For this post, we asked Julia Löschenbrand-Bläuel, daughter of Fritz and Burgi Bläuel and Managing Director at MANI Bläuel, for an interview: She was invited to the world’s largest organic trade fair in Nuremberg to speak about our crowdfunding project. As many of you know, we have been pursuing this alternative financing path for 4 years now, and with great success 🙌. We were also curious and asked Julia how the Bläuel family celebrates Easter in Greece 🐰.

Dear Julia, you were invited to Biofach to speak about MANI crowdfunding. What exactly is it about?

The *Olivenbäumchen-Darlehen*, that's what we call our crowdfunding project, gives people the opportunity to invest in our organic and sustainable family business. You contribute an amount of your choice to the company, e.g., €1,000, and in return, you receive annual interest payments, either as cash or in the form of vouchers. Currently, more than 700 people are participating.

What happens with the loan funds?

A lot! We are particularly proud of our water well project, which also supplies the neighboring village of Pyrgos and MANI Sonnenlink, our company expansion towards Oliveworld, and our cooperation with the Lyso herb garden, where young people with disabilities work.

How was the interest from other organic companies?

What makes the *Olivenbäumchen-Darlehen* so special is the opportunity to come together and advance good, meaningful projects in the world. Often, lenders visit us at Sonnenlink in Greece, come to the Seidengasse in Vienna, or participate in the online annual meeting. This exchange within the community is an incredible added value – for us as a company and for the lenders. Our audience seemed very interested in this alternative financing model.

And one completely different question: How does the Bläuel family celebrate Easter? Greek or Austrian style? 😉

I now live with my family in Vienna, and we celebrate in a traditional Austrian way, meaning the children hunt for Easter nests, and then we eat Easter pinze together. At my brother Felix's house in Greece, they eat Easter soup at midnight on Easter Sunday and celebrate with dancing on Easter Monday.
If we or my parents are in Greece for Easter, we celebrate twice – with the traditions of both cultures – which is, of course, the best option 😄!