Der Auszeichnung des Deutschen Kartoffelhandelsverbands e. V. (DKHV) presented its honorary president, Dieter Tepel, with the Medal of Honor of the German Potato Trade on February 6, 2024, as part of its yearly International Berlin Potato Evening, in recognition of his exceptional accomplishments and unwavering dedication to the potato sector.

About 500 people from 12 different nations were greeted by the DKHV in the lively atmosphere of the Hilton Berlin ballroom on the eve of Fruit Logistica. Representatives from nearly 190 corporations, European associations, science, and politics were among the guests.

Thomas Herkenrath, President of DKHV, greeted the visitors from abroad and around the country. Following his welcoming speech, which highlighted the value of the potato trade, he honored Dieter Tepel’s accomplishments, noting that he had a major role in the growth and cohesion of the German potato business.

Dieter Tepel started working at Landhandel Dortmund KG in 1968 after being born in Holzwickede on August 23, 1944. In 2006, following a prosperous career as an entrepreneur, he turned over control of his business to his successor. He offered his services for the potato trade as early as 1979. After 1989, he played a major role in the unification of the potato industries in East and West Germany. Because of his dedication, the German Potato Trade Association was established in 2007 and he presided over it until 2015. It was also on his suggestion that Potato Marketing GmbH (KMG) was founded in 2014. He transformed KMG into what it is now as managing director, and at the end of 2023, he turned the reins over to Anke Schönfelder and Martin Roffhack.

“Dieter Tepel has earned lasting merit through his successful and unifying work in the potato industry. He is not only a bridge builder who united the potato industry, but also a visionary who made a significant contribution to the positive image of potatoes and the potato industry by founding the KMG. Dieter Tepel receives the Medal of Honor from the German potato trade for his life’s work and his important role in Germany’s potato industry,” DKHV President, Thomas Herkenrath, declared at the International Berlin Potato Evening.

Dieter Tepel’s efforts to the whole inter-association potato business were also lauded by Olaf Feuerborn, Chairman of the Union of the German Potato business (UNIKA).

“Dieter Tepel doesn’t just say ‘We’re talking about one potato’, he lives it! Both in his day-to-day work as DKHV President and as a committed member of the UNIKA board, advisory board and various specialist committees, cross-association collaboration was always close to his heart. For Dieter Tepel, potato production and trading go hand in hand,” Feuerborn concluded.

The Medal of Honor of the German Potato Trade is the highest award of the Auszeichnung des Deutschen Kartoffelhandelsverbands e. V. and was awarded for the first time.