one: When did you start your apprenticeship at REWE?
Olivia Kopitzki: I started my apprenticeship as a retail saleswoman in September 2023, somewhat spontaneously.

one: So you've been in training for a year now. Do you still like it and do you feel comfortable?
Olivia Kopitzki: Yes, I love my job. My company is great, my colleagues are all nice - I'm very happy!

one: "Your" store is the REWE in Barsbüttel, right?do you have a large selection of plant-based products?
Olivia Kopitzki: Right, that's my store. We have a very large selection, certainly over three to four doors, so a whole wall of vegan and vegetarian products. You can tell that the range is growing because many product manufacturers are recognising the demand.

one: What exactly do you do as a plant-based influencer?
Olivia Kopitzki: We want to show people how delicious a plant-based diet can be and how large the selection of vegan and vegetarian products at REWE is. We want to show that it's not difficult at all to eat a plant-based diet. We cooked lots of dishes together using REWE's plant-based products and it was really great for me to see how quickly it can be done and how good everything tasted.

one: How did you get this role?
Olivia Kopitzki: It was more of a coincidence. At a seminar, we were asked whether we would be interested in publicising certain topics for REWE at trade fairs, for example. I got in touch without there being a specific project. Then one day I got a call at work and was asked if I would like to take part in Plant Base. I was very happy about the enquiry and was immediately interested. Firstly, everything was explained to us and we had a video call to get to know each other before the first day of filming.

one: What do you like about it?
Olivia Kopitzki: A lot! Firstly, it was new for me to be in front of the camera and to be on the internet. But I had a lot of fun because the whole team was so nice. We all got on well with each other, we were able to joke around together and they made sure that we were doing well and having fun the whole time. We were involved a lot in terms of recipes and ideas and were able to contribute to the project ourselves.

one: Working with the influencers on an equal footing was also very informative. As they have been involved in plant-based nutrition for a long time, they were able to answer our questions on the topic in detail. They also had lots of helpful cooking tips at the ready.
Olivia Kopitzki: I really enjoy cooking, which is why I had so much fun. Even though I don't eat a vegan diet, I'm interested in the topic and it was a great opportunity to learn more about it. I was really impressed by how close many plant-based alternative products come to the original flavour. As a non-vegan, of course, you have a good comparison and I was amazed at how many dishes there are that are really quick to make and really hardly make a difference in terms of flavour. The whole thing was new to me, but I really enjoyed it - it was simply mega!

one: How have your friends, colleagues and family responded to your work so far?
Olivia Kopitzki: At work, all my colleagues knew about the day of filming and naturally wanted to see the end result. Everyone at work was happy for me and very proud of me - that was really nice to hear. I was also pleased to see that the videos were also well received on social media. Many friends and acquaintances sent me the videos or asked me about them because they recognised me on Instagram and TikTok. I'm really happy about the positive feedback and it makes me proud that people see the videos and talk to me about them.

one: Has anything changed in your eating habits?
Olivia Kopitzki: I don't eat a vegan or vegetarian diet, but it doesn't always have to be meat. To be honest, I used to be rather prejudiced against a plant-based diet and thought that it was tiring and didn't taste as good. But now I realise that's not the case and it's much easier for me to give up meat from time to time. I also think it makes sense for me to be involved in Plant Base as a non-vegan. In this way, I can authentically convince other people who have had little contact with it that a plant-based diet is not complicated or boring.

one: Would you say that your attitude towards alternative products has also changed with the Plant Base?
Olivia Kopitzki: Definitely! I have realised that the prejudices I used to have are not true. Tofu, for example, was a big surprise for me. You often hear that it supposedly tastes like nothing, but that's definitely not the case. Cooking together and the tips from the experts showed that you can cook delicious food with tofu. I can definitely imagine cooking with tofu or other alternative products more often in the future.

I don't know if I can imagine eating a completely plant-based diet, but it's definitely getting easier and easier due to the increasing number of alternative products. And I think that's the idea behind it - to make it easier for people to eat a simple and varied plant-based diet.

one: How often will we hear from you or the rest of Plant Base on social media in the future, and is an end to the campaign already planned or open for the time being?
Olivia Kopitzki: I'm really happy that we're continuing the project together. The next day of filming is already in sight. I'm very keen to continue working on the project and develop great ideas together. In any case, stay tuned - it will continue!