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The new coffee indulgence

Iris Grieshofer has been Managing Director of Regio-Rösterei in Marchtrenk since the end of 2013.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/SPAR/evatrifft (3))

Once the classic stimulant, now hip: coffee has undergone an image change. Business with the beans is booming. Iris Grieshofer, Managing Director of Regio in Marchtrenk (Upper Austria), reveals what this means for Austria's largest roastery.

Iris Grieshofer drinks between seven and eight espressos a day. "I know that's a lot - my doctor thinks so too," says the Managing Director of the Regio roastery in Marchtrenk with a smile.

For more than ten years, the Linz native has been in charge of the Spar Group's own brand and thus Austria's largest coffee roastery. Her office is a small jewelry box dedicated to the bean: old coffee packs are displayed here, as are curtains sewn by an employee and embroidered with slogans about coffee enjoyment.

4000 tons of roasted coffee were packaged by Spar's own brand in 2023 and have now been given new packaging.

(Bild: SPAR/evatrifft)

In the directly adjacent production hall, two roasters and three packaging systems ensure that there is always enough coffee available at the Spar locations in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and northern Italy.

"Coffee has become hipper"
Since Grieshofer took over responsibility at Regio at the end of 2013, the market and consumer behavior have changed significantly: "Quality awareness has increased due to all the small roasters and small coffee houses that have opened up," says the 47-year-old. She continues: "Coffee has become hipper. It used to be a bit of a Sunday afternoon with grandma. Today, it's not just the classic stimulant, but also a stimulant."

It used to be a bit of a Sunday afternoon at grandma's house. Today, it's not just a classic pick-me-up, but also a stimulant.

Iris Grieshofer

Regio has given itself a new brand image in recent months. The design of 22 packs has been tinkered with, but the material has also been tweaked to increase recyclability.

Huge price increases for green coffee
"Our bean packs are now completely aluminum-free, we are going completely plastic-free," says Grieshofer, who is also struggling with the price increases for green coffee: "The prices have risen enormously. What we're experiencing right now is crazy. We are doing our best to ensure that the customer doesn't feel the impact."