Industry Business Unit DMK: have 13 different nationalities on the often viewed as a problem. “The Zuivelpark Hoogeveen is an team and Florian Kohfeldt speaks a lot If everyone keeps the same strategy important pillar for the future of our Industry Business Unit and of English with the team, though we in mind, and everyone pursues the therefore for the DMK Group as still make sure that all players learn same tactics – even if they sometimes a whole, of course. The prospect German! disagree on these – then a diverse of combining the DOC, one of The team’s new diversity does not team can succeed. Sometimes, in Europe’s most modern cheese always make it easier to manage – football, it matters less what tactic BU Industry BU International BU Private Label BU Brand CoE / Services dairies, with the DVN, one of Eu- claiming otherwise denies the reality you play than everyone sticking to the Dairy: Käserei Hoogeveen International Sales of Brand Marketing, HR, Finance, QM, … rope’s best whey processing sites, on the ground. Nevertheless, I believe same tactics, no matter what they are! Non-Dairy: DP Supply Non-European Private Label Sales, Ripening offer us great perspectives in the Whey: Wheyco sales Products and Cold Cuts that if a team manages to integrate Then it can truly mean that differ- & DVN in Europe Kaatsheuvel framework of Vision 2030.” many different kinds of people, ways ences are a real gain!

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These days, climate protection and Often, it makes economic sense Farmers should also not be punished biodiversity are an integral part of to not cultivate smaller or residual in effect for actively contributing to cli- modern agriculture. Germany wants areas, as the cost of cultivation is mate protection, for example when fal- Climate to reduce its carbon emissions by greater than the cost of the land, he low land is excluded from areas that are at least 55 % by 2030 and the gov- argues. receiving support and is then deducted ernment has introduced a climate from the total area. “It’s hardly surpris- protection protection act in order to achieve “Too many farmers are constantly ing that many farms don’t put extra this significant target. In agriculture, trying to make every single area pro- effort in this area beyond what the law climate protection efforts are focused ductive, and ignore the fact that they requires. But ultimately, that approach on reducing emissions, and also on are legally obliged to take care of the doesn’t benefit anyone,” says Eide Lübs. as an using resources more efficiently to land. And if doing so contributes to produce more sustainably. The law biodiversity, then why not?” “It’s simple. Pressure and coercion is highly controversial however, as only generate protest and resist- opportunity — some say it does not go far enough, Farms should also be rewarded for ance,” Lübs says. “If you provide while others say it is patronizing. their commitment to climate protec- incentives, each person can decide Consumers, meanwhile, no longer tion, he says. “You can’t just keep whether they want them and if they only expect sustainability and climate demanding that we create flower are prepared to make a contribu- rather than protection from organic farms but strips to help insect diversity, for ex- tion. At the end of the day, what’s want conventional farms to play their ample, but then be unwilling to pay important is that people see climate part too. fair prices for food – that’s no good”, protection as an opportunity and not Lübs says. as a constraint.” a constraint This sounds reasonable to Eide Lübs, a DMK farmer from Padingbüt- He also criticizes the ever-growing “Selective projects are not particu- tel in Lower Saxony. Biodiversity has number of obligations for agricul- larly helpful overall. You need to be long been important to him and he ture, saying that it is absolutely prepared to learn from each other says, “agriculture should be much Sometimes it makes economic sense to natural to respond defensively, with and to develop together,” he says. more active in terms of climate pro- not cultivate smaller or residual areas protests. He welcomes the approach at DMK, tection.” On his farm, on the Wurster which plans to integrate biodiversity North Sea coast, he has put his com- avoiding it doesn’t do their profession The trouble is that often, too much and climate protection into its own mitment to biodiversity into practice. any favors either. Rather, farmers bureaucracy prevents farmers from Milkmaster program (p. 53) to create Alongside areas for arable farming, should focus on sustainability, he says, making quick decisions and imple- an incentive for dairies to address he has dedicated two hectares to and take the initiative themselves. menting them in practical steps. the issue. “That shows we want to ac- flower strips, wild fields and orchard Otherwise, he predicts that there will Instead of just stating the size of an tively develop something, and aren’t biodiversity. be more and more regulations and laws area which is to be set aside for cli- only being forced to act by trade and that make life even more difficult. It is mate protection, detailed plans have consumers. A path that ultimately In Eide Lübs’ view, it doesn’t make much better to stop complaining and to be drawn up to describe what part benefits every single member of our sense for farmers to duck the issue, and help shape the future, he says. of a farm will be used. cooperative.”

