Triple anniversary and 15 million yeast dumplings every year at Weinbergmaier

There are three good reasons to celebrate this year for the frozen food specialist Weinbergmaier: the 55th company anniversary, 30 years of the Wolfern location and 50 years of the production facility in Vienna. It all started in Steyr in 1969 (see chronicle). Waltraud Moser, the daughter of the founding couple Rudolf and Erika Weinbergmaier, was largely responsible for turning Weinbergmaier from a family business with a home delivery service into a success story with today 250 employees. She recognized the trend towards convenience products early on and sent smoked dumplings, a flagship product of the company to this day, around the world through cooperation with Lufthansa.

600 local specialties in the range

Moser also moved the company from Steyr to Wolfern. The company’s development can also be understood using impressive figures. In 1991, around 127 tons of flour were processed. “In 2023 it was 3,000 tons of flour,” said managing director Gerald Spitzer yesterday at a press conference at the Wolfern location. “We have around 600 red-white-red specialties in our range. From pastries to dumplings of all kinds – 80 percent of the ingredients and raw materials for them come from Austria.” 190 employees in Wolfern currently produce, among other things, 15 million yeast dumplings and eight million pancakes every year. The Vienna branch with 60 employees is the Strudel Manufactory. 90 percent of the range goes frozen to the catering trade and grocery stores. In 2023, sales of 72 million euros were achieved.

Image: Weinbergmaier

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25 million euros were recently invested in Wolfern – 9,000 tons of frozen food are produced annually.
Image: Weinbergmaier

According to Spitzer, in the past it was not always easy to find a sufficient number of qualified employees and, above all, apprentices in Steyr’s industrial environment. “The situation has stabilized and today more young people are interested in training with us than we can offer jobs.” Four apprentices are currently being trained in Wolfern, and a fifth is expected to join them soon. Big nutritional trends – such as meat-free food – also concern the product developers at Weinbergmaier. Organic home cooking is sold under the “Hänsel & Gretel” brand.

One of Spitzer and his team’s goals for the future is to further expand the export quota of thirty percent. “We still have great potential, especially in Germany,” says the managing director. What is very well received at Christmas markets there is the Kaiserschmarren to go – one of the more recent developments from Wolfern.

The company anniversaries are celebrated, among other things, at the employee party in August and in the fall at the big dumpling festival in Wolfern.