A Day at KOTTAS Kräuterhaus

The Exciting Everyday Life at Our Herbal Medicine Shop in Vienna 1010

These days, traditional Austrian businesses are almost considered a rarity in domestic city centres. Despite all obstacles, however, the lettering ‘Kräuterhaus’ is emblazoned in green letters on the historic ‘Schubladkastenhaus’ (drawer box house) at Freyung 7. Time seems to stand still in the shop behind the simple façade. The KOTTAS Kräuterhaus located here has made a name for itself over the course of its 230-year history as the first address for medicinal herbs of pharmacopoeia quality. Since 1795, it has been supplying the Viennese population with a huge selection of medicinal plants for the prevention and treatment of a wide range of conditions.

No less impressive than the cobblestone market square with its historic buildings from the time of the Habsburg monarchy is the Kräuterhaus from the inside. The first thing that catches the eye when you enter the salesroom is the imposing black wall of drawers behind the tara – the traditional name for the counter of a medicinal shop. For more than 200 years, freshly dried herbs have been stored in the wooden drawers, which are labelled with Latin terminology. The scent of sage, lavender, peppermint and other aromas is everywhere. Less fragrant herbs such as valerian root, on the other hand, are stored safely in the warehouse alongside numerous other medicinal plants and other goods.

The Viennese Experts for Medicinal Herbs in Pharmacopoeia Quality

From Monday to Friday, the KOTTAS Kräuterhaus opens its doors at 8.30 a.m. on warm days, when the first rays of sunshine fall over the spacious square. On Saturdays, Mrs Ilse opens at 9 am. The licensed druggist is the longest serving and has been the manager and head of the nine-member team, which is made up entirely of women, for more than 25 years. Most of them have been working here for many years. Some have completed their druggist apprenticeship here, while others have learnt the profession of pharmaceutical commercial assistant elsewhere.

Mrs Ilse knows from her many years of practical experience: “There is no such thing as a typical day at the Kräuterhaus. Every day with us is different and brings new challenges, encounters and experiences.” This is also what she and her colleagues particularly appreciate about this variety-rich and meaningful job. Although hardly a day goes by without the employees’ white or green coats getting stained, working together in a well-coordinated team is a lot of fun.

One thing is certain: it never gets boring here. The tasks that the dedicated herbal experts are confronted with are manifold and go far beyond traditional customer service. Every day, they fill teas, herbal blends and syrups. They ensure that the shop is attractively decorated and carry out various office tasks. They also receive goods and other deliveries and are responsible for receiving and dispatching orders. When stocks run low, they request the appropriate herbs. In addition, the inventive women also work on new creations – but more on that later!

The Focus Is on the Individual

As humanity and empathy have been neglected in many areas of life, the team attaches even greater importance to these traditional qualities in interpersonal contact: “For us, the customer is king. When a person comes in and asks for our help, we drop everything to take care of the customer and their concerns.”

Whoever enters the Kräuterhaus should leave happy and satisfied – this is something the staff agree on. Everyone should be comfortable and feel that they are taken seriously and receive help. Of course, the team is happy to see people again soon: “The most rewarding thing is when people come back after a while and tell us that we really helped them.” In their consultations, the expert druggists and pharmaceutical commercial assistants sometimes also act as a kind of ‘counsellor’. They take a lot of time to fulfil individual needs and wishes. They offer their expertise and experience to those seeking advice confidentially over the phone, by email or on site in the venerable sales premises.

At first attempt, the team finds it difficult to describe the typical Kräuterhaus customer. In fact, the employees deal with a wide range of different personalities every single working day. In recent years, they have been surprised to realise that an increasing number of younger people are now coming here. Of course, a loyal clientele has developed over the years. Some people regularly make the long journey from Salzburg, Linz or Graz to buy teas or spice blends directly from the Kräuterhaus.

It is not just the prominent location that attracts holiday guests from all over the world. After all, the Kräuterhaus and its products have long been internationally recognised. It sometimes happens, for example, that American tourists visiting Vienna in the middle of June come here to buy winter punch for the Christmas season. Thanks to their extensive practical experience, Mrs Ilse and her team are ideally prepared for challenges like these!

Tradition meets the Spirit of Ivention

The Kräuterhaus range includes over 600 herbs. In addition, numerous medicinal herbal teas, spices, herbal remedies such as salves or pastilles, incense, decorative natural cosmetics, household chemicals and all kinds of accessories are available here. Anything that is not in stock is ordered and delivered to Freyung within 24 hours from the company’s own production facility in Vienna’s 23rd district. Top sellers include cheese poplar leaves, gastrointestinal tea, roseroot capsules and Swedish bitters.

A particular speciality of the Kräuterhaus are the herbal blends, which the employees personally prepare individually. In addition to profound expertise and interpersonal skills, their work therefore requires a high degree of creativity. And the sharp-minded herbal experts have no shortage of this when it comes to realising their customers’ ideas. “We’ve never had a problem finding ideas. We always have too many ideas rather than too few,” explain the young druggists Larissa and Clara.

The team often benefits from this great creativity when new enquiries are received from various cooperation partners who require specific herbs or customised teas and spice blends as gifts for customers or employees. In the past, the Kräuterhaus has worked with museums, churches, beauty parlours and various other companies. There is particularly high demand for the exquisite incense blends made by Mrs Bernadette, who has a reputation as the member of staff with the greatest knowledge of herbs. She has now been working at KOTTAS Kräuterhaus for more than 22 years.

In many cases, enquiries also provide the impetus for the creation of new products. Although tradition is upheld here and tried and tested home remedies such as liver or chest compresses are available in the Kräuterhaus, the employees are never satisfied with the status quo. Their motto is: ‘Don’t be afraid of change, be afraid of standing still.’ They are constantly working intensively on prototypes, for example of incense or herbal blends. After an extensive test phase, over a hundred new products are added to the range every year. These include many seasonal items, for example for spring or winter. It is therefore worth visiting the Kräuterhaus regularly, as there is always something new to discover.

Discover KOTTAS Kräuterhaus Online!

While the traders on the Freyung gradually clear away their goods, Mrs Ilse also personally closes the Kräuterhaus again. Some of her employees travel long distances for their dream job and rush straight to the railway station after a turbulent day at work. For this reason, the shop closes at 6 pm on weekdays. On Saturdays, the Kräuterhaus team starts their well-deserved weekend at 12.30 pm.

As opening hours are limited and not everyone can make it to Vienna’s Freyung, the KOTTAS Kräuterhaus Online-Shop has also been available since 2018. Here you will find an exciting selection of products from the Kräuterhaus around the clock. Customised blends, which are personally put together by the staff, can also be ordered online at any time.