Farmer Eide Lübs has long been aware of the importance of biodiversity and has dedicated two hectares to flower iodiversity strips, wild fields and orchard biodiversity

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As the dairy sector, we will A strong team, 1# say our piece loud and clear in dialogue with consumers, politicians and the media, to avoid future misunderstandings. We will actively a strategy and shape the debate by providing transparent information. We will also improve people’s knowledge about production methods and that way, will help them to a united voice better understand and accept the dairy industry.

As an industry, we will set The Milk 2030 sector strategy sees the industry positioning itself as a 2# our own standards. We will powerful team pursuing a coherent strategy and making itself heard continue to develop the quality management system and at the same time, we will fight to ensure that requirements that go beyond those standards are griculture and the food industry are under massive pressure – rewarded accordingly. That’s the only and that’s been the case for some time. That pressure is way that farmers can cover the higher not just coming from one source either, but several. In production costs involved. addition to that, the sector faces challenges due to the Acoronavirus. As a company, we reacted early to this issue and took As an industry and as a co- all the measures necessary, showing consumers and politicians that 3# operative, the members will we are a reliable partner and are able to keep supplying high quality continue to determine the structure food in these difficult times. of supply relationships. That means But even before the virus, as an industry, we still faced many chal- considering sensible tools and using lenges. Consumers and retailers are making ever greater demands them to mitigate the economic effects of agricultural products. They want them to be GMO-free, organic, of price fluctuations, for example using low fat, high in protein – and all that in ecological packaging and market information systems, introducing convenient as well. We are glad to fulfill these wishes as a compa- volume planning and price differentia- ny and as farmers – but they do not come without additional effort tion models. Fixed price models could and that should be rewarded. also be an option for dairies. All of us, farmers, DMK as a company, and the dairy industry as a whole, want the same thing: To produce food of the best As the dairy industry, we will quality, and fair prices for these high-quality agricultural products. 4# invest in recruiting and train- That is why we must position ourselves not only as a company but ing skilled workers. These measures also as an industry. We must act as a team and speak with a single, range from initiatives to ensure people united voice, because only then, when we are on the same level are paid fairly, to establishing any fur- as consumers, the food retail trade and decision-makers in Berlin ther training programs needed. Our goal and Brussels, can we address these issues. For too many years, is to make the industry more attractive our voice as an industry has been missing from the debate. Up for farm employees and successors, to until now, DBV, MIV and DRV only represented their own posi- ensure enough skilled labor is available. tion in the dairy industry to society or politicians. Now, though, What have we are combining our powers to increase our clout and in the As an industry, we want to future, our voices will be heard. We are proud of the strategy we actually 5# ensure that Germany’s dairy we presented for the dairy industry at the Green Week trade industry is competitive in an inter- fair in January 2020. Now, we need to gather round swiftly decided? national setting. German dairies and and support the measures we decided on. Our recipe for dairy farmers are competing with their success: One team, one strategy and one strong voice. professional counterparts around the world. That means as an industry, we need to make sure that current subsi- dies, such as for exports, are being used and that the interests of the dairy industry are taken into account when trade agreements are made.

