At 15, boss of his own parents: Germany's youngest oil miller comes from Baden-Württemberg
Created: 04/13/2022, 09:07
By: Franziska Vystrcil
At just 15 years old, Paul Belthle is the head of an edible oil factory.
The whole family gets involved here.
© Facebook/The Oil Friends
In tranquil Beuren in the district of Sigmaringen, Paul Belthle is known like a sore thumb.
The 15-year-old is probably the youngest oil miller in Germany.
Sigmaringen - While other 15-year-old teenagers have girls, football or the Playstation on their mind, Paul Belthle has a completely different passion: oil presses.
His hobby has now become a small business in which even his parents, uncles and grandparents lend a hand, as reported
by BW24
*.
At the age of 15, Paul Belthle is probably the youngest oil miller in Germany.
The young man from Baden-Württemberg probably never would have thought that he would run a company at such a young age and even become the boss of his own parents.
Parents, grandparents and uncles - the whole family helps with the oil pressing
It all started three years ago when Paul Belthle received an oil mill from his grandmother for Christmas.
Sounds unusual at first, but the perfect gift for Paul.
Even before that, he liked to experiment in his parents' kitchen, squeezing apples, making banana chips or mashing sauerkraut.
So Paul's grandmother hit the nail on the head with the oil mill.
The teenager experimented, squeezing oils and trying different variations.
What started out as a hobby quickly turned into a real passion.
"It's something exciting because you never know how it will taste in the end," he told
SWR
.
The hobby has now become a family business.
Recently, his parents have also been employed by the “Oil Friends”.
Because of the corona virus in Baden-Württemberg, Paul's parents lost their jobs.
Before that, Jürgen and Yvonne Belthle ran a youth hostel and a canoe rental business.
Due to the pandemic and its restrictions, the guests and thus the paying customers stayed away.
It's completely different with the oil manufactory.
Due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, cooking oil is currently in short supply in many places.
Sunflower oil is already out of stock in supermarkets and discounters (
BW24
* reported).
But the cooking oil business was all the better for Paul and his family.
In addition to Paul's parents, two uncles and grandparents are now helping out.
From production to sales, the Beltles do everything together.
Paul Belthle produces almost 100,000 bottles of oil a year
So far there has been no oil shortage at the Beuron plant.
While Aldi, Lidl and Co. ration everyday products, the Belthles have an abundance of oil.
Paul's company now produces almost 100,000 bottles of oil.
It is sold through its own online shop, but supermarkets also sell the special oil.
There is a large selection: in addition to conventional types such as rapeseed oil or black cumin oil, Paul and his family also produce more unusual types.
These include hemp oil, herbal oils or hot chili oil.
Paul has now become the hallmark of the company.
With his Bogart hat, the 15-year-old also adorns the brand's logo.
With so much responsibility, the man from Baden-Württemberg also has to study for school.
But with the support of the entire family, that's not a problem.
"I always have something to do," he says himself. However, he doesn't think it's a bad thing.
"I need that too, because otherwise my life would be empty." *
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.