What VIVATIS Holding does

VIVATIS Holding AG is a Linz-headquartered Austrian management holding company that owns and operates 25 food and beverage subsidiaries with €1.43 billion in 2025 sales and 4,100 employees. The group is wholly owned by Raiffeisen Landesbank Oberösterreich and is one of the largest purely Austrian-owned food and beverage companies, processing over 100 million kg of Austrian meat, fruit, vegetables, and dairy annually. Its portfolio spans communal catering (GOURMET, market leader in Austria with 6,000+ customers and 180 on-site restaurants), branded consumer foods (MARESI, KARNERTA, WOJNAR'S, KnabberNossi, Inzersdorfer, Shan'Shi, Siggi, Himmeltau, and ~15 other brands), frozen food production (WEINBERGMAIER, Bauernland, Hänsel & Gretel), food distribution and trading (Maresi Foodbroker across 5 Central European countries, FW Trading in European meat trade, DAILY frozen logistics), and animal by-product rendering (PUREA, TKV-Gruppe).

VIVATIS makes money through a mix of B2B recurring services (communal catering contracts with schools, kindergartens, companies, hospitals, retirement homes), B2B food brokerage and distribution (own and ~50 partner brands such as Lay's, Ovomaltine, Twinings distributed through retail and food service in 5 CEE countries), B2C branded packaged goods (dairy, snacks, ready meals, frozen specialties, delicatessen, Asian ingredients), B2B frozen logistics services (DAILY warehouse, transportation, multi-temperature logistics for food retailers and bulk buyers), and rendering services (animal by-products for pet food, feed, biodiesel, and thermal power). Distribution is multi-channel: direct sales teams (GOURMET), food broker model (Maresi), physical retail (8 KARNERTA specialist stores), European B2B trade (FW Trading), and independent logistics services (DAILY).

The group operates production and distribution infrastructure across Austria (Vienna, Linz, Klagenfurt, Wolfern, Asten, St. Pölten, Gabersdorf, Regau, Unterfrauenhaid) and maintains sales/marketing presence in Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. The group holds ISO 9001/14001/50001, IFS, BRC, GMP+, AMA, BIO, and MSC certifications, supported by 55 annual certification audits, 30,000 product analyses, and 50 internal quality experts. SENNA (€80m sales, 20+ countries) is being divested to Orkla pending H1 2026 regulatory approval.

Name

VIVATIS Holding

Legal name

VIVATIS Holding AG

Website

https://vivatis.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

VIVATIS Holding AG is an Austrian family-owned food and beverage holding company operating 25 subsidiaries across communal catering, branded consumer foods, frozen foods, food logistics, and rendering, generating €1.43 billion in 2025 sales with 4,100 employees and a 100+ brand portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food & Beverage Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Dairy Spreads, Dips & Cream Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Spreads, Sweeteners & Syrups (Jam, Honey, Nut Butters, Maple) (CRADAAAC)

Keywords

• Food production services
• Communal catering
• Frozen food logistics
• Meat processing products
• Food brand distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Linz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Communal Catering: GOURMET brand provides meals to kindergartens, schools, company canteens, retirement homes, hospitals, and delivers retail and food service products. Operates 180 on-site restaurants and event catering services. Major revenue driver with over 6,000 customers in Austria and southern Germany.
2. Food Brokerage and Distribution: Maresi Austria operates as certified Food Broker distributing international partner brands and own brands across 5 Central European countries. Revenue from distribution fees and margins on brand sales.
3. Meat, Fish, and Pasta Products: KARNERTA produces and sells meat products (fresh meat, sausages, smoked products), fish products, and fresh pasta to food service sector, hotels, commercial kitchens, and retail. Sells through 8 specialist stores and 6 branches.
4. European Meat Trading: FW Trading specializes in European meat trade with focus on Hungarian and Polish white meat (turkey, chicken, goose, duck) and European venison, pork, beef. Services include inter-seasonal balancing, market development, European sales/sourcing networks.
5. Frozen Food Logistics: Daily Service provides trader-independent frozen food logistics including warehouse, transportation, and multi-temperature range logistics to food retailers and bulk buyers without requiring own infrastructure investment.
6. Animal Proteins and Fats: PUREA produces high-quality animal proteins and fats from animal by-products for pet food, feed, chemical industry, and organic fertilizer at two Austrian locations since 1942.
7. Rendering Services: TKV Group (Burgenland, Oberösterreich, Steiermark) collects, processes, recycles, and disposes animal by-products. Produces meat and bone meal for thermal power plants and cement works, and animal fat for biodiesel and power generation.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VIVATIS Holding AG is a strategic management holding company that owns and operates a portfolio of approximately 25 Austrian food and beverage companies. Its subsidiaries produce and distribute branded food products (dairy, meat, fish, pasta, frozen meals, ready meals, snacks, Asian ingredients, animal proteins/fats), operate communal catering and on-site restaurants, broker international food brands across Central Europe, run frozen food logistics, and process animal by-products for industrial uses.