48 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 49 UNTERNEHMENAGRICULTURE UNTERNEHMENAGRICULTURE Agricultural advice, powered

by women Facts & figures: Dairy Farmers Advice and Service • Director: Achim Stein Four DMK experts are on hand to provide advice and • 6 Regional managers assistance to farmers. Here, they share some insights • 11 Technical advisers and highlights about work in the field Tasks: • Contact for agricultural members for all questions concerning milk production, milk quality, milk delivery and other questions about membership. On the ground: Wiebke Lina Schulte (left), Julia Ridder (middle) and Judith Wannagat (right) and Kerstin Grabarse (inset)

n most people’s minds, farming who has time for their questions, as est respect for the way our members is still a man’s profession, even members of the cooperative.“ She finds handle challenges when there’s a though almost every agricultur- it particularly motivating when she is crisis, and are motivated to keep al operation involves women’s able to really help farmers, she says. going,“ says Judith Wannagat. Farm- Iwork too. However, there are plenty As a technical adviser, she supports ers particularly value this personal of women working for DMK’s advice some 520 farms and likes that her day- connection amid the outbreak of the service for dairy farmers! to-day work combines deskwork and coronavirus. DMK provides compre- Meet Julia Ridder (regional man- fieldwork, and that it’s practical. That hensive updates in writing, but in a ager and adviser for North Rhine variety makes it difficult to plan her crisis like this, the personal touch is Westphalia, southern Lower Saxony), working days in advance, as something invaluable. Kerstin Grabarse (regional manag- unexpected always comes up, and she The advisers have differing views er, Thuringia, Saxony Anhalt, Hes- says it is important to be well-organized as to whether it makes a difference if se), Wiebke Lina Schulte and Judith and flexible. the person visiting farms as a con- Wannagat (both technical advisers Kerstin Grabarse says, “for me per- sultant is a man or a woman. Usually for North Rhine Westphalia, southern sonally, it is important that our work it doesn’t matter, but there have Lower Saxony). These four experts are with farmers is based on mutual trust. been occasions when farmers were on hand to answer farmers’ questions, I have a really good relationship with skeptical. Wiebke Lina Schulte says, day in, day out, and have plenty of most of the members I look after and “I think nowadays in agriculture, it is expertise on offer. that helps, particularly during a crisis. normal for a woman to be providing All members of the service – men and It means we can have constructive advice. You can see that in the feed women alike – are the interface between discussions and can clear up any misun- trade too. It should be widely accept- farmers and the dairy. “We are the face derstandings or confusion.“ ed” Julia Ridder agrees. “Whether of DMK, if you like, and the first point Anyone interested in working for the it’s a man or a woman, we are the of contact for all questions, whether agricultural field service should bear in first point of contact for our member it’s because the cell count and bacteria mind that being the dairy’s first point farms for a whole range of situations. levels are suddenly suboptimal, or there of contact, means hearing farmers’ We sense farmers’ gratitude for our are problems with Milkmaster entries criticisms too. The satisfaction lies in support, along with their unfiltered or questions about what’s happening in supporting farmers and helping them displeasure when it comes to issues the market right now,“ says Julia Ridder. to solve problems, all four employees such as the milk price or DMK’s Wiebke Lina Schulte says, “I enjoy agree. performance. It makes no difference conveying to farmers that despite the “I am constantly learning through whether it’s ’Julia or Julian’ who size of DMK, there is someone here these exchanges and I have the great- shows up at the farm.“

50 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 51 DIGITALISATION DIGITALISATION Getting a better How myMilk became handle on logistics part of our daily work

A new app means greater speed and transparency Already, 4,650 farmers have registered on the new digital platform

