Löblich & Co.

Löblich & Co., formally Löblich & Co. Kessel- und Apparatebau KG, is one of Austria’s oldest continuously operating companies. It began in Vienna on 20 August 1738 as a coppersmith’s workshop founded by Josef Krottenthaller. Over nearly three centuries, the business evolved from artisanal metalworking into a manufacturer and supplier of copper tableware, heating appliances, boilers, water heaters, catering equipment, and professional kitchen systems. It also developed a later business line in commercial real estate. The company’s early history was shaped by family succession. After Krottenthaller died, his wife Eva operated the workshop for fourteen years. His five daughters subsequently inherited it and appointed Johann Georg Wolf as manager. Wolf eventually acquired the business in 1802. Leopold Löblich, a nephew of Wolf’s sister Katharina and the son of cellar master Ferdinand Löblich, took control in 1823. The enterprise has remained associated with descendants of the Löblich family since that transition. The strongest nineteenth-century expansion occurred under Franz Löblich, the second son of Leopold. He broadened the workshop’s activities into the manufacture of copper tableware, heating appliances, and cooking equipment, and moved production to the area of Nußdorfer Straße station in 1860. From 1858, Löblich supplied copper tableware and tinned moulds to the imperial court for confectionery and kitchen use. Franz Löblich was appointed a supplier to the imperial and royal court in 1893, strengthening the company’s reputation among institutional and elite customers. During the early twentieth century, the company reorganized production and introduced stainless steel manufacturing for commercial kitchens and catering equipment. The shift was initially encouraged by copper shortages during and after the First World War, but stainless steel subsequently became strategically important because of its durability. Before the Second World War, Löblich products were distributed internationally. Examples included samovars supplied for the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Mustapha steam-powered coffee brewer, which received a gold medal at the 1937 Paris World Exhibition. The Second World War disrupted the business. Löblich received orders to equip kitchens and military hospitals, while fighting in Vienna in 1945 destroyed most of the company archive. After the war, the company moved decisively into gas heating. Under Maximilian Leopold Löblich, it developed Austria’s first gas boilers and water heaters and later produced wall-mounted gas heating appliances. During the 1950s, the company’s emphasis shifted from commercial kitchen technology toward boilers designed first for town gas and later for natural gas. Heating remained its most important business area until the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, Löblich increasingly combined manufacturing with sales partnerships, wholesale distribution, importing, and technical service. It worked with major French and Italian heating manufacturers and supported heating-equipment exports to neighboring countries and markets in Africa. Its catering division supplied and installed professional kitchens for hospitals and hotels in markets including Africa, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. A 1999 reorganization closed parts of the historic business and concentrated operations on heating technology and catering technology, while large international catering projects supplemented Austrian activities. Today, Löblich & Co. is associated with gas-heating distribution and service, professional kitchen and food-production systems, technical repair, and the development of commercial premises in Vienna. Its real-estate activities focus on properties suitable for small businesses, workshops, offices, warehouses, and production operations. The company’s long history, family ownership, engineering heritage, and combination of technical products with installation and service distinguish it from a conventional consumer brand.

Löblich & Co. traces its origins to a coppersmith workshop established in Vienna by Josef Krottenthaller on 20 August 1738. Following his death, his wife Eva maintained the business for fourteen years. The workshop then passed to Krottenthaller’s five daughters, who appointed Johann Georg Wolf as manager. Wolf later took full ownership in 1802. In 1823, Leopold Löblich assumed control after the death of his uncle. He had trained as a master coppersmith and had worked in the enterprise since 1810. The company subsequently became identified with the Löblich family, whose descendants continued to own it. Under Franz Löblich, the second son of Leopold, the business expanded during the nineteenth century from craft production into industrial manufacturing. Its portfolio included copper tableware, cooking appliances, heating products, and equipment for institutional kitchens. Production moved to the area around Nußdorfer Straße station in 1860. Löblich gained a prestigious institutional customer base during the Habsburg period. Beginning in 1858, it supplied copper tableware and tinned moulds for the imperial court’s confectionery and kitchens. Franz Löblich received a court-supplier appointment in 1893. The business also served public institutions, prominent individuals, and customers beyond Austria. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Leopold Löblich III reorganized production. The company introduced stainless steel manufacturing in Austria for commercial kitchens and catering equipment during the 1920s and 1930s. Although copper shortages associated with the First World War encouraged the change, the company made practical use of stainless steel’s greater durability. Before the Second World War, Löblich products reached international markets. Its range included samovars for the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Mustapha coffee brewer, which won a gold medal at the 1937 Paris World Exhibition. The war period brought military and institutional orders, including equipment for Wehrmacht kitchens and military hospitals. Fighting in Vienna in 1945 destroyed most of the company archive, limiting the surviving documentation of earlier operations. Postwar reconstruction brought a major strategic shift. Under engineer Maximilian Leopold Löblich, the company developed Austria’s first gas boilers and water heaters and produced early wall-mounted gas-heating appliances. In the 1950s, the company concentrated increasingly on boilers for town gas and later natural gas. Heating technology remained central through the 1970s. During the 1980s and 1990s, the business moved toward partnerships with manufacturers, wholesale distribution, importing, and service. It imported products from large French and Italian heating manufacturers and developed export references in neighboring European countries and Africa. Its catering activities supplied commercial kitchens and food-service equipment to hospitals and hotels in Africa, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. A reorganization in 1999 closed certain parts of the historic operation and concentrated the company on heating technology and catering technology. Large-scale international catering projects continued alongside the domestic Austrian business. The company later established commercial real estate as another activity, using its knowledge of production, workshop, office, and warehouse requirements to develop premises for small businesses in Vienna. The contemporary business is therefore a diversified technical company rather than solely a manufacturer. It distributes and services gas-heating equipment, supplies and supports professional kitchens, provides technical repair services, and develops commercial property. The enterprise remains associated with the Löblich family and is headquartered in Vienna.

