Confectioner Interview: – “Confectioners everywhere have to cut corners”

„krone“: This energy crisis threatens the survival of many confectioners. They are forced to lay off employees. Will there soon be no more pastry shops in Vienna?
Josef Angelmayer: The energy crisis is dramatic for the manufacturing industry. We have to cut spending everywhere. Starting with optimizing production times with less stock in the cold store. The staff reduction is in any case not the first point of departure.

The shortage of skilled workers is also a recurring theme in this sector. Isn’t that contradictory if the employees are now fired?
There is still a great need. Above all, service personnel are desperately needed. We also have to look to the future, hopefully the crisis will come to an end soon and then we will need well-trained specialists.

Speaking of education, what is the current status of apprentices in the industry?
Well, we have a lot of young people who give us hope for the future of our industry.

In addition to the effects of price increases on companies, customers are also affected. How do you want to keep the guests?
The situation is difficult for the pastry chef because sweets are not part of their daily needs. And the higher costs cannot be passed on to the customer one-to-one. Nobody buys a piece of cake for 8 euros. It urgently needs help from the federal government.

The Christmas season is approaching, Christmas baking was also expensive in previous years, do you think people can still afford it now?
For us, Christmas is the busiest time of the year. I’m convinced that the Viennese want us to sweeten their party again this year.