Staud: small store with a big plant

What has kept the Staud family food store alive since1880 in the marketplace of a district called Ottakring in Vienna? The key to the secret is in the jam factory which belongs to the store. Ten out of ten people I asked in Vienna are familiar with the Staud brand of exceptionally high quality jam made using traditional methods and manual labour. Hans Staud, heir to the family business went to study at the University of Economics in 1966. By 1970, handicraft production and traditional retail trade were in decline. At that time, there were still over 100 family businesses like Staud, involved in the wholesale and retail trade of fruits and vegetables in Vienna. Today, there are less than ten. “One of my professors at the university gave me the idea that making a product of exceptional quality can be the key to success” he says. His father was quite sceptical about his efforts to start up his jam making enterprise, remarking that “You won’t even earn sand” with this activity. His forecast turned out to be wrong. Today, Hans Staud is making 4 million jars of jam and fruit a year and his revenues have grown by 17 per cent compared to the year before. 40 per cent of his production is exported to a number of countries, with Hungary among them. “Our jams are made with a lot of fruit and little sugar. We have been maintaining the highest quality for years. Usually I personally buy the selected fruits used for production and my suppliers know that I have a critical eye. But I pay more than usual for the best quality” – he adds. He is a frequent visitor in Hungary, buying top quality fruits from old suppliers. Fruit content is never less than 50 per cent in his products and most of the colour, flavours and vitamins in the fruits are preserved as a result of the vacuum cooking technology. Small jars, between 370 and 250 gram sizes are emptied quickly, which means there is no time for flavour or fragrance to deteriorate. 120 jams and 80 types of vegetables are sold in jars in his store at the marketplace.
Herr Staud is not afraid of competition by discount stores. He believes that people who try to lead their lives health-consciously and prefer premium quality will continue to be loyal to his store.