he challenge facing personally presenting myMilk’s 453 the cross-divisional possibilities and features to questions came project team in farmers. Some 4,650 farmers in by email Transforming spring 2019 was are now registered on myMilk, logistics and getting digital: Tto create a new home for the a good time to review the IT developer agricultural division’s digital launch phase. Sebastian services, and at the same time Jagnow (left), Andreas Trull, play a major part in digitizing warehouse DMK. Not a year later, in late employee January, the myMilk digital from Zeven (middle) and platform went online, offering Tanja Eckhoff all the services our members from the logis- and suppliers need. MyMilk 8 tics project and has replaced Webmelker, DMK employees process manage- manned the helpline 4.650 ment, all testing which was a useful service for farmers are the new app in farmers for a long time before in rotating shifts practice 2.644 registered it became outdated. The new callers platform is clearer, more mo- received mart phones have become a To check: Improvements made: dern and easier to use. support key part of our daily lives as A further challenge the people use them to carry out • Empty containers (e.g. for damage) • Reducing the additional costs associat- team faced was to support the That adds up to banking transactions, book • Identity of the articles being sent ed with the veterinary office. majority of farmers as they Sholidays or share some news with the registered for myMilk and in • Closed containers • Reducing the effort involved in docu- 440 family. It’s easy! We do that all the time menting the process with photographs, planning milk volumes online hours 4.480 • The seal using a mobile internet connection. which took 25 working hours each week as part of the newly-designed on the 8 people planned Smart phones are also helping us in the in Zeven alone (dealing with approx. Milkmaster program – and all helpline articles in the volumes through world of work, as special apps simplify A veterinary office in Zeven used to 100 containers each week). that in a short space of time. news section by the Milkmaster and speed up processes, enable us to carry out these inspections, and took An eight-member team from program • Reducing the possibility of error while the end of March communicate more easily, and, at the photographs with a digital camera to the agricultural division took creating the photo documentation. end of the day, save money. document the process. on the job. They were on hand Now, for the first time, application These were manually uploaded into • Minimizing the risks in the approval to advise and support farm- software has been developed to aid the SAP-ER system then manually procedure by ensuring the photo docu- ers as they explored the new logistics at DMK. assigned to the SAP transport. In- mentation process is complete. platform. Veterinary certificates are needed for spectors could assess the information • Digital proof that the shipment was When myMilk was launched For the myMilk team, it has been an exciting and intense time, with plenty of export shipments. To issue these doc- through external access to the system. loaded properly. on 28 January, the team set up positive moments but also some challenges too. Norman Heinsohn - Junior uments, users will need to check the An app has now been developed to a dedicated helpline and ran it Project Manager Agriculture - Sustainability - liked the fact that feedback shipments. streamline this process, capturing the in shifts, and also set up a spe- came immediately, saying, “On the helpline, I was able to help many farmers photos taken with a tablet or smart Project and Process Management cial email address to answer directly with their questions, and they really appreciated my support. Some- phone and sending these digitally Logistics and DMK IT Application everyone’s many questions - all times I had to explain that there was no alternative to replacing Webmelker to the right SAP transport. The app Management carried out this pilot in addition to their everyday and many farmers first had to get used to the new platform. We ultimately specifies exactly which and how many project to digitize shipping documen- work. Initially, most questions received a lot of positive feedback about myMilk and about the support we photos are needed. This will speed up tation. Further digitization projects are concerned the registration pro- provided during the start-up phase.” Gradually, new services will be added to and accelerate the process enormously planned. Logistics and DMK IT Applica- cess but then, in February, the myMilk to further support farmers in their day-to-day work. A pasture diary as well as making it more transparent. tion Management carried out this pilot focus shifted to milk volume has just gone online as part of the Milkmaster program, for example. And Right through the whole process, the project to digitize shipping documen- planning. The team also helped now, as concern turns to the coronavirus, there is also material about the ep- container shipment is documented, in a tation. Further digitization projects are users to handle the transition idemic on the platform, as myMilk is the new digital heart of the agriculture significant added value. planned. away from Webmelker by division.

