Image: Vivatis
More than one billion euros in sales: the Linz-based food group Vivatis achieved this for the first time last year. Specifically, it was 1.168 billion euros, after 968 million euros in the previous year. Vivatis, which is 100 percent owned by Raiffeisenlandesbank, informed about this yesterday, Friday. The company with the Maresi, Knabber Nossi or Inzersdorfer brands does not give any earnings figures.
The growth is based on three pillars, says CEO Gerald Hackl: First, the group grew under its own steam, second, with acquisitions, and third, also thanks to higher prices. “Even if we cannot and do not want to pass on all the additional costs,” says Hackl in an interview with OÖN.
Vivatis has generated around 100 million euros in additional sales from its own resources, 70 million euros can be attributed to higher prices. Companies acquired in 2021 also played a role, for example the traditional Viennese companies Wojnar’s and Gerstner as well as dumpling specialist Ackerl from the Weinviertel.
Hackl says that energy prices are “still tough”. The aftermath of the war accompanied the food industry for a long time. Gas and electricity prices have tripled, for this year Vivatis expects additional costs of around 150 million euros, of which 80 to 90 million for raw materials. Normally there are ten to 20 million euros additional costs.
Hackl says that Vivatis is trying to gradually phase out fossil fuels for heat and steam processes at the group’s production sites. “We install photovoltaic systems wherever possible.” Geothermal energy and wind turbines are also topics. Gas will continue to be important as a bridging technology.
200 vacancies in the group
The number of employees at Vivatis rose from 3,400 to 3,492 in the previous year. The group includes 25 companies in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Italy. The export rate is 20 percent. Vivatis is also affected by the dried-up job market: 200 people are being sought.
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