Johannes Gutmann built up a veritable spice empire in the Waldviertel. On the occasion of the 35th anniversary, he delves into the past and also lets us participate in one or the other bizarre story.
“Are you crazy?” This question was often asked 35 years ago to the then young entrepreneur Johannes Gutmann. But the founder of Sonnentor proved all his doubters wrong. As early as 1988 he was working in the back room of a pharmacy on a tea mixture – this is how the “Good Mood Tea” was born. In the 1990s, he presented his herbal products at a trade fair with only one banana box containing thirty packets of tea.
In 1992 he bought an empty courtyard of an old farm in Sprögnitz, a town with 100 inhabitants in the Waldviertel. “What are you doing with the clog?” were the words of his father. The farm has now become a workplace for 370 people.
The first stumbling blocks
“I was hooked at the beginning of my company’s history, but I often stumbled. I was very lucky to get a start-up loan,” says Gutmann. The school-leaver ruined it right away. “Because I have the wrong bag ordered!” Finally he was able to recover the lost money After 35 years of hard work and the courage to innovate, Sonnentor has more than 900 products on its shelves.
The 35th anniversary was recently celebrated extensively during a colorful festival with highlights in the program for the whole family in the spice village of Sprögnitz.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