• 1999

  Business reorganization

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Parts of the business were closed, while heating technology and catering technology became the principal concentrated divisions.

• 1950

  Postwar gas-heating development

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The company developed early Austrian gas boilers, water heaters, and wall-mounted gas-heating appliances in the postwar period.

• 1945

  Company archive largely destroyed

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Fighting in Vienna destroyed most of the company archive at the end of the Second World War.

• 1937

  Mustapha receives a Paris exhibition gold medal

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The steam-powered Mustapha coffee brewer received a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris.

• 1920

  Stainless-steel production introduced

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced stainless-steel production in Austria for commercial kitchens and catering equipment during the 1920s and 1930s.

• 1893

  Court-supplier appointment

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Franz Löblich was appointed a supplier to the imperial and royal court.

• 1860

  Production relocates

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Under Franz Löblich’s leadership, production was relocated to the area of Nußdorfer Straße station.

• 1858

  Imperial-court supply begins

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The company began supplying copper tableware and tinned moulds for the imperial court’s confectionery and kitchens.

• 1823

  Leopold Löblich assumes control

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Leopold Löblich took over the business on 20 July 1823, establishing the family association that continues in the company’s ownership history.

• 1802

  Johann Georg Wolf takes full ownership

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  After managing the inherited workshop, Johann Georg Wolf acquired the business in its entirety.

• 1738

  Coppersmith workshop founded in Vienna

  [1]Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Josef Krottenthaller established the workshop that became Löblich & Co. on 20 August 1738.

A long-established, family-owned Austrian engineering and services company serving heating, professional catering, and commercial-property markets. Its positioning combines historic metalworking expertise with regional distribution, installation, maintenance, and project capability.

• Coffee-brewing equipment

  MUSTAPHA

  MUSTAPHA was a filter-coffee brewing machine associated with coffee houses in Austria-Hungary around the turn of the twentieth century. Historical users cited for the equipment include Café Tomaselli in Salzburg, Demel and Café Sacher in Vienna, Caffè Tommaseo in Trieste, Café l'Europe in Czernowitz, Café New York in Budapest, and other prominent establishments. A steam-powered version was awarded a gold medal at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris.

• Gas heating

  Löblich GWU

  The GWU, or Gas Wasser Umlaufheizer, was described as Austria’s first floor-standing steel gas heater. It was invented and designed by heating engineer Maximilian Leopold Löblich and represents the company’s transition from metalworking and cooking equipment into modern gas-heating technology.

• Water heating

  Löblich GWS

  The GWS was a floor-standing steel storage water heater with an enamelled finish. It formed part of Löblich’s postwar heating and hot-water equipment portfolio.

• Gas heating

  Löblich combi-boilers

  Löblich’s combi-boilers were among the company’s early compact wall-mounted gas appliances, combining heating and hot-water functions in a single system. They reflected the company’s postwar move toward smaller and more integrated residential and light-commercial heating equipment.

• Gas heating

  Löblich GLM

  The GLM line was developed in cooperation with French manufacturer Émile Marcel Leblanc. It used hard-welded copper heat exchangers and was promoted as a particularly compact wall-hung boiler design.

• Professional kitchen equipment

  Löblich Catering Systems

  Löblich Catering Systems covers professional kitchens, cooking equipment, food-production machinery, and related planning, installation, and service work. The division supplied projects for institutional and hospitality customers, including hospitals and hotels, in Austria and a range of overseas markets.

• Technical services

  Löblich Service

  Löblich Service provides technical repair and support connected with the company’s heating and catering activities. Service and maintenance became increasingly important as the company shifted from direct manufacturing toward distribution partnerships and regional technical support.

• 1999

  Reorganization around heating and cateringStrategy

  Background

  Changing industrial conditions led the company to reassess its historic manufacturing activities and international project mix.

  Action taken

  The company closed parts of the business and concentrated its remaining operating activities on heating technology and catering technology, supported by distribution, installation, and service.

  Aftermath

  Large-scale catering projects remained active internationally, while the Austrian business focused on gas heating and professional kitchen systems. Commercial-property development became a separate group activity.

  Source

• 1950

  Shift toward gas heatingStrategy

  Background

  Postwar demand for modern heating and hot-water systems created an opportunity beyond the company’s traditional copperware and commercial-kitchen activities.

  Action taken

  Löblich developed gas boilers, water heaters, and wall-mounted gas appliances, then concentrated increasingly on town-gas and natural-gas boiler production.

  Aftermath

  Heating technology became the company’s principal business area through the 1970s.

  Source

• 1920

  Adoption of stainless-steel productionStrategy

  Background

  Copper shortages associated with the First World War created pressure to use alternative materials in cooking and catering equipment.

  Action taken

  Löblich introduced stainless-steel production for commercial kitchens and catering equipment and subsequently used the material’s durability as a competitive advantage.

  Aftermath

  The change expanded the company’s industrial capabilities and became an enduring part of its professional-kitchen heritage.

  Source

1. 1Löblich & Co.en.wikipedia.org