The ice cream maker from Lockenhaus

At the age of 19, Joachim Kitzwögerer began his apprenticeship as a stonemason and stone sculptor in Lockenhaus, Burgenland. He has lived in the community of 2,000 souls since his birth. In 2013, he additionally began to buy and renovate houses in his hometown in order to subsequently rent them out. The tranquil village of Lockenhaus is best known for its medieval flair around the castle, which is steeped in history. The local Café Heiling, which has been serving ice cream made to its own recipe since 1927, also has a long history. And since 2013, a very special one, as locals and visitors from the surrounding area agree.

A fact, however, in which Kitzwögerer recognized a great opportunity. He is known in the region, not without reason, for his ideas and his go-getter attitude, and began to experiment with the old recipes of the Heiling family. "The traditional recipe for the ice cream has been around since 1927, and the previous owner of the café passed on her expertise, the recipe, and the name to me. On weekends, the stonemason, who was still working full time, has been in the ice cream parlour himself to take on board the feedback from customers and implement it straight away: "When I realised that people were travelling over 50 kilometres to Lockenhaus for my ice cream, I knew that I was doing everything right."
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Joachim Kitzwögerer sees his success primarily in the quality and innovation of his products. "It is important to me that we remain regional. It starts with the milk, which we buy in the Bucklige Welt, the raspberries come from southern Burgenland, the strawberries from Wiesen, the plums from Raiding." The father of two children attaches great importance to the selection of his suppliers and sustainability is also a priority at Heiling Eis - the branches, for example, are almost plastic-free.

Not only the classic varieties such as strawberry, vanilla or chocolate are part of the Heiling ice cream range, but also unusual creations such as grandma's apple strudel or the popular mini ice cream dumplings. The mini ice cream dumplings are his reaction to winter unemployment: "In summer, we are busy making ice cream and selling it - I was looking for something that my employees could also produce in winter so that I could keep them busy during the cold winter months."