Aida is a kind of Viennese institution, with more than 20 branches in Vienna – the pink appearance makes the company very eye-catchingly presented. The company is still led by the founding family Prousek , in the fourth generation – this year Aida celebrates its 110th birthday.
The focus at Aida is now on expansion: at the beginning, there will be more locations in Austria. Currently, in addition to Vienna, there are two branches in Innsbruck and one in Graz. As a next step from 2024, the traditional confectionery wants to cross Austria’s borders – initially limiting itself to neighboring European countries.
The Vienna location is to remain the production site even during the expansion, he said. The current 60- 80 employees already produce more than 1,000 tons of baked goods annually. In order to be able to handle the planned expansion in production as well, “industry-standard” day and night shifts are to be added. In this way, Aida could triple production, says spokesman Ratzenberger.
After all, pastries and Aida’s own coffee beans will soon be available in supermarket chains. Billa already has the coffee beans in its assortment.
By 1939, eleven branches had been opened in Vienna: those in Mariahilfer Strasse or Bognergasse have been in operation since then. What is noticeable about the old branches is that they are often found on street corners because there is more display space for pastries. Furthermore, Aida can also boast the oldest cream cake recipe that has been written down anywhere in the world. In 1943, the company wanted to make sure that the recipes would be preserved and wrote them down. With its motto “Highest quality at affordable prices”, AIDA has since grown to become the largest café and confectionery chain in Europe. Around 300 employees work in more than 30 branches, selling around 18,000 cups 364 days a year and well over 100 tons of coffee annually. Standardized finishing processes and sophisticated refrigeration logistics guarantee consistently high quality everywhere. International expansion takes place on a franchise basis.
