Three questions for … Judith Faller-Moog

1. You have been managing the Moog oil mill since 1989 and have built up the BIO PLANÈTE brand over the years. From your perspective, what were the greatest challenges on this journey and what has changed in recent years?

The greatest challenge was that in the 80s and 90s, people did not have the same awareness of holistic nutrition. That’s why we had to be the first to go down this path. When you asked people 20 or 30 years ago: “Would you like to try this oil?”, they always had excuses like: “It’s too early, it’s too late, not right now,” and so on. What’s more, in Germany, people spent more on oil for their cars than on cooking oil. That’s changed a lot. In the meantime, everyone knows that you are supposed to take Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. This is why we now encounter great openness and curiosity when we talk to people about organic oils.

2. You live and breathe sustainability in your company. What drives you?

I am an entrepreneur, which means I can make decisions. And my conscience says: We must make sure that the world will still be habitable for us humans in the future. There is therefore no question that I am driven by my conscience.

3. You once said: “Farming is one of the last great adventures of our times.”¹ What do you mean by that?

Agriculture is based on nature, and on the conditions that we encounter there. When I became responsible for farming myself, I had to grapple with very fundamental questions that a lot of other people no longer need to think about at all. For example, when I plant peas: Plant them too early and they will freeze. Plant them too late and the pea moth will come along and gobble them up. Nobody is there to tell you what’s right. And no one is there to take the risk. I believe that all other occupations have a relatively good safety net. Only farming continues to be an adventure that you need to engage with.

¹ www.bioplanete.de/oelmuehle-moog/herkunft/unsere-landwirte/faller-sonnenblume-raps/