He was 78 years old. It was he who transformed the pastry shop opened by his father Alfons in the big player of international level that he is today. While continuing to research the quality of the origins
If Napolitaner, Cremkakao, vanilla or milk wafers, carried on the shoulders of gnomes, have become famous all over the world, the merit is Armin Loacker. Son of Alfons, founder of the historic manufacturing company, he died today at age 78.
From the small confectioner's in Bolzano to the industrial evolution
It was he who transformed the bakery opened in 1925, in the historic center of Bolzano, by his father Alfons, a native of the Austrian town of Gotzis, in big player which is today worldwide. In the workshop of piazza Domenicani they prepared, in addition to the classic pastry products, the wafers, with natural and genuine ingredients. In 1974, the production site had become too small to meet the ever-increasing demand for Loacker specialties. Armin, together with his sister Christine, decided to move to the Renon plateau, in the midst of the Dolomites, and not to the industrial area of Bolzano, because he was convinced that, despite the industrial evolution of his patisserie, «a natural product is produced in a natural environment. We therefore need healthy air, clean water and mountains ".
Armin Loacker dan anaknya mengawasi bagan produksi dan memastikan proses produksi berjalan sesuai prosedur. pic.twitter.com/bZl3sfeAc6
– Loacker Indonesia (@LoackerID) December 29, 2014
Gnomes
For this reason the mascots of its products are gnomes, which characterize the brand as the design of Mount Sciliar, present on most of the packs. "Their world represents a symbol of simple, pure and natural lifestyle all over the world ", writes the company. «Gnomes want to establish a sympathetic bond with women, men and children all over the world, offering and guaranteeing the goodness of all Loacker products.
The company today
Today the company has a thousand employees. In 2017 it achieved a turnover of 335 million euros, producing 876 million pieces for a total of 36159 tons (these are the latest data released by the company). 30% sold in Italy, 70% in the rest of the world. Loacker also operates seven Loacker Stores, consisting of Loacker Café-Pastry and Loacker Brandstore. At the Heinfels site in East Tyrol (Austria), there is the Mondo Bontà Loacker, with an interactive exhibition and an interactive pastry shop. The management is entrusted to the sons of Armin, Andreas and Martin, and to the nephew Ulrich Zuenelli.
Italy is the country where the wafers are most consumed, followed by Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Israel, China, United States, United Arab Emirates and Australia. In Europe, after Italy, it is Germany, at the tenth place in the world ranking, to consume more wafers.