52 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 53 GET CREATIVE NEWS FROM THE REGIONS

Do it yourself:

Award Quark Idea: Stephanie Riedel Quality Manager – QM Products Quality and consistency pay off. DMK’s Everswinkel site has already won the “prize for a consistently high quality product” 31 times, presented by the Prizes for German agricultural society (DLG). The Alten- As schools are closed and we are practicing social distancing, now is a good time to get treptow, Edewecht, Erfurt, Georgsmarienhütte, creative at home. Join Milchwelt and try out the role of a DMK’s quark producer with Hohenwestedt, Neubörger and Zeven sites also DMK Group won awards. The prize honors consistent efforts this simple method of transforming milk into tasty quark. to maintain high quality levels, and is only award- ed to products that have regularly passed DLG’s locations international food quality tests over a five-year What we need to prepare this slightly sour and very re- an empty glass. Pour in the mixture. The fluid (whey) drips period. A producer has to win at least three prizes freshing snack is fresh milk (not UHT – that’s important) and into the glass below, leaving the curd cheese in the filter five consecutive times each year. After taking part DMK sites win DLG the juice of a lemon. Let them sit for a few minutes and you above. We are not adding any rennet, as DMK does in its for five years, the producer wins the “prize for a con- will see when you stir the mixture that the milk is starting to plants, so our quark will be softer than what you might buy sistently high quality product.” However, as soon as prizes for high quality thicken, as the acidity of the lemon reacts with the milk pro- at the store. Don’t wait too long to eat it. And don’t miss out a company does not take part for one year, or fails products tein, causing it to coagulate. This curdling process, and the on the green-yellow whey in the jar either, as it is fresh and to achieve the required number of awards, it is no curds it creates, explain why the product is also sometimes tasty, thanks to the lemon. longer eligible for the prize. called curd cheese. The next step is to separate the curds from the fluid. Take Participation in the award scheme is voluntary. a coffee filter and a coffee filter paper, and place them over

You’ll need: 0,5 liters of fresh 3. Go on and milk from DMK 2. Separate refine it: 1 lemon (the juice) the quark You can add herbs Altentreptow 1 coffee filter paper or spices to the from the whey quark to taste. 1 filter paper by placing the mix- “Understanding 1 glass ture in the coffee filter. Wait at least Make sour milk 15 minutes for the each other better” by combining the milk whey to drip down and lemon juice. Wait 3 into the glass. 1. minutes Philipp Kowolik, a member of the Deutsches Milchkontor supervisory board, runs a farm with 45 employees and reports back on his visit to the dairy in Altentreptow

For us, it is really important to keep looking beyond our hori- the farms, we can only make sure the milk price covers our 4. zons, so we enabled our employees to get a glimpse of what costs by working with great people who love their profession Enjoy: happens to our milk further along in the production process. and also by using modern technology. Many of us weren‘t Consume the quark We were really impressed by the warm, hearty welcome we familiar with the way the milk is processed after it leaves the and the whey as soon received at the Altentreptow facility, which made us feel im- farm. All were able to learn how complicated it is to produce Rennin as possible. is an enzyme that used to be extracted from calves’ stomachs. Nowa- portant and that our work is valued. We were also impressed aseptic milk with a low cell count. We all realized the responsi- days, microbial rennet is used to begin the coagulation process and start curdling by the professional way work is structured there, and how bility that farmers and dairy farmers have, for their region and the milk. clean everything was. On the tour, one group started at the for each other. These professions, and their future, are more Lactic acid bacteria metabolize the lactose into lactic acid. The protein in milk milk reception point while another went to where goods leave closely interconnected than many had initially realized. Only is sensitive to acidity and the lactic acid causes it to precipitate, making the milk thicker (fermentation process). The bacteria used influences the taste of the the site. Both groups were able to see the whole process, from if each and every one of us does their job well can we offer product, its consistency and creaminess. Each producer uses a different strain of milk to cheese and vice versa. We realized that here, just like consumers high quality products which have a low impact on bacteria to shape the product’s specific character. Enjoy! on the farm, everything has to work like clockwork. For us on the environment.

