Travelling master bakers have a tradition at backaldrin. Shortly after the company was founded in 1964, the first bakers travelled the country to help customers free of charge with problems in the bakery – and they still do so today. 
Currently, five travelling master bakers and another with additional sales responsibilities travel throughout Austria. 

Edi Hornung is one of them. He has worked at backaldrin for almost 30 years and is practically part of the furniture. He is usually with his "friends", as he calls his customers.

backaldrin: How did you become a travelling master baker?

Edi Hornung: My father ran a bakery. When I was a child, a master baker visited us for the first time. I was so fascinated by him that it became my dream job. After my brother took over the bakery, I worked as head baker in a larger business. By chance, I came across a newspaper advert for a travelling master baker. I seized the opportunity and enjoyed it from the start. In 1997, I joined backaldrin.

29 years have passed since then. How has the work of a travelling master baker changed over time?

Much less night work is needed than before. Nowadays, more is managed through refrigeration and quality is more important. Machines are larger and better, which changes the technical application. Another development is that, alongside traditional small bakeries, there are more chain stores and large businesses. This contrast makes my work exciting: one day I visit a small baker who uses maybe two kilos of a product, and the next day I’m at a large bakery needing two whole sacks. It’s always an adjustment and a challenge.

How many customers do you look after?

About 400 customers. Of course, you can’t be with all of them at once. I usually look after 30 bakeries more intensively.

How busy is your schedule with so many customers? How do you organise it?

I organise it mainly according to need. Bakeries usually contact me and, depending on urgency, I go there. It’s important to me to maintain regular contact with every bakery. We are at the forefront in our customers’ bakeries. This exchange is vital for selling our products.

Which areas do you cover?

Previously mainly southern Austria. Now I mostly look after industrial customers and act as a stand-in throughout Austria.

You are five travelling master bakers in Austria, working in very different places. What’s the team spirit and dynamic like among you?

Everyone is a specialist in their area. That’s a good thing, as we can learn from each other and provide mutual support.

How can one imagine your work as a travelling master baker? Do you get hands-on?

Our work is tailored to each customer’s needs. If customers have questions, they call me or a colleague and we help with our expertise and experience. The baker has routines in his bakery, but bread and baked goods production changes – whether it’s the raw materials or seasonal temperature fluctuations. The baker explains his issue, and together we go through the whole process to find where the problem might be. It starts with the recipe, goes through kneading, and ends with baking. Usually, it’s just small things, like doughs being produced too warm and kneaded too little, but an outside perspective often uncovers such issues more easily. And yes, we do get hands-on with the dough.

Do you introduce bakeries to the latest baking ideas from backaldrin?

I take new products with me on my baking visits, present them, advise the bakers, and we try them out together. Sometimes we brainstorm new ideas, like creating footballs for the World Cup. That’s how new eye-catchers for the display case are born. We also support customers with product development: if a customer wants to create a new bread or baked good from a specific raw material, we get involved. A current passion project of mine is a customer who’s launching a new bakery chain. I was responsible for all product and recipe development. The chain is now not only in Austria but also in Berlin. You grow with it. When I’m in the bakery there, it feels like my own.

Do you ever miss working in just one bakery?

No, not at all. My job brings variety and I love it. I’m always faced with new challenges and meet new people.

What do customers appreciate about the travelling master bakers?

Primarily the improvement in quality and the free service, but also the new ideas we bring.

And what do you value most about your work?

Customer contact is everything to me. If you approach people positively, something positive always comes back, and you slowly grow together. Most customers are now friends. It’s always nice to have successes, go home, and know you’ve helped a friend.