diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 47bbaa1..43f384d 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ if(USE_WEBP)
 
 if(USE_PROJ)
     #https://proj.org/development/cmake.html
-    mapnik_find_package(PROJ ${PROJ_MIN_VERSION} QUIET)
+    mapnik_find_package(PROJ REQUIRED)
     # currently the cmake files are not installed, when installing proj via apt-get. So search via pkg-config
     if(NOT PROJ_FOUND)
         message(STATUS "PROJ not found via FindPROJ. Searching via pkg-config...")