Gerhard Höllinger: The path to becoming a fruit juice pioneer

As the founder of the eponymous Höllinger brand, Gerhard Höllinger is now one of Austria's best-known fruit juice producers. What began with an idea and a bit of courage has developed over three decades into an internationally successful brand for high-quality organic fruit juices.

From the milk shelf to the juice shelf

Gerhard Höllinger's professional origins lie in the dairy industry. As a product manager, he was responsible for the so-called "white palette", i.e., traditional dairy products, until internal restructuring led to the termination. What initially seemed like a step backward became a turning point: Höllinger recognized a gap in the refrigerated market for domestic fruit juice – especially apple juice – as an alternative to imported direct juices from Italy.

The Styrian apple and the founding of Höllinger Fruit Juices

By supporting labour market policy measures and vocational training in the area of Key account management Höllinger took the step into self-employment. He learned how to prepare purchasing data for retailers and, within a year, developed a marketable concept for direct juices made from local fruit. He also consulted with business consultants to benefit from their expertise during the start-up process. The first major success was a Apple juice made from Styrian apples – with no added sugar and naturally cloudy quality.

Juice for every day – and the rocky road to get there

The path to becoming one of the most well-known fruit juice brands was anything but easy for Höllinger. It was a big challenge, especially at the beginning, because Austrian beverage market is highly concentrated – only a few large corporations share the majority of the market share. He probably made every mistake possible – but also learned from them and corrected everything step by step, Gerhard Höllinger recalls.

Höllinger today: Quality, innovation and export

Today, the Höllinger brand stands for natural ingredients, transparency, and sustainable production. The product range extends from classic varieties such as Apple, Orange and multivitamin about innovative sugar-free drinks to non-alcoholic cocktail alternatives. fruit juices von Höllinger are now distributed worldwide by mail order – from Germany to the Seychelles.

Demand for organic products is growing steadily, especially in the export sector. Therefore, the range of organically certified beverages has been significantly expanded in recent years. In addition to regional Styrian apple juice, the product range now includes a diverse selection of organic products in various categories.

Continuous development

Despite his entrepreneurial success, Gerhard Höllinger is not thinking about stopping: The development of new product lines such as sugar and sweetener-free products or non-alcoholic innovations such as the recently introduced Limoncello syrup are already on his agenda. For him, it's clear: quality and authenticity remain the foundation of every new product.

Höllinger – more than just fruit juice

Gerhard Höllinger epitomizes the Austrian entrepreneurial spirit: born out of a crisis, with a regional focus and a clear promise of quality. His story shows how an idea became a brand – and how a man with vision left a lasting mark on the Austrian fruit juice market.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the waff (Vienna Employee Promotion Fund) in 2025, the newspaper COURIER the success stories of well-known grant recipients such as Gerhard Höllinger – You can find the article here. You can find out more about the Höllinger brand and the team behind it read here and feel free to contact us at any time.