"I now call myself a baker," says Katharina Borchardt. She has actually just returned to her roots - and followed the memories of a fulfilling childhood. Her grandparents and uncles ran farms in her native Lower Austria and she spent a lot of time there with the animals and in the stables. She also lived out her girlhood dreams on horseback, on unforgettable Farm holidays with her parents. The search for her own destiny then went in a completely different direction. Because often nothing is more difficult than finding the path to yourself.
"I was new, the guests were new, everything was new"
This was followed by attending tourism school and training as an insurance saleswoman - and later a career change to Kärntner Landesversicherung. As life goes, she finally met and fell in love with Max Borchardt at a dance class. A homecoming of sorts, although it took a while to get used to her new role(s) as wife, mother, farmer and hostess. But it also took time to gain confidence as a career changer and daughter-in-law. "I was new, the guests were new, everything was new," Katharina recalls the beginnings of the organic farm and Farm holidays business with an attached riding stable.
"I have arrived.",
"It's my full-time job and I can no longer imagine going to the office," she says at 29. She enjoys having her children Annika and Lorenz close by. And faces the challenges of everyday life on a large farm. Together with her parents-in-law and her Max, who is a graduate of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna and took over the farm five years ago.
"The partnership is the most important thing," says Katharina and scatters flowers for her husband: "He cooks, looks after the children and occasionally serves breakfast to our vacation guests." The typical gender distribution is also a thing of the past in agriculture.
Life on the multi-generational farm
It's in the nature of things that two generations have different views and this always leads to conflict. "You don't have to be tied down around the clock," says Katharina. "Everyone needs their space". The Borchardts have learned to deal with this and talk about it openly.
This obviously also ensures a good family atmosphere, as the guest reviews on the homepage confirm. The Borchardts consistently get top marks. For Katharina, many regular guests have become friends. They send each other photos and talk on the phone on special occasions. So it's no wonder that many a tear is shed when saying goodbye after a vacation at the Borchardt farm.
Michael Sabath
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