History

How it all began

Back in 1906, innkeeper Josef Starzinger in Frankenmarkt laid the foundations for a solidly growing and far-sighted beverage company by bottling soda water and lemonades.

The difficult post-war years

Born in 1912, August Starzinger I leads the company through the difficult post-war years after the turmoil of the Second World War. With the reconstruction came the transition to automation. This gave August Starzinger I every opportunity for expansion. The usual horse-drawn carts and handcarts used to deliver Starzinger lemonades and soda water to pubs are replaced by trucks. In addition to bottling the Afri-Cola, Frucade and Almdudler brands under license, August Starzinger I pushes ahead with the production of his own brands. In doing so, he is standing up for his position as an independent entrepreneur.

Generational change and relocation

In 1977, August Starzinger, born in 1943, takes over his father's company. Together with his wife Ingeborg, he now runs the lemonade bottling company with 13 employees. He had been with the company since 1959.

At that time, the bottling plant was still located in the center of Frankenmarkt, and expansion at this location was not possible. A prerequisite for relocation is the supply of first-class water. Today's Frankenmarkter mineral water was found on the outskirts of Frankenmarkt, at a depth of 80 meters. The modern bottling plant can now also be built here. Through the purchase of neighboring land and the expansion of the buildings on it, the company reaches its current size and becomes the headquarters of the Starzinger Beverage Group.

Entry into the brewing business

After the death of the owner of the brewery in Frankenmarkt, August Starzinger II bought the Bräu am Berg brewery in 1985 with the intention of continuing it as a small, traditional company without any major expansion plans. Today, the traditional Upper Austrian company is a private brewery with the motto "small but fine".

Off to new shores

During the wave of privatization of state-owned companies, August Starzinger II acquired the mineral water brands JUVINA (bottled in Deutschkreutz/Bgld.) and Long Life (bottled in Bad Radkersburg/Stmk.) from Heilmittelwerke Wien in 1989. These waters perfectly complement the products of the parent company in Frankenmarkt (mineral water and soft drinks).

In 1989, the opening up of Eastern Europe also led to a strong expansion into the Eastern markets. In addition to the traditional glass bottling plants, modern bottling plants for PET plastic bottles and aluminum cans are also built.

Expansion in Hungary

One year later, the mineral water company in Bad Bük, Hungary, is purchased. The company's headquarters are located in Budapest, where Markus Starzinger (son of August Starzinger II) manages the business both for Hungary and for export to other Eastern European countries. As part of these export efforts, the Aspach brewery in Upper Austria is acquired in 1991. This enables the export of beer in particular to be significantly increased.

Starzinger acquires Austria's Bombe refreshment brand

In 1995, the traditional Austrian brand Schartner Bombe, including production in Bad Hall, is taken over and rebuilt into a strong brand. In the course of constant quality improvements, the production of Schartner Bombe is relocated to the mineral water production site in Frankenmarkt in 2000.

Own advertising agency

Due to the constantly growing variety of brands, Ludmilla Starzinger founded her own advertising agency in Frankenmarkt in 1998. This takes care of product development, design and marketing. This made it possible to offer customers a full service: From the taste to the label.

The next generation takes off

In 2010, Ludmilla Starzinger takes over overall responsibility for the Starzinger Group, which has around 250 employees and bottles around 1000 international products. With a constant eye on the future, she never forgets the philosophy of the company's founders: to take responsibility for employees, customers and consumers as well as for the cultural and traditional values of our homeland.

Victor Starzinger joins the company in the fifth generation

After studying to become a brewing and beverage technologist and master brewer, Victor Starzinger took over the management of all production sites. In 2015, he became the owner of the private brewery Bräu am Berg and thus also took over responsibility for beer production.

The production site in Frankenmarkt and the private brewery in Aspach were also IFS-certified.

Bräu am Berg

The private brewery Bräu am Berg was awarded the IFS certificate and a logistics center with more than 12,000 m² of storage space was built.

Always on the move

New administrative buildings are being built in Frankenmarkt and Deutschkreutz and the plant in Deutschkreutz is being prepared for IFS certification.

111th company anniversary - Managing Director August Starzinger Sr. retires

On the company's 111th anniversary, August Starzinger Sr. retires after 40 years as Managing Director of the Starzinger Beverage Group. He made many investments which enabled the company to grow to its current size and he can hand over a healthy company.

In the anniversary year, the new administration center was also opened, from where the international activities of the beverage group are managed. The building, as well as a total of 12,000m² of storage space, is heated exclusively by recycling waste heat from the compressors used in production. Charging stations for electric cars will also be installed in the underground parking garage of the new administration building.

Furthermore, the world's most modern PET plant at the time was installed at the main Frankenmarkt site this year.

Investment in two packaging machines

With the investment in two new packaging machines for one of the canning lines, it is now possible to pack cans in four- and six-pack films. A further step towards offering our customers more flexibility.

General refurbishment of the Bad Radkersburg plant

The administration wing and the entire production facility at the Bad Radkersburg plant were completely renovated. In addition, investments were made in a new two-storey PET plant with a capacity of 12,000 bottles/hour.
The existing 700m² warehouse was converted into a production facility and a new 1,200m² warehouse was built.
As part of the refurbishment, an oil boiler was dispensed with and part of the plant was connected to the regional district heating system.

Upgrading the washing machine for the glass plant

In the spirit of sustainability, the existing washing machine for the glass plant was upgraded, reducing water consumption by a fifth.

Investment in plastic-free packaging variants

The packaging unit of the can line II has been completely redesigned, which now enables us to offer a completely plastic-free packaging variant for cans in addition to the existing packaging variants in corrugated cardboard trays and shrink film.

It is possible to choose from various sizes and designs of an all-round corrugated cardboard packaging solution.

Sustainable investments and generational change at Starzinger

As part of a generational change, Victor Starzinger takes over 25% of the company shares as Managing Director. Starzinger has also initiated a sustainable turnaround, including switching to 100% green electricity and investing in a 15,000m² photovoltaic system. This system is expected to cover 45% of the company's electricity requirements. In addition, one of the three can plants at the Franking site has been completely rebuilt, doubling the production capacity of this plant. This saves resources and energy. Investments were also made in five elevated tanks with a total capacity of 1.2 million liters for water management.

Commissioning of a fourth canning line at the main site in Frankenmarkt, Upper Austria

Production capacity in can filling has been expanded again with the commissioning of a fourth canning line at the Franking site. Starzinger thus offers even more flexibility and efficiency in contract filling. 

Expansion of the administration building in Frankenmarkt.

Construction of a logistics center at the Frankenmarkt site

A new logistics center is being built at the Frankenmarkt site to make the entire logistics and production process even more efficient. For example, a further 12 loading ramps are being built for deliveries and collections.

In addition, the juice room will be optimized for more efficient processing.