From master baker to deputy mayor
Due to a flour dust allergy, he has not set foot inside the bakery for some time. And even in his shops, he will rarely sell Hinkelsteine, Kifferkruste and Elsässer bread from behind the counter due to a lack of time: Josef Hinkel has been deputy mayor of the state capital for more than a year and he will leave his mark as a CDU politician. With apparent ease, the 62-year-old former chief of- and Prinz Karneval has so far taken on a number of different roles and changed costumes accordingly. He is an entrepreneur, has become a brand in its own right and is an excellent networker with many connections. And now the Düsseldorf-born man with the cheerful smile so typical of the Rhineland region (“jeck und nett”) is aiming for a serious political career. We meet Josef Hinkel at the Town Hall, in the office he “inherited” from his predecessor Friedrich G. Conzen.
Have you made any changes to your new office?
The technical equipment is new, the furniture has remained the same, two small armchairs will soon replace the uncomfortable chairs, we will continue to live with the carpet (looks questioningly at his speaker Annette Leonhardt). The cross above the door remains. All the pictures and objects are mine – the paintings of the Oberkassel Bridge and the fool’s cap there, hanging on a nail on the wall, the Hoppeditz sculpture engraved with a baker’s cap by Bert Gerresheim and – not to be missed – the huge photo – a Christmas present from my wife. Taken in the boiler house on the Böhler grounds, it shows Nicole Hinkel casually dressed in jeans and white shirt with her five children Sophie (25), Johannes (21), Josef (18), Hannah (16) and Franziskus (13).
How do you manage the huge change from entrepreneur to politician?
The succession in the company is settled. My daughter Sophie has completed her master’s degree and passed the exam to become a Master Baker with an A. From this year, she will take up position at the helm of the bakery, invite winds of change – she has already given our brand logo a more modern look, operates the social media channels and has an impressive number of followers. We have prepared the generational change very carefully in order to ensure a smooth transition. Fortunately, I’m good at letting go and I’m very happy to go down new, unknown paths.
“It was time to change, to face a new challenge. You just keep on growing.”
Don’t you miss the contact with the customers, the chats across the counter and the rounds through the old town on the cargo bike in the baker’s outfit?
I enjoyed these times and I was able to develop and expand the business in all these years. The business is now comfortably employing 95 employees. It was time to change, to face a new challenge. You just keep on growing.
New office, new challenge. What does that feel like, personally?
Being deputy mayor is not something you do on the side. It’s an honorary office and a full-time job at the same time. The learning curve as a newcomer from a different field has been really steep, the political environment and the administrative apparatus were unchartered territory for me. I personally introduce myself to all heads of office and visit all district administration offices in person, as direct contact is very important to me. Just as in my family business, it’s all about mutual trust in the Town Hall. If this is permanently disturbed, if there is a lack of appreciation, I would be prepared to draw my consequences – as I did when I resigned as head of the Düsseldorf Carnival Committee. The situation hit me personally very hard at the time.
Up to now, you’ve given your speeches off the cuff – whether at the carnival address or at an art auction, and now?
Rhetoric is on my curriculum, I train my voice and appearance, and consciously seek feedback from experts. After all, I represent the lord mayor at a large number of his appointments – anniversaries, associations, events. As a representative of the city, I can’t act as casually as before. Moreover, it makes a difference whether I am merrily opening a funfair or new premises for the drug help centre. I want to find my own style of speaking authentically for the city and not mutate into a reading machine of prefabricated speeches.
Josef Hinkel is a successful businessman. As a 29-year-old, he became the fourth-generation manager of the family’s bakery. Back then there were 23 employees, today there are 95. With two locations occupying identical retail floor space, turnover has risen from one million to six million euros. 40 resellers offer his baked goods and breads. With his daughter Sophie, the 5th generation is now taking over the company.
You’re a likeable guy, considered a talented people magnet. Is that something you can learn?