Product overview

VIVATIS Holding AG is a strategic management holding company for the Austrian food and beverage industry, operating as a diversified portfolio of branded food producers, production facilities, and service companies. The holding structure encompasses approximately 25 group companies organized into distinct business segments: (1) Communal Catering & Hospitality under the GOURMET brand, including Gerstner, Café Schwarzenberg, and Wiener Rathauskeller; (2) Branded Consumer Products including MARESI (coffee milk, ice coffee), KnabberNossi (snack sausages), Inzersdorfer (ready meals), Shan'Shi (Asian products), Siggi (children's milk), Himmeltau (baby food), Die leichte Muh (reduced-fat dairy), WOJNAR'S (delicatessen spreads), KARNERTA (meat, fish, pasta), Toni Kaiser (pastries), Hänsel & Gretel (organic frozen), Ackerl (convenience dumplings), and Bauernland (frozen Austrian classics); (3) Frozen Food Production via WEINBERGMAIER; (4) Food Logistics via DAILY (frozen logistics) and FW TRADING (meat trading); (5) Animal By-Product Processing via PUREA (proteins and fats) and TKV-GRUPPE (rendering). The group generated €1.43 billion in annual sales in 2025 with 4,100 employees, 21.4% export share, and processes over 100 million kilograms of Austrian meat, fruit, vegetables, and dairy annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GOURMET: Market leader in communal catering - meals for schools, kindergartens, companies, retirement homes, retail and events
• MARESI
• KARNERTA
• FW Trading
• WEINBERGMAIER
• DAILY
• PUREA
• TKV-Gruppe
• WOJNAR'S
• Toni Kaiser
• KnabberNossi
• Inzersdorfer
• Bauernland
• Ackerl
• Hänsel & Gretel
• Shan'Shi
• Siggi
• Himmeltau
• Die leichte Muh
• Café Schwarzenberg
• Wiener Rathauskeller
• CERNYs
• Gerstner
• MARESI Partner Brands
• ECOFLY

Products and services

• GOURMET Communal Catering Outsourced meal services for kindergartens, schools, company canteens, retirement homes, hospitals, retail food service, and events across Austria and southern Germany. Market leader in Austrian communal catering.
• MARESI Food Brokerage and Distribution Certified food broker and distributor of own brands (KnabberNossi, Inzersdorfer, Shan'Shi, Siggi, Himmeltau, Die leichte Muh) and international partner brands (Lay's, Ovomaltine, Twinings, etc.) to food retail and food service across five Central European countries.
• KARNERTA Meat, Fish and Pasta Production Production and supply of regional meat products (fresh, smoked, sausages), fish products, and fresh pasta to food service, hotels, commercial kitchens, and retail in Austria, including via 8 specialist stores and 6 HoReCa branches.
• WEINBERGMAIER Frozen Food Production Production of frozen Austrian dishes (soups, main dishes, side dishes, desserts, snacks) and organic frozen specialties (Hänsel & Gretel) at the Wolfern facility.
• PUREA Animal Proteins and Fats Production of high-quality animal proteins and fats from animal by-products for the pet food, feed, and chemical industries, operating from two Austrian sites.
• TKV Group Rendering and Animal By-Product Recycling Collection, processing, recycling, and disposal of animal by-products into meat and bone meal for thermal power plants and cement works, and animal fat for biodiesel and power generation, including waste heat recovery.
• DAILY Frozen Food Logistics Outsourced frozen food logistics services including warehousing, precision order picking, transportation, and multi-temperature range logistics to food retailers and bulk buyers in Austria.
• FW Trading European Meat Trade European meat trading specializing in Hungarian and Polish white meat, venison, pork, beef, bison, and rabbit, with inter-seasonal balancing, market development, and European sales and sourcing networks for wholesalers, retailers, and meat industry.
• WOJNAR'S Delicatessen Products Production of spreads, delicatessen salads, sandwiches, to-go snacks, ready meals, and sweet desserts, with over 90 years of family-company tradition, known for the Original Liptauer.
• Café Schwarzenberg (Heritage Restaurant) Heritage Viennese coffeehouse and restaurant on the Ringstrasse, operating since 1861, offering traditional Viennese coffeehouse culture, pastries, Viennese cuisine, and cultural events.
• Wiener Rathauskeller (Heritage Event Location and Restaurant) Heritage event location and restaurant in the Vienna City Hall basement, in operation since 1899, hosting corporate events, seminars, Christmas parties, and offering traditional Viennese cuisine and wine.

