Till Kundt, Chief Representative of Dr. Oetker

by
on Friday, December 11, 2009

For pizza, people normally think Italian. Why did German brand Dr. Oetker decide to expand in this direction?

In the 1970s, many Italian migrant workers came to Germany. They opened pizzerias, which became very successful. That's when Dr. Oetker decided to bring frozen pizza to people's homes. In China, Pizza has been made popular by chains, like Pizza Hut and Papa John's, as something you go out to eat at a restaurant or order to your home. However, when you have delicious pizza that you take out of your own oven in your own home, there is a more intimate feel.

Many people in China don't have an oven - has that thrown a spanner in the works?

It definitely has an impact on the market development. Only 10 percent of households in Shanghai and Beijing have ovens, compared to the 70 percent that have microwaves. Chinese are pragmatic, so they just use the microwave. Our pizza can be easily cooked in both, the oven and the microwave - it's just crispier if you use an oven.

What makes you so passionate about pizza?

Pizza is simply soul food. However, I did not choose to work for a pizza company but a company that encourages and helps people prepare food at home. My wife is from Beijing and cooks wonderful traditional Chinese cuisine but when we met she had no knowledge of baking cakes. She actually used Dr. Oetker cake mix the first time she baked.

Have you been in China a long time?

Back and forth for about 16 years. I studied Business and Sinology in Beijing and after that I was sure I wanted to work in China. I've always wanted to work outside my home country and I love new languages.

What do you do to Enjoy Shanghai?

I go cycling a lot with my children, though it can be dangerous outside our compound. Cars will even hoot at us to get out the way while we're in the bicycle lane. As guests in this country, we still need to get used to it.