(He laughs) I don’t know, I’m like that. Even at home, as the mid-dle one of six siblings, I was always the big boss. However, I am also a committed team player – whether in the family, in my job as a businessman, in my honorary offices and now in the mayor’s office with a clerk and assistant. What counts are strong employees.
You say of yourself that you go through life with passion and looking reality in the eye. So why did you become a politician?
To use my talents to make a difference – with and for the people of this city.
Can you name three goals you want to achieve as mayor?
Promoting urbanity – the middle class must remain strong and have its space in this city. Promoting small-scale character – because that is Düsseldorf’s trump card. This applies to business and commerce, to the cultural and traditional scene. Düsseldorf is a ten-minute metropolis in the middle of densely populated urban area. We should think more outside the box, not everyone who works here has to live here. However, this means that the infrastructure between the surrounding cities must be further developed.
You grew up the old town, did you ever want to live somewhere else?
Never. I was born here, I played in the Hofgarten as a child. I grew up as part of the congregation of the Max Church. It’s where I spent my free time, had a band, where I was a bass guitarist and singer. Ever since I have had a great passion for being on stage. 27 years ago my wife Nicole and I got married in the Max church, our five children were baptized there. By the way, I never wanted to be anything but a baker and started my apprenticeship at 16.
Can you reinvent bread over and over again?
Of course. There are so many ingredients and variations. We are constantly trying out new creations and inventing names to go with them. The bread with hemp oil we call Kifferkruste, stoner’s crust. Our brown bread with liquorice syrup is called Casanova, because this man was a master at sweet talk.
Craftsmanship can be a gold mine – you are a good example for that. What is the situation like in gastronomy, in brick-and-mortar retail?
Düsseldorf is the city that will be one of the first to experience a boom after the pandemic, I’m convinced of that. The city is incredibly diverse. However, it has one small drawback: it’s too small, there are too few free spaces for construction.
You are considered fashion-conscious, for example when you gave your carnival CC uniform a
contemporary look. Do you enjoy shopping?
I go along when my wife goes shopping with me. And indeed, I value good looks and like to dress well.
You’re known as an energetic people person, a super networker, how do you keep fit?
I’m an early riser. I start the day at 5.30 with Tai Chi and cycling, read the morning breviary out loud – that trains the voice – and do yoga several times a week and I meditate. It clears the head and is the best technique against brooding. Lunch breaks and meals with the family are a must, and I enjoy taking a power nap in between.
As a baker, you sought direct contact with people, where do you find this in your new role?
We are planning a kind of citizens’ surgery. The idea is to buy a bench, write ‘Mayor’ on it, put it on the promenade by the Mannesmannufer and then once a week I sit there for an hour with a cup of coffee and anyone who wants can sit down and chat with me. •
About Josef hinkel
He was born in Düsseldorf in 1959
He served his apprenticeship in Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Rendsburg, Düsseldorf, then Master Baker exam in Hanover
At the age of 29 he took over the “Bäckerei der Brotfreunde”, founded in 1891 by his great-grandfather
In 1991 he graduated in trade-specific Economics and Business Management and has been receiving numerous awards ever since such as: BGF Health Award, Entrepreneur Award Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf
In 2008 he was Prince Karneval, in 2010 Vice President and from 2011 to 2015 President of the CC Comitee Düsseldorf Carneval, since 2017 Chairman Förderverein Düsseldorfer Karneval
In 2018 he received the Federal Order of Merit for social engagement
Since 2014 he has been ambassador for the Kinderhospiz Regenbogenland. He was Jonges- Vicebaas of the TG “Kinn-Ziet” and is involved in numerous honorary offices
Josef Hinkel lives in the old town of the city, has been married for 27 years and is the father of five children. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, hiking, skiing and yoga
Since November 2020, Hinkel has been deputy mayor under Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller, alongsidethe other two mayors Klaudia Zepuntke and Clara Gerlach
Words Dagmar Haas-Pilwat
Pictures Michael Lübke