Up

10.08.2021

Dairy, Up Close

Despite the pandemic, DMK was able to give youngsters a look behind the scenes – and even showed them how to make quark at the digital Future Day.

DMK’s Future Day is one of the most important events in the year to introduce young people to the company. The event was held online due to the pandemic. Some 55 students from Lower Saxony could not visit the site in person but were able to connect Microsoft Teams to hear about the DMK Group’s 15 trainee areas. The introduction was helpful for many, given the wide range of job options available.

“I am currently living in Oman because my father is working here. We don’t have quark but we do have camel’s milk. I was able to make my own quark at the online Future Day – that was great! Now I can make my own quark and I can get the milk for it from the camel farm right next door.”

Edda Theodora Sophie Holzberg, 11 years old, 5th grade, at the International American School in Muscat, Oman. The Future Day was also interesting for people who aren’t DMK members, such as Edda’s family.

“Due to the pandemic, we held some meetings with trainees by video conferencing, to get to know them, and we also held our start-up event online, with all the company’s new apprentices,” says Florian Schomaker, Human Resources Manager at the DMK Group and one of the organizers of this year’s Future Day. “We gained some experience that way, and knew what was important.”

“It wasn’t easy even for us adults to stay online for so long, but the kids stuck at it and did really well – because you made it so entertaining. Great job!”

Dr. Simone Espey, Senior Board Administration, DMK.

“My son was totally thrilled! Great work! Thank you very much.”

Carsten Habermann, Sales Director Brand Retail LEH.

Tomorrow’s trainees used their smartphones and computers in order to visit different parts of the company and see what the business does close up. They checked out areas from IT to the laboratories, where employees described what they do each day at the dairy. Plus, the manager of the DMK plant in Holdorf, Uwe Veenhuis, described in detail the complex interplay between different parts of a dairy. The highlight came at the end. All of the participants were given a shopping list in advance so they could take part in an experiment from home. They took on the role of a producer of curd cheese and made a batch at home, under the guidance of quality manager Stephanie Riedel.

Stephanie Riedel, Quality Manager at DMK, shows how to make quark.