02/15/2023

Frierss celebrates 125 years of tradition

For 125 years, the Carinthian family business Frierss has been internationally best known for its high-quality sausage and ham specialities.

Butcher's in the 5th generation

In 1898, great-grandfather Rudolf Frierss founded the first shop, as the "first sausage producer in Villach". Even then, he focused on the highest quality and received the first gold medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1910.

The second and third generations of the family set new standards as "Austria's pioneers for special Italian specialities" in the production of mortadella, salami and prosciutto with meat from Austria. Thus, Frierss has been producing first-class Prosciutto Castello for 40 years and Austria's only Mortadella for more than 80 years. Its origin lay in the geographical location of the business in the heart of the Alpe-Adria region and in grandfather's passion for Italy.

The breakthrough came in the fourth generation with Rudolf and Kurt Frierss with the successful national and international distribution of Carinthian specialities, such as Carinthian mountain salami or Carinthian country ham, so that today Frierss is one of the leading sausage and ham specialists in Austria.

With Kurt Frierss jun., who has already been working in production and quality management for 30 years and took over all his father's agendas in 2021, and Christoph Frierss, the fifth generation is already at work. He joined the company in 2020 after studying law and gaining experience abroad and succeeds his father Rudolf, who has been running the business for many decades. Experience and know-how are thus passed on from generation to generation within the family.

First class quality and taste

Family tradition and quality have always been firmly anchored in the company philosophy. At Frierss, the term regionality has for generations encompassed adherence to traditional recipes as well as the artisanal processing of exclusively demestic meat. 

For sustainable product quality, the meat and sausage specialist was awarded the "Prize for Longsterm Product Quality" by the German Agricultural Society DLG in 2022 for the fifth time in the company's history. The company's regular quality performance in the international DLG quality tests for sausage and sausage products convinced the expert jury. Most recently, 14 DLG gold medals confirmed the top quality.

Unique variety

Frierss produces more than 150 sausage and ham specialities in its factory in Villach and in the raw ham manufactory in Treffen, where special raw hams such as finest Prosciutto Castello, Carinthian ham bacon or air-dried mountain ham are matured. The special microclimate in the Gegendtal, where the cool wind of the Nockberge meets the mild, humid air of the Ossiachiacher Lake, is perfect for the maturation of first-class raw ham. For both farms Frierss holds the Japan-approval, which only a few farms in Austria have due to the strictest quality criteria.

Nationally, Frierss is best known for its range of Original Carinthian Specialities, such as Carinthian Mountain Salami, Original Carinthian House Sausages, Carinthian Ham Bacon and Carinthian Country Ham, which has been one of the most popular hams in Austria's delicatessen counters for decades, as well as one of the latest novelties: Frierss Zirbenrauchschinken.

Unique are the special Italian specialities, whose classics include Prosciutto Castello matured for 14 months as well as traditionally roasted Mortadella or delicate noble mould salami, otherwise only known from Italy - but with local meat, a matter of course at Frierss.

Frierss specialities are sold in Austrian food retailers and wholesalers, delicatessens and gastronomy as well as in Frierss' own specialised shops. Frierss exports to Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, South Korea and for more than 15 years to Japan.