April 2020 MILCHWELT 55 SERVICE SERVICE

Your contact to In the media Milk on Social Media the editors

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For more details check out our Brand Guidelines. Your contact for all From regional newspapers to international magazines, MILCHWELT-related topics the media often reports about DMK, its facilities and rural operations. The fight for fair prices and the company‘s future Users discuss milk vision were in focus during the last few weeks. on social media platforms Land und Forst, 17 Februaryy 2020 Unusual response in #bananenmilch the battle over milk 11. March #rezept #milram 03. March prices: DMK stops LinkedIn-Post OLIVER BARTELT delivering certain prod- TWITTER DMK, 07. March ucts in response to the Global Head of www.twitter.com/DMK_Milch prices set by the Real Corporate Communications supermarket chain. + 49 421 243 – 2310 [email protected] Join the conversation!

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For more details check out our Kreiszeitung Brand Guidelines. Wesermarsch, 30 October 2019 A visit to the Zeven plant shows the diversity of its LINKEDIN dairy product range – and www.linkedin.com/organization-guest/ that its employees have a company/dmkgroup #fairemilch special connection to milk. vom 22. October KATRIN POPPE twitter Internal Communications Manager #milchpreis, 12. March + 49 421 243 – 2143 PR Magazin, twitter [email protected] January 2020, Weserkurier, #milchpreis, 06. February 5 March 2020 Join the Chief of communications conversation! Oliver Bartelt details the In Bremen, Hamburg and DMK DEUTSCHES change in perspective Kiel, farmers are protesting MILCHKONTOR GMBH at the DMK Group and for fair pay. These were not Flughafenallee 17, makes it clear that “con- the only tractor blocka- tinuing with business as des during this turbulent 28199 Bremen, Germany usual is not an option.” quarter. Regional Managers of the Cooperative

Services for Employees The regional managers are the principle points of contact for all the concerns of milk suppliers and shareholders of our company Hotline for employee issues, such as pension scheme, HELMUT ENEWALDSEN JENS RUGE CLEMENS NIEDERWESTBERG parental leave, labor contracts Schleswig-Holstein Mecklenburg-Vorpommern / Weser-Ems Brandenburg +49 4639 / 9506-52320 +49 5401 / 854-59132 FIRST LEVEL SUPPORT [email protected] +49 3991 / 154-41211 clemens.niederwestberg Monday to Thursday, 8 am– 4 pm [email protected] @dmk.de Friday, 8 am to 2 pm + 49 428172 – 57100 [email protected] DETLEV BOSSE KERSTIN GRABARSE JULIA RIDDER Elbe-Weser Thüringen / Nordrhein-Westfalen / Sachsen-Anhalt / Süd-Niedersachsen +49 4480 / 81-64160 MILCHWELT INTERNATIONAL Hessen [email protected] +49 5401 / 854 59180 For the first time, MILCHWELT Topagrar, Hoofdartikel (NL) +49 361 / 5977-16285 [email protected] will also be published in Dutch Wochenblatt, 19 March 2020 The Dutch provided an [email protected] as well as in English and Ger- 29 January 2020 DMK has further international perspective: man. You can find the English, CEO Müller describes DMK’s tightened its hygiene The article compares the Masthead DMK Group with its rivals Publisher: DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH, Industriestraße 27, 27404 Zeven Responsible: Oliver Bartelt Editors: Katrin Poppe, Dutch and German editions as future plans and says he is regulations in order to Birgit Lüdemann (DMK Group); Andin Tegen, Anne Huning, Simon Pausch Texts: Volker Siegert (WMP Eurocom) Assistance: Anika Gaudian PDFs at www.milchwelt.de pleased with the progress so be able to supply the from Belgium, Switzerland, Proofreading: Dr. Agnes Przewozny (Grünes Lektorat) Art Direction: Regina Bense Graphic: Anita Ackermann, Annette Kociemski, Irene Wilhelm far. There is still much to be populace during the Iceland and, of course, the Illustration: Regina Bense Photos: Matthias Hornung, Jacob Schöter, Johanna Ritter, Ralf Maier, Christian Mathiesen, Dominik Sommerfeldt, Sebastian Vollmert (DMK, Group), Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, unsplash.com done, however. coronavirus crisis Netherlands.

