"Our Industry Outsideness Was Also an Advantage"
Interview with Stephanie Schädler, Managing Director of Allgäuer Alpenwasser GmbH
When the Schädler family took over the company Allgäuer Alpenwasser ten years ago, it was on the verge of bankruptcy. But behind the sometimes catastrophic conditions, there was a diamond that gradually regained its old luster through the tireless dedication of the entire team. Managing Director Stephanie Schädler spoke with Wirtschaftsforum about the company’s development over the past years, the uniqueness of the brand, and her commitment to a sustainable future.
European Business Forum: Ms. Schädler, ten years ago your father-in-law Felix Schädler took over Allgäuer Alpenwasser, after previously being engaged as an architect in the hotel industry. A year later, your husband and you, a civil engineer and textile business economist, also joined the company - what prompted you to take this step at the time?
Stephanie Schädler: Allgäuer Alpenwasser has existed as a company for over 100 years and has significantly shaped our home region with its brand and values during this time. In 2015, it was on the verge of bankruptcy, and simply no buyer could be found who could imagine leading this company into the future. My father-in-law, who had known Allgäuer Alpenwasser since his childhood, refused to accept this and, although he was completely out of the industry, finally took heart and acquired the company.
European Business Forum: The beginning of a successful turnaround story.
Stephanie Schädler: It came later because the conditions we found were downright catastrophic. There had been no investment in the machine park for ages. The windows were no longer intact, and trees were growing into the production building. Tons of trash had accumulated, which we had to dispose of first. While startups begin at zero, we had to start in the negative. The building has long since been renovated and the machines have been gradually replaced; the three remaining old systems will be replaced this fall. However, the biggest challenge was that hardly any significant corporate structures existed anymore and the quality awareness had suffered. Changing this mentality was probably one of the biggest challenges we have encountered on our journey.
Wirtschaftsforum: How were you able to create a sense of new beginnings in a company where trees were growing into the assembly hall?
Stephanie Schädler: It took a lot of time and effort, both from the management and the workforce. We took over all the employees at that time, but not everyone has stayed with us to this day. That has to be accepted. In my experience, trust and reliability were even more important. Everyone in the company had to roll up their sleeves, no matter what position they were in. I believe that this incredibly united us and created a strong foundation for our future together. We got to experience our employees rediscovering joy in our products and helping to shape a strong growth story: In just under ten years, we increased our output from 12 million fillings to now 30 million per year. Today, we feel that people in the company are again fully committed to the Allgäuer Alpenwasser brand.
Wirtschaftsforum: What is the strength of your product range?
Stephanie Schädler: We produce a natural product with which many people in our region can identify – and we as a family of entrepreneurs also feel a strong connection to our homeland. Our unfamiliarity with the industry was sometimes even an advantage for us, such as when we decided to name our still product ‘Bludde,’ which means ‘naked’ in our local dialect. Colleagues from the industry were horrified, as 'Classic', 'Medium', and 'Natural' had become established as common variation names that no one ever changed. ‘Bludde’ was then very well received in the market, as was ‘s‘pfizzige’ for our carbonated product.
Wirtschaftsforum: How do you plan to continue on this basis in the coming years?
Stephanie Schädler: In the long term, we aim to completely close the cycle for our sweet line. Since the beginning of 2025, we have been working with contract farmers at Lake Constance, whom we personally know and accompany during their harvest, so we can source our raw materials from the immediate geographical vicinity. We also see the potential for growing apples directly on our own land, and we have already launched some test areas to assess which varieties would be particularly suitable in terms of taste and yield. A significant part of the energy we need is meanwhile produced by our own hydropower plant, which has been in operation since 1904. Already in 2018, we were the first mineral water company in Germany to introduce a 100% recycled PET bottle to the market, which is hardly distinguishable from conventional products with lower recycled content. All these developments confirm our belief that with Allgäuer Alpenwasser, we found a true diamond in 2015.