How Vienna launched its own organic food brand – Wiener Gusto enables citizens to consume sustainable, regional products, and the entire process is managed by the City

The Department for Agriculture and Forestry of the City of Vienna manages nearly 44,000 hectares of land in Vienna and other parts of Austria. That includes big forests and meadows, as well as 2,200 hectares of agricultural land with various crops. The pilot project in organic production was launched back in the 1970s, and in the period between the 1980s and the 2000s, a full transition toward organic agriculture took place.

Last year, with its brand Wiener Gusto, the City of Vienna won the EU award for “Best Organic City”.

– The first ideas about the launching of this brand were born after the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and in 2022 already, the online shop was launched, as well as cooperation with store chains and restaurants. The motto is “To secure high-quality food for people,” and the offer includes game meat and meat products, organic pork and beef, potatoes, grains, sunflower and flaxseed oil, as well as legumes – said Katharina Scheibenhoffer, the executive director of the Wiener Gusto brand.

Wiener Gusto focuses on regional and sustainable products. All the agricultural products are 100% organic, and the game enjoy life in freedom in carefully managed forests. The proximity of the fields and the forests to Vienna means that the products do not have to travel long before they reach the consumers.

Regional products, as they point out in this Department, are extremely important for the sustainable diet, environmental protection and autonomy of a country. Wiener Gusto products are not dependent on other countries or producers, because the entire process is managed by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry of the City of Vienna.

Organic growing and compost fertilizers in the fields, they point out, have an extremely positive impact on the soil, the biodiversity of the flora and fauna and the climate.

– Organic production plays an important role in Austria, and the populace is very interested in consuming these products, so we are very interested and dedicated to our work – said Günther Annerl, the executive director of the Department for Agriculture and Forestry.

The management of forests and agricultural land is done exclusively by the employees of this Department. The products are under constant supervision from the very beginning – they are sown, farmed and picked by the employees of the city. The carefully hunted game gives the opportunity to the citizens to try new kinds of meat, which have a low climate impact.

Wiener Gusto aims to make the consumers aware of these topics and create a brand that the citizens of Vienna can identify with.

The article was created within the “Pulse of Europe” project, which is financed by the European Union in Serbia.

I. Zikic

Stadt Wien - Grad Beč

City of Vienna

Wiener Gusto

Katharina Scheibenhoffer

Gunther Annerl

Best Organic City

organic production

organic agriculture