Katrin Pütz

Full of energy and up for a good laugh, but with one topic she understands no fun: aid for Africa. She dedicates more than her professional life to prove that Africa needs no aid.

Passion and profession

The practitioner

KatrIn grew up on her grandmothers' small dairy farm where working with animals and on the field from childhood on shaped her passion for nature and environment. She used her practical talent to become a cabinet maker by trade and to work in different parts of the world as bull catcher, bread baker, cheese maker, roof tiler and tour guide. Her practical skills have been enhance by her passion and later combined with academic knowledge.

The scientist

She graduated from the University of Koblenz in Ecological Impact Assessment (B.Sc.) and holds an M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from University of Hohenheim. She is an alumni of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. As PhD candidate at Hohenheim University she develop the concept of mobile biogas and implemented the research together with Addis Abeba University, HoA-REC.

The social entrepreneur

Katrin founded the only international Biogas Company that works in Africa and has stayed independent of Western funding. (B)energy is now based in Germany with independent branches in a growing number of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Her unique entrepreneurial approach is based on values like dignity and independence and it is characterised by simple and impactful innovations such as the biogas backpack and modular burner.

The activist

Katrin is on a mission to see an aid-free biogas sector thrive. She leads several initiatives that create awareness about the negative effects of aid and collaborates with African biogas entrepreneurs to fight against further market distortion through foreign aid in #BiogasUnite. She shares her experience and passion with organisations and individuals interested in taking innovative and honest approaches to solve global issues.

Cutting apart a big old fallen oak tree

Castration of male calves on Australian cattle stations

Learning bush mechanics in the Australian Outback

Bull catching with helicopter and bull buggy in WA

Katrin at her grandmothers's farm bringing coal briquets for the stove

meeting Prof. Muhammed Yunus at the Global Social Business Summit in Mexico

Katrin picking potatoes on the field

Meeting AU chairperson Dlamini-Zuma

roof tiling in Switzerland - tough job!

Bull Catching in Western Australia

Lasso catching of wild horses in Australia

her passion - chainsaw carving

herding goats in Switzerland

cheese making in the Swiss alps

traveling Mongolia on horses

Bike tour guiding for Butterfield & Robinson

International Awards

Presenting oneself in the best light is not her thing. Katrin does not apply for awards. She is convinced that her hard work will be recognized when it has a significant impact on the world. She works to earn rather than chase awards. Each one of the awards she is receiving is a true honor as she has always been nominated by somebody.