Stefan Duerr: ‘Even without sleeping a wink, I feel fresh and inspired!’
16 April 2019 News from the Company
Stefan Duerr has hosted the second call-in show for consumers of EKONIVA’s dairy products.
We got first-hand information that very soon the company’s products will fill the shelves of the retail chain Carousel in Moscow oblast, and in about six months, residents of Saint Petersburg will also be able to purchase the delectable products. The honest litre of milk will not lessen by a single gram. The processing plants are undergoing extensive modernisation in order to enable product range expansion. By the new year, a cheese novelty will be on offer! Nevertheless, the audience was interested not only in the production, but also in agriculture itself and, of course, Stefan’s views on various subjects.
What makes Russia appealing to you?
I am absolutely sure that the agricultural business in Russia has bright development prospects. There are lots of fields with fertile soil and strong people who love working and know how to do it. Moreover, the attitude to agriculture is favourable. I have been to Thailand recently. The situation with milk is not that bad, but the conditions in which the Thais have to work are far from perfect. They lack land, and the climate is very harsh for milk production — it is hot and stifling, all this leads to low butterfat content and grave problems with water. In Russia, we have ample opportunity not only to provide ourselves with milk, but to supply it to half of the world, including Thailand and China.
Milk is what a cow gives you
Requirements for the labelling of milk- containing products have become more stringent, which is good for us, as we do not add any milk substitutes to our products. Actually, it has become harder for our not very honest competitors to comply with the new rules. A law, according to which milk is what comes from an udder, came into effect on 25 January. It means that none of the rice or soy drinks can be called milk. However, some people think that such drinks are healthier. In fact, processing oats into ‘milk’ requires milling and diluting it with water, which implies the loss of the most valuable hull properties. Catalysts and a slew of chemicals are added to the remaining liquid. And the derived product is sold as ‘milk’. Everyone makes their own choice on what to buy, but I personally prefer to drink natural milk.
Organic milk is coming soon
In Russia, we started our business with organic farming. EkoNiva was the first company in the country that attended an exhibition in Germany in 1996 bringing organic buckwheat and millet. Now, our organic farm Savinskaya Niva produces cereals and beef. We will reduce the beef production and relocate it to Orenburg oblast, where we have constructed an organic farm. The facilities belonging to Savinskaya Niva will be used for organic milk production, cows are already there. In May or June, we will start producing organic milk, which will be processed at the plant in Medyn, Kaluga oblast.
Russia and Germany: what makes the difference?
Germany allows meticulous planning. My brother wonders how I manage to work in Russia without knowing what will happen tomorrow. He has everything loud and clear. Although the flip side of this orderliness is that it is difficult to deviate from the plan. Sometimes Russia can so to say drop bombshells, but the bad news is always followed by something good. The country offers excellent prospects for development. In Germany, no one would have managed to build up a farming business of this scale within 15-16 years and break into the market. However, in Germany there is less chance of facing stumbling blocks and failing.
To treat or send for slaughter?
In America, it works in the following way: if something is wrong with a cow, soon its meat will be on the butcher’s shelves. However, our upbringing is different from theirs. If a cow has some disease, we carefully cure it. When cattle are treated with antibiotics, their milk is not used for production. Only if the treatment does not help, in order not to torture the animal, we cull it. On average, cows live on our farms for 6.5-7 years.
Cows strolling peacefully
We have 70,000 cows. In the barn, they move freely, and on many farms the animals are allowed to go outside. Only calves graze in the pastures as cows depend on the milking routine and cannot go far from the dairy.
A strong team is the key to success!
Even if I do not sleep a wink, I still feel vigorous. I am absolutely sure I can trust my team with anything. Back in the day, I was lucky to meet the right people, together with whom I built my team. It is a common mistake to think that Stefan is a business whizz and all the rest are mediocre. I guess many of my colleagues work even better than me. It is just because I am often in the public eye that many people know me.