From Würzburg to the World

What do graduates of Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) do for a living? In order to introduce students to different perspectives, Michaela Thiel, Managing Director of the central alumni network, regularly interviews selected alumni.

This time, Anne Kuhbier answered the questions. The alumna studied Biology at JMU, worked as a pharmaceutical and biotech consultant for around 25 years and then completely changed careers.

Mrs Kuhbier, something happened in 2022 that turned your life upside down.

Our favourite cheese shop in Augsburg's old town closed because the owner could no longer run it for health reasons. At the time, there was a notice in the shop window looking for someone to run the shop. As I had been looking for a new career for some time anyway and thought it was a real shame that the shop was closed, I decided to take it over. However, this didn't come completely out of the blue. A few years ago, I had already considered working in the shop for a few hours a week.

What does your day-to-day work look like?

Above all, my working day is very varied! Of course, counselling and sales take centre stage. But as I run the shop more or less on my own, I'm also a lot more: buyer, logistician, accountant, boss of three mini/midi jobbers, problem solver, cleaner, etc.pp. Even in a small shop, there are so many different things to do that it never gets boring.

After about two years now: What is your summary?

I would take the step into self-employment and the specialised food trade again. Of course, there is a financial risk and it could have gone wrong. But in general, I benefited greatly from my experience as a consultant, especially at the beginning, and was able to establish the necessary routines for business management, organisational and HR tasks. This gave me more time to familiarise myself with the actual topics of "cheese" and "customer service". I benefited greatly from my background in biology, especially when it came to cheese, so that I was able to advise customers quickly and with professional credibility.

What would you recommend to people who want to make a similarly radical career change?

My recommendation is to make the change within a framework in which the basic strengths of your own personality can come to the fore. In my case, this was primarily my scientific background, my organisational talent and my people and customer orientation. I was able to rely on these from the outset and invest more energy and capacity in new topics. In other words: If the change involves too many new construction sites and requires too few existing core competences, the path is much rockier and the risk of failure is greater. Furthermore, in my opinion, such a step only works if you have a favourably supportive environment and financial reserves.

High-quality food and animal welfare are important to you.

The food business in Germany is not easy and in general there is still too little emphasis on quality and sustainability. In real terms, food is too cheap or of too poor a quality for the ever-increasing prices. We all need to rethink this and move away from mass production and towards quality. To put it simply: let's all eat a little less meat, cheese or other dairy products on average, but those of a higher quality. And that means, for example, organic quality, higher animal welfare, better margins for farmers and producers on the one hand and healthier food, better flavour and a better conscience for consumers on the other. From a financial point of view, it remains bearable and affordable for the individual customer.

What is your favourite cheese at the moment?

In the colder months, I like full-flavoured and strong cheeses that preferably have a long tradition. That's why I'm currently very fond of Blue Stilton. This is a blue cheese from England, Leicestershire. And I combine it with a glass of Tawny port wine from Portugal. This pairing is wonderful because the fruity, sweet port harmonises very well with the slightly plummy sweetness of the blue cheese. For me, this pairing is a successful end to a cheese platter or even a dessert in a winter menu.

What is your favourite memory of your student days?

My entire time studying in Würzburg was wonderful and I have very fond memories of it. The great range of restaurants and wine cellars had a lasting influence on me, as they gave me a more professional approach to wine and good food. And during my degree thesis at the Biozentrum, I went to the canteen every lunchtime with a group of physicists, some of whom I knew from my internships. That was always a welcome change from the lab routine because we had completely different topics to talk about. I also met my husband in this group, with whom I've been together for 30 years.

Thank you very much for the interview!

Are you not yet a member of the university's alumni network? Then you are cordially invited to register on the network's website! You can also find the previously published interviews with JMU alumni and alumnae on the network's website.