The private brewery Hirt, one of the oldest breweries in Austria and Carinthia’s only medium-sized independent private brewery has reorganized itself on the occasion of the 755th anniversary with a comprehensive brand relaunch. In the first step, the positioning of the brand was sharpened in close cooperation with your Leadage Agency Scholz & Friends Vienna. In the following one and a half years, the elaboration of brand strategy, design and communication followed.
„Our goal was to further develop the brand, to rejuvenate and make it even more relevant and attractive for existing and new target groups. It was time to change our visual appearance and get it now in order to meet the requirements of a changing market
“, Says Marlies Heinricher-Woltran, Head of Marketing & Sustainability.
Brand with history. And future.
At the center of the relaunch is the new brand claim “I take the time”, which makes the strategic triad visible, enjoyment and quality. The new claim not only brings the values of the private brewery to the point, but also corresponds to the changed expectations of many consumers – consciously enjoying, with substance instead of speed.
We take the time to brew our beers – because quality knows no compromises for us
“, Explains Niki Riegler, owner and managing director of the private brewery Hirt.”This time is in every detail – from the selection of raw materials to gentle maturation of our characterful beers. Our claim is to brew first -class beers that enable moments of pleasure: consciously, high quality and also in society.
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Marlies Heinrich-Woltran, Head of Marketing & Sustainability: “We rely on a brand strategy that creates clarity and strengthens trust among consumers. The Hirt private brewery stands for the tradition – we are now expressing this with fresh tonality and modern design.
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Creative concept, design & testing
The new brand appearance was designed and implemented together with the Scholz & Friends Vienna agency, with which the private brewery has been working successfully for many years. In addition to labels, packaging and sub -brands, the entire visual guiding principle including communication design was also developed.
„For a designer, it is of course an absolute dream to be able to further develop such a brand
“, Explains Roland Radschopf, Executive Creative Director & Managing Director of Scholz & Friends Vienna.”However, we were aware that any design had to go hand in hand with the greatest possible care and sensitivity. In the course of the comprehensive brand revision, we have completely re -drawn the Hirter lettering.
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The new