The 2 Minute Interview

Introducing: The tremendous trio of breakfast culture aka Levin, Anna und Leandro from the legendary, sticky and warm Haferkater in Berlin. After the three of them brought the Brits favourite breakfast dish (besides bacon, beans and scrambled eggs) porridge to Germany, to the Boxhagener Straße in Berlin to be precise, they were showered in praise and prizes – and rightly so. As the winner of the XYZ Award of the Deutsche Bahn, they’re even running a pop-up store in the middle of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Can it get any better? That’s what we wanted to ask. But we then somehow drifted off to mountain hiking, ant-phobia and cucumber water.  How did that happen? Read for yourselves. P.S. Levin and his girlfriend are currently looking for a 2-room flat, so if you have any clues: levin-siert{at}gmx.de ;)

Name: Levin Siert / Anna Schubert / Leandro Burguete
Age: 28 / 25 / 26
Home: Berlin / Friedrichshain / Friedrichshain
Profession: Porridge Magician / Haferkater-founder / entrepreneur
Shoe size: 44 / 38,7 / depends on the country
Favourite topping: Holy Granola and frozen blackberries / strawberries / walnuts
Contact: levin-siert{at}gmx.de / haferkater@gmail.com / haferkater@gmail.com

Hangover: what really helps?
Levin: Porridge with a lacing of rum
Anna: Don’t drink alcohol. And if it’s too late, better try the Knusperkater: porridge with almonds, cashews, cedar nuts, crunchy bits and maple syrup.
Leandro: Sleep.

The best characteristics of your co-founders?
Levin: Never losing their sense of humour. Looking forward even when everything is going well already.
Anna: They’re boys.
Leandro: We complement each other well.

A day without breakfast is…
Levin: …a day without joy.
Anna: … probably one I’ve had to start before 6 a.m., which is pretty rubbish on principle.
Leandro: …unthinkable.

What would you work as if you hadn’t become a gastronomic entrepreneur?
Levin: As a musician or taxi driver. Probably both ;)
Anna: As a volcanologist, literary translator or long-term student.
Leandro: As a barista.

What do you do on a day off?
Levin: I work mentally and pretend it’s free time :)
Anna: What is that?
Leandro: Read the paper.

Your greatest (professional) success so far?
Levin: The Haferkater-Popup-Store in Berlin Central Station and convincing our parents that we’re not going to be broke tomorrow.
Anna: I can play three-and-a-half pieces of music on the piano.
Leandro: My two-year-old son.

What should no one postpone until tomorrow?
Levin: Wishing your parents a Happy Birthday…
Anna: Booking a holiday, enjoying the sun.
Leandro: Doing the dishes.

Which moment of your life would you like to relive once more exactly as it was?
Levin: An unplanned hike from Roses to Cadaqués in a thunderstorm. Without drinking water or a bus schedule for the drive back.
Anna: The moment of reaching the summit after three days of hiking in the Vosges.
Leandro: My first porridge at Haferkater.

The best advice you’ve ever received?
Levin: If you want to build a street, lay one stone after the other. And: If money doesn’t make you happy, you’re spending it on the wrong things :)
Anna: Love it, leave it or change it.
Leandro: Drink lots of water.

Dog or cat?
Levin: A big, greedy, sweet Golden Retriever.
Anna: Cat.
Leandro: Cat.

What would you cook for us if we came to visit you at home?
Levin: Definitely pumpkin-salmon-lasagne. If it’s a spontaneous visit: frozen pizza.
Anna: Sushi. And I would order it, because it just tastes better.
Leandro: A pumpkin-lentil hotpot with coriander.

What are you afraid of?
Levin: Ants. Especially the really tiny ones. And a day without coffee.
Anna: The sound mosquitos make when they’re about to attack.
Leandro: My tax counsellor.

When was the last time you tried something new and what was it?
Levin: The Berghain without alcohol. It was pretty boring…
Anna: I went to Dunkin Donuts for the first time yesterday.
Leandro: Cucumber water at Cookies Cream.

What should no one know about you?
Levin: That I bred snails and frogs in my childhood.
Anna: That I always try to get out of interviews ;)
Leandro: That I really love sleeping.

Which question should we have asked you?
Levin: „What are you doing while you’re answering these questions?“
Anna: From which platform at the central station does the S5 leave? And the S7? And the train to Warsaw? And where can I buy flowers?
Leandro: In which city the next Haferkater will be.

Last words:
Levin: My favourite word: Pumpernickel
Anna: Doesn’t the legal notice have the last word?
Leandro: I leave those to Anna.