Vienna is at the crossroads of Europe and the location of MANE’s regional hub, serving 32 countries, stretching across Central Eastern Europe, from Vienna to Baku. With four laboratories for flavours and fragrances, the Vienna office has high-quality ingredients to serve a diverse market of cultures and tastes.
Located in the city centre, MANE’s Vienna office benefits from easy access and good connections across Eastern Europe, making it the ideal site for a regional hub. “When I set up the Austrian operation in 2008, I chose Vienna, not just because of its central location, but because of the highly qualified workforce. A lot of our competitors were already established here. It is a small industry, so my view was that the only way we could make a difference and gain market share was by providing highly qualified service and support. This is how we have been able to grow the business over the last 15 years,” explains Andreas Reichenbach, General Manager of the Vienna office and Commercial Director Flavours for Central Eastern Europe and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States).
The 800 square meter site accommodates general management, sales and marketing, finance, human resources, and administration, as well as 4 laboratories which focus on:
- dairy and beverages
- confectionary and bakery
- savoury flavours (culinary and snacks)
- fragrance applications.
From Vienna to Baku
One of the big challenges for the region is that it covers a huge territory, each with its own language, culture, preferences, and local requirements. It is quite an achievement to keep pace with the popular trends in Bulgaria and Greece, in Georgia and Azerbaijan. “At MANE, we are market driven and innovative. This means that we really strive to understand and know our clients and we have established an excellent reputation. I’m told from clients that we are the ones who really bring new concepts and new ideas to the table!” Andreas Reichenbach recounts.
The numerous markets served have completely different levels of product maturity which MANE takes into account in all its offerings. Austria and neighbouring countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia are mature markets, but as you move further east, into Ukraine, Moldova and the Caucasian Republics then product expectations and local production technologies are very different.
MANE’s regional hub serves the following client segments:
- multinational food companies
- regional accounts
- distributors to service SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises)
- large accounts in individual countries.
A multicultural melting pot
In an age of digital communication, travelling to meet clients face to face is still very important, especially when it comes to discussing flavours and fragrances! The personal relationships that are developed with clients, especially in developing countries, are essential for strengthening market knowledge and understanding.
Being able to speak several languages is an important advantage at the Vienna office. There are ten different nationalities here, speaking up to 14 languages! For Andreas Reichenbach, General Manager, “I strongly believe that to understand the market in the different countries we need to have representatives of these countries working in our team. It brings a good balance and culture to the company and provides opportunities for international career development. For example, one of our colleagues from the savoury application laboratory had a high talent in taste creation. We sent him to train at MANE’s headquarters in France, and now he is working in South Africa.”
“We have a really great office, an excellent location and a fantastic team, supporting one another. We’re like a family,” explains Christine Melynk, Assistant to the General Manager. As a family-owned business, support and dedication is at the heart of MANE’s organisation. This was clearly demonstrated during the invasion of Ukraine, as the company supported regional efforts to help the families from the Kiev office to find new accommodation and employment.
Historically, Vienna has always been the meeting point of European and Eastern cultures and civilizations. It is a melting pot of tastes and aromas, inspiring MANE’s international perfumers and flavourists to capture the flavours and fragrances desired by customers from across the continent. “This cultural mix, in our office and among the clients we serve, continues today. It’s our speciality and the key to our success, we work together as partners,” concludes Andreas Reichenbach.