Goats for a Sustainable Income

The 29-year-old puts particular effort into selecting suppliers. She found what she was looking for in India, the country of origin for incense sticks. However, she did not want to simply order unseen - and promptly set off to South Asia. There, she visited production sites, spoke with workers and managing directors, and personally verified working conditions. Because the young entrepreneur also wanted to do good for local children, she packed her suitcase full of chocolate and gifted it to a school in New Delhi. "The local priest was already enthusiastic, but we both knew it was not yet a sustainable action. So we brainstormed together how we could help people in the long term," Melanie Wenzl recalls.

This led to the unusual idea of gifting goats. Struggling families receive a pair of goats, whose milk they can consume and process. The newly born kids either expand the herd or can be sold. The proceeds from milk products and young animals create a welcome additional income for the people. Melanie Wenzl continues to work with the Indian priest. Through him, she maintains contact with the families who have received a pair of goats. They are already working on developing their social project further and planning the construction of a small goat farm. With her commitment, she wants to take responsibility for the country on which her company urgently depends. "Without our Indian suppliers, selling incense sticks would not work. With this project, I want to give something back to the people there."