Between ice and bureaucracy

For decades, the family-run ice cream parlour Tichy in Vienna’s 10th district has been one of the city’s best-known destinations when it comes to ice cream – not just for Viennese locals, but for visitors from all over the world too. What many people don’t realise, however, is that behind the iconic ice-cream sundaes, the long queues on public holidays and the nostalgic charm lies a modern production facility with sophisticated technology, clear quality standards and a family history that is still very much alive today. Xenia Tichy is the third generation to run this traditional ice cream parlour and speaks openly to HERZ News about the challenges facing Austrian businesses, cooling as a cost driver and why genuine craftsmanship is more important today than ever before.

Since 1952, the name Tichy has been synonymous with Viennese ice cream culture. What began with a three-wheeled ice cream van and five flavours of ice cream developed just a few years later into a permanent establishment in Vienna’s 10th district, where the ice cream parlour has been based since 1955. Over the decades, this has grown into a traditional business with cult status, which today employs around 70 staff. Production still takes place directly at Reumannplatz – fresh, daily and without any outsourced manufacturing.

When it comes to ice cream boxes, too, Tichy relies on Austrian quality and reliability: the polystyrene ice cream boxes with high insulating properties are produced by HIRSCH Porozell GmbH, a company within the HIRSCH Servo Group, which is majority-owned by the HERZ Group. The sustainable material used is EPS – expanded polystyrene, known under the brand names Porozell or Styropor. After use, the ice boxes can be 100% recycled via the yellow bag. At HIRSCH, this is turned back into a recycled raw material, which is then reused in the manufacture of EPS products – a functioning recycling cycle. The partnership between Tichy and HIRSCH Porozell has been a success for many decades and brings together two long-established Austrian companies that share the same values: quality, durability and continuous improvement.

HERZ News: Mrs. Tichy, you grew up in a family business. Was it always clear to you that you would follow this path?

Xenia Tichy: Not really. My parents wanted me to get a broad education first, so they sent me to grammar school. I realised fairly quickly that I wasn’t the type to just sit in class and learn things by memory. So I made a conscious decision to switch to the catering industry and enrolled at a three-year vocational college. After that, I went on to train as a pastry chef – I passed my journeyman’s examination and later became a master craftsman.

HERZ News: The 10th district doesn’t always get the best press. How did it actually come to be located at Reumannplatz back then?

Xenia Tichy: The 10th district has much more to offer than just negative headlines. Naturally, we’re delighted that Tichy is helping to ensure this district is also associated with positive experiences. My grandfather grew up in the 10th district himself and always felt a strong connection to this area. Originally, this was really just a small ice cream parlour with a shop area at the front. Step by step, my grandfather took over further parts of the premises and gradually the business as we know it today took shape.

HERZ News: Ice cream is traditionally very much associated with Italy. How did you manage to turn it into a genuine Viennese ice cream brand?

Xenia Tichy: My grandparents always used to say that back in the day, people claimed that "only Italians can make ice cream". They even learnt a few Italian phrases back then to sound more credible when talking to customers (laughs). At some point, though, they made a conscious decision to say: "No, we’re Viennese who make ice cream" – and that’s exactly how our own style came about. Our ice cream is heavily inspired by traditional Viennese confectionery – rich, high-quality and made with natural ingredients. Anyone familiar with Tichy will recognise this flavour straight away.

HERZ News: How do you manage to strike a balance between nostalgia and modernity?

Xenia Tichy: I don’t think you can completely modernise a business steeped in tradition like this overnight. It’s that nostalgic charm that defines Tichy. That’s why, for us, modernisation often takes place behind the scenes – new cooling systems, energy-efficient technology, heat pumps and more sustainable materials such as EPS ice boxes. The familiar Tichy feel should remain visible.

HERZ News: Particularly in a business with enormous cooling requirements, it is essential to follow energy-efficient production processes. What measures do you put in place to achieve this?

Xenia Tichy: We run a real ice cream production right in the city centre. We have four large cold stores, the largest of which is around 70 square metres. If there are any cooling losses or if the systems aren’t operating efficiently, you notice it immediately in our energy consumption. That’s why, in winter when the business is closed, an incredible amount of work goes into maintenance and technical optimisation. We’re currently using heat pumps – partly for their efficiency, but also because we can make good use of the waste heat they generate.

HERZ News: Could you explain this in more detail?

Xenia Tichy: We use several water boilers, which are heated by a heat pump. It gets extremely hot, particularly in the basement where there is a lot of machinery. With the heat pump, we now achieve a dual benefit: we cool the room whilst at the same time using the waste heat to heat the water in the boilers. It’s a real win-win system, which naturally saves us a lot on energy costs. We used to have a gas boiler.

HERZ News: To what extent does the issue of the skills shortage affect you as a seasonal business?

Xenia Tichy: We employ around 70 staff. Particularly in seasonal business, it’s not a given that seasonal workers will return every year, but we’re really lucky here, as many of them do come back. Nevertheless, I think it’s important to be honest about the shortage of skilled workers. The hospitality industry has long had a reputation for poor working conditions – excessively long working hours, days off that are frequently rescheduled or an unpleasant working atmosphere. Young people no longer accept that today and I think that’s a good thing.

HERZ News: People tend to be very critical of the younger generation. So you see things differently?

Xenia Tichy: I don’t believe in lumping everyone together. I think young people these days are more likely to ask themselves whether they’re truly happy in their chosen career and I think that’s perfectly legitimate. Work should be enjoyable and everyone should find their own path – whether that involves a degree or a trade is another matter. In my view, particularly in this age of digitalisation and AI, many people are rediscovering the value of the skilled trades.

HERZ News: As an Austrian family-run business, to what extent do you feel the impact of ever-increasing bureaucracy and organisational burdens?

Xenia Tichy: It’s very demanding. Just for administrative tasks alone, you need far more staff than you used to. My grandparents had it much easier back then; they didn’t see an inspector for years (laughs). These days, the requirements and regulations are constantly increasing, yet at the same time, companies lack points of contact that can explain the new regulations clearly and comprehensibly. The guidelines are laid down, but nobody knows exactly how they’re supposed to be implemented in practice.

HERZ News: Lastly, if we were to discuss the partnership with HIRSCH Porozell – how would you describe it?

Xenia Tichy: The partnership has been in place for decades and runs smoothly. They understand our requirements perfectly, the quality is consistently high – we’ve designed a great product together and are very satisfied.

HERZ News: Mrs. Tichy, thank you very much for giving us such a candid glimpse behind the scenes. You can really sense how much passion, technical expertise, organisation and family history have gone into this business – and why Tichy is far more than just an ice cream parlour.

HIRSCH Servo - Solutions that go far beyond building services engineering

HIRSCH is best known in the building services sector for its energy-efficient insulation solutions for floors, walls and roofs, as well as for protective transport packaging and technical moulded parts. In addition to particle foam and fibre-moulded components, the HIRSCH Servo Group also develops energy-efficient machinery and technologies for processing particle foams, placing increasing emphasis on resource conservation, the circular economy and sustainable production processes. We show you how this sustainable circular economy is put into practice in the video: Circular Economy with HIRSCH:REeps