| 27 February 2006 | KMC Deutschland’s general manager Rudolf Blum comes from a family with proud agricultural traditions. As a boy he helped on his parents’ farm and wanted to take over the farm when he grew up, but a back injury put a stop to his boyhood dream. Rather the tractor than day care Rudolf Blum was born in 1961 on his parents’ farm as the fifth child in a family of six children. Farm life has been a natural part of Rudolf Blum's life since childhood. - The families of both my parents have been farmers for generations. My parents leased a farm in Krefeld in the western part of Germany where they grew different kinds of vegetables such a white cabbage, red cabbage, and wear potatoes, he tells. The boy did not go to day care, but spent most of his first years of life on the tractor next to his father. And here he was comfortable. |
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A proud lad Rudolf Blum was devoted to farming already as a 10-year old. He did his homework in a hurry so he could go out and ride the tractor and feed the pigs. |
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The dreams broke In ’67 the family moved to a farm with approx. 100 ha land near Cologne where they grew grain and raised pigs. For Rudolf Blum it was already then clear that some day he would become a farmer. - When I came home from school I did my homework in a hurry so I could go out and feed the pigs or drive the tractor for a while, says Rudolf Blum. - It has always been the dream of my life to become a farmer. I wanted to take over my parents’ farm and have always lived and thought that way, he tells. But at the age of 16 the plans for the future looked different: a congenital back problem began to give trouble again and the doctors advised against a career as a farmer. First the pigs need to be fed After graduating high school Rudolf Blum worked as a trainee, first at a large farm near Münster and later for 6 months in France. But when his father suddenly became very ill he returned to Germany to run his parents’ farm. - For 18 months I was responsible for running the farm together with an agricultural worker because my father could not work, Rudolf Blum relates. In addition to the work on the farm he started to study business science. - I fed the pigs and got a little work done in the morning before driving to school. After school and during the weekends I worked on the farm at full tilt. It was a tough period and an untenable situation on the long run, Rudolf Blum admits. When his brother was ready to take over the family farm, Rudolf Blum moved to Münster to finish his education. But he did not let farm life go: besides the studies and especially during holidays he worked on different farms and on the family farm. |
Baling A 22-year old Rudolf Blum (top) bales hay with a friend. Even though he could not become a full time farmer due to his back problems, Rudolf Blum has always spent much time on farm work. His first office job therefore came as a shock: it was difficult to have to sit in an office chair all day when you were used to fieldwork. |
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From combine harvester to office chair As graduated “Master of Commerce” a new chapter of Rudolf Blum’'s life started. - I still very clearly remember when I started in my first job. It was in the middle of the harvest in August and I had been working many hours on the harvester. When I started work the next morning I had to spend the whole day behind a desk. I thought it was awful to have to sit in an office, he remembers. Smells a little like farming Rudolf Blum started his career with Tetra, a company that processes fish food for aquarium fish. - Luckily my job smelled a little like farming, as I was responsible for purchase of raw materials such as potato starch and potato protein, Rudolf Blum tells. He has since worked for a wheat starch producer and following that as operations and marketing director for a German potato starch producer. |
A farmer on his wedding day Rudolf Blum is washing the car before the wedding while his father takes care of the yard. In the background the ancestral farm. It was built as a fortress during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). Rudolf Blum’s brother lives on the farm today. |
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KMC Deutschland When KMC was looking to start its own sales office in Germany KMC’s managing director Uffe Andreasen offered Rudolf Blum to be in charge of the German operations. KMC Deutschland was established in 2001 as the latest of KMC’s sales companies - so far. This sales company is special as it also sells other products such as wheat flour for breakfast foods and dried raw material such as dried vegetables, mushrooms, fish, and meat. - 80% of our turnover stems from KMC’s products. But when I talk to the customers it is often an advantage that my product range is wide. It often proves that one product prepares the way for cooperation also on some of the others, Rudolf Blum explains. Besides Rudolf Blum, KMC Deutschland today consists of Rita Grothaus as sales and office assistant, Dirk Terlisten as Sales and Application Technologist and Rudolf Blum’s wife, Claudia taking care of everything to keep the office running including. the very important part of finance. |
Part of KMC Rudolf Blum with his wife Claudia during the food ingredients fair FIE in 2003. |
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Many contenders The German market is characterized by having a strong food industry with many large and midsize companies. And where much food is produced, there is a need for large quantities of potato starch. - This means that many starch companies consider Germany their domestic market and the competition is therefore hot, Rudolf Blum states. But he feels that KMC is making a name for itself in the German market. - KMC’s three large market areas in Germany are spice companies, confectionery, and baked goods. And the good quality of KMC’s potato granules makes us attractive for the puree production in the large catering companies, Rudolf Blum tells. Family get-together and potato talk Even though Rudolf Blum will never become a fulltime farmer, he won't quite let go of farming either, he assures. Most of the members of his family are still either farmers or have agricultural related jobs. - At family gatherings we often discuss how the crops look and when it is time to water the potatoes. The only one who from time to time is a bit tired of this is my youngest sister, she is a teacher, Rudolf Blum concludes with a smile. |
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