I still drive a 2000 Camry. I don’t like debt - Chris Schutte (Astral Foods CEO)

The Money Show’s Bruce Whitfield interviews Schutte about his attitude to money (hopes and fears, successes and failures, etc.).

I grew up in Oudtshoorn… My dad was in the military… My mom was a housewife… We had the typical army camp lifestyle… We were poor… My dad used to get paid in a little brown envelope… The picture will never escape me…

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

I never had the privilege to go to university… There was no money… and I don’t think my grades were good enough.

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

I had my first heart attack at 30 working 18 hours a day… I’ve had five, and I’m still around… My attitude was work hard, and work longer hours… In the poultry industry, there really is no other way…

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

Every week The Money Show’s Bruce Whitfield interviews a famous person about her or his attitude to money (hopes and fears, successes and failures, etc.) as part of his weekly “Make Money Mondays, Personal Edition” feature.

This week Whitfield interviewed Astral Foods CEO Chris Schutte.

Schutte – who started his career in 1984 as the assistant to a chicken farm manager – has been with Astral since 2002.

He became CEO in 2009.

Schutte was recently featured on The Money Show; campaigning for the inclusion of chicken in the VAT-free basket of foods, which doesn’t have any meat products currently.

• What does Schutte believe about money?

• Does he spend like crazy, or save compulsively?

• How did his childhood experiences of deprivation, or abundance, shape his views on money?

Listen to the interview in the audio below (and/or scroll down for more quotes from it).

I still drive a 2000 Camry… I don’t like debt, and I taught my children the same…

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

I was a self-appointed waiter at a roadhouse… I collected empty bottles for cash…

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

I was at one stage an amateur boxing champion for South Africa.

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

I had a number of after-hours jobs… My first one was making feather dusters… In school holidays I had more than one job in a day… I managed two clothing stores when I was 18…

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

I never made a career decision; it just happened.

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

I once paid more than R100 for a bottle of red wine… I almost fainted!

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

I don’t like the idea of retirement…

Chris Schutte, Astral Foods

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This article first appeared on 702 : I still drive a 2000 Camry. I don’t like debt - Chris Schutte (Astral Foods CEO)

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