56 MILCHWELT April 2020 April 2020 MILCHWELT 57 PUZZLE If you add Congratulations RECIPE to the winners together the ages of our last Look Keep your eye on contest: lively! these prizes: of all the trainees* Ingredients for four bowls how old are they? 160 g lamb’s lettuce MILRAM Wooden *named in this magazine 1 X HANDCART: 2 avocados, 4 zucchini, DECK CHAIRS Josefine Heming Sadtlohn A 62 years 4 carrots, 4 cooked red beets, 5 X SLEDGES: 2 candy cane beets, 12 stalks of parsley, 3 x B 98 years Thea Saathoff Ihlow Bernadette Möller Stavern 16 tbsp frozen peas, 2 tbsp cashew nuts, MILRAM Soft cotton C Neither of the above Christian Büscher Edewecht 2 tbsp almonds, 800 g cooked chickpeas BEACH TOWELS Rainer Menck Brackel How to enter: Heino Bellmann Ostervesede (drained: 240 g), 1 tsp allspice,

10 X UMBRELLAS: 2 tsp turmeric, salt, 10 x Send in your answer Christa Jungvogel Marienhafe Simone Nachmann Bad Homburg v.d.H. 400 g MILRAM cottage cheese, By email to Anika Saurien Altentreptow freshly ground pepper, [email protected] with Uwe Schulte Georgsmarienhütte “Contest” in the title, Gerold Eilers Edewecht 2 shallots, the juice of half a lemon, Vouchers Andrea Sampe Essen/Oldenburg Nicole Schröder Edewecht 2 tbsp sesame paste, 2 tsp olive oil, for a bag from www.hofheld.de or by post to: Bernd Habel Erfurt 2 tbsp mild white wine vinegar, DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH Familie Sticht Hemmoor Stefan Böck Gladbeck z. Hd. FAO Katrin Poppe 200 ml water, 10 x Flughafenallee 17 10 X SHOPPING BAGS: garden cress Familie Blanken Hechthausen 28199 Bremen Bernhard Havers Werne Familie Meinecke Welle-Kampen Deadline for entries: Andreas Hagenbrink Beelen Gerald Knoke Bremen MILRAM 10 x May 31, 2020 Jürgen Brunkhorst Sittensen Vouchers Only employees and cooperative members of the DMK Lisa Schabacker Waldkappel for a bag from Groups are eligible to participate. RalfHotes Edewecht www.hofheld.de Bernd Schnakenberg Bremervörde Hartmunt Schmidt Wanna Vegetable Rainbowl It will bowl you over! Here’s how: Lunch time and you feel like something light? Try this vegetarian power bowl. Email your picture to: You will find a whole host of recipes on the MILRAM website – plenty are quick [email protected] and put in the title to put together without using meat “Reader photo”