Quantifiable outcome

• Market leader in Austrian communal catering with 6,000+ customers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WWF AustriacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015GOURMET and WWF Austria have been cooperating since 2015 on climate-friendly nutrition awareness. Joint projects include Sustainability Weeks at 2,700 businesses, Climate Cooking Workshop for children, climate-friendly school meal menus, and initiatives 'Restlos gut!' and 'Koch das Klima froh!'
• United Against WastecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014VIVATIS is a network partner of United Against Waste, an industry platform committed to reducing avoidable food waste in out-of-home catering by half by 2030. The partnership focuses on raising awareness for careful food handling, monitoring food waste rates, and implementing reduction initiatives through GOURMET's 6,000+ communal catering customers.
• ARA (Altstoff Recycling Austria AG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIVATIS subsidiaries work closely with ARA - Altstoff Recycling Austria AG in a longstanding partnership for waste separation and packaging raw material recycling. Collaboration includes marketing campaigns to raise consciousness among end users about returning packaging for recycling.
• Hektar NektarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMARESI actively supports Hektar Nektar initiative for sustainable honey production, supporting healthy bee population and eco-friendly honey. Himmeltau brand recipes are sweetened with sustainable Hektar Nektar honey.
• OrklacoreOthersOrkla's ingredients business unit agreed to acquire Senna from VIVATIS Holding. Pending regulatory approval expected H1 2026. Acquisition strengthens Orkla Food Ingredients' position in central and south-eastern Europe.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aryzta: Swiss-Irish frozen bakery and convenience foods company supplying retail and food service across Europe. Directly comparable to VIVATIS's WEINBERGMAIER and Bauernland frozen meals operations.
• Bell Food Group: Swiss holding company operating across convenience, meat, and poultry across Europe with comparable multi-brand, multi-country structure. Bell's range of chilled meats, convenience products, and logistics mirrors VIVATIS's KARNERTA, WEINBERGMAIER, and DAILY operations.
• efko Group: Austrian food company specializing in pickled vegetables, sauces, and condiments. VIVATIS CEO Gerald Hackl was previously efko CEO until 2004, and efko operates in the same Austrian/Cee retail channel that VIVATIS's MARESI serves.
• Orkla: Norwegian/Scandinavian branded consumer goods food conglomerate with a comparable portfolio of local heritage food brands across Northern and Central Europe. Orkla is acquiring VIVATIS's SENNA subsidiary, making it the closest structural peer.

Broad incumbents

• Compass Group: World's largest contract food service company with deep institutional and HoReCa catering operations. Comparable to GOURMET in serving schools, hospitals, and corporate canteens at scale across multiple countries.
• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management company operating large-scale institutional catering contracts. Direct functional comparable to GOURMET's 6,000+ communal catering customer base across schools, healthcare, and corporate sites.
• Greencore Group: UK-listed convenience food manufacturer supplying chilled ready meals, sandwiches, and salads to retail and food service. Comparable to VIVATIS's WOJNAR'S (delicatessen salads, sandwiches, ready meals) and Inzersdorfer (ready meals) operations.
• Tönnies: Germany's largest meat processor with pork, beef, and sausage operations across Europe. Direct peer to VIVATIS's KARNERTA (meat products), FW Trading (white meat trading from Hungary/Poland), and KnabberNossi (snack sausages).

Regional players

• Berglandmilch: Austria's largest dairy cooperative, processing Austrian milk into retail and ingredient dairy products. Direct regional peer for VIVATIS's MARESI brand (coffee milk, milk powder) and Siggi/Himmeltau/Die leichte Muh children's and reduced-fat dairy lines.
• Hochwald Foods: German dairy cooperative producing fluid milk, dairy ingredients, and branded dairy products across DACH. Comparable to MARESI's branded dairy portfolio and VIVATIS's German market presence through GOURMET's Nuremberg operation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VIVATIS Holding