Deadline We’ve all been there – tum- lettuce. Wash the avocados, almonds and roast them then season with salt May 31, 2020 mies rumbling but the day remove the pit with a knife in a non-stick pan. Wash and pepper. Only employees and coopera- isn’t over yet. A sausage then spoon out the flesh. and dry the parsley. tive members of the DMK Group are eligible to sounds good but you don’t Wash, peel and finely slice STEP 6: participate. want to fall asleep at your the candy cane beets. STEP 4: Dressing: Finely slice the desk. No need for an es- Wash and drain the shallots and mix with the presso though – vegetarian STEP 2: chickpeas and place lemon juice, sesame paste, bowls can give you a real Wash the carrots and zuc- them in a bowl with the olive oil, white wine vinegar, boost. You can find lots of chini and peel the carrots. allspice and half a teaspoon water and half a teaspoon of recipes at www.milram.de – Use a spiral cutter to slice of turmeric. Fry the turmeric, then puree with including the Vegetable the zucchini, carrots and chickpeas in a non-stick a hand blender and season Rainbowl, with creamy avo- pre-cooked beets into fine pan for 3 – 4 minutes and with salt and pepper to taste, cado, roasted chickpeas and vegetable spaghetti. season with salt and then add to the salad and Dear readers, cottage cheese on a bed of pepper. vegetables. bright vegetable spaghetti. STEP 3: send us a picture: Cover the peas with water in STEP 5: We want to print the best pictures sent to us by DMK readers in the first pages of the Here’s how: a pot, bring to the boil and Mix the salad, vegetab- LINK simmer for about three min- les and cress and divide magazine. Please send us your favorite photo in high resolution, and (important) in land- More at: scape format, and tell us who and what is in the picture. We would also love to hear why STEP 1: utes, then drain. Roughly into four large bowls, www.milram.de you like the image and what it means to you. Save a special moment (see what one family Wash and dry the lamb’s chop the cashew nuts and top with cottage cheese did on p. 6 – 7). Whether it‘s an artistic still life, a lively group shot or a moment of delight - your creativity knows no limits! April 2020 MILCHWELT 59 Milk has a promising futureUnsere Milch ist Mehrwert. Wenn wir gemeinsam dieser Tage die vielen Aktionen der Landwirte betrach- ten, sieht man vor allem eines: Unsere Landwirte zeigen Leidenschaft für das, Launchwas sie täglich leisten. Gleichzeitig fühlen sie sich nachvollziehbar nicht ver- standen, was die Preisgestaltung von Lebensmitteln in Deutschland betrifft. yourAls einer der careergrößten Lieferanten des Deutschen Lebensmitteleinzelhandels wollen wir als Bindeglied zwischen Landwirten und Handel Dialog ermög- lichen und vertreten klare Werte. at DMK Wir sind DMK. 14.000 Menschen – davon über 6.000 Landwirte. Als genossenschaftlich organisierte Molkerei haben wir natürlich im Beson- deren die Situation auf den Höfen unserer Landwirte im Blick und vertreten diese auch in den Gesprächen mit unseren Handelspartnern. Unsere Land- wirte wollen Investitionen in die aktuell gesellschaftspolitisch laufenden Themen wie Nachhaltigkeit, Klimaschutz oder Tierwohl tätigen. Das kann nur funktionieren, wenn die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette auch gemeinschaft- lich sicherstellt, dass dafür benötigtes Geld auf die Höfe kommt. Nur so kann der Verbraucher über angemessene Produktpreise dafür Sorge tragen, dass die Landwirtschaft nachhaltig wirtschaften kann. So, wie wir es alle in den aktuellen Debatten fordern.

Gemeinsam stark. Wir gestalten Ernährung. Als traditionsreiche Genossenschaft steht das Wir-Gefühl zwischen Mit- arbeitern und Landwirten seit jeher im Mittelpunkt unseres Unternehmens. Wir verstehen uns als Gemeinschaft, die mit vereinten Kräften die Ernährung von Millionen Menschen gestaltet. Was uns dabei einzigartig macht: Vom Hof über die Molkereien bis in die Regale des Supermarkts und auf die Tische unserer Konsumenten begleiten wir mit größter Sorgfalt alle Schritte, die die Milch dabei durchläuft. Unsere Milch ist nicht irgendeine – unsere Landwirte sorgen selber dafür, dass sie höchsten Ansprüchen genügt.

Wir wollen zusammen Lösungen erarbeiten. WePartnerschaft are looking to recruit und Dialogpeople to ist join der our Weg.apprenticeship programmes in the following areas (m/w/d): Food technology specialists, industrial mechanics, dairy technologists, dairy laboratory assistants, industrial clerks, electronics technicians for industrial systems, warehousing specialists, mechatronics technicians, personnel services clerks, warehouse logistics specialists, IT clerks, confectionery technologists, IT specialists for applications development and systems integration, Milk: professional milk tank drivers. Make a moustache, and build your future Apply at: www.dmk.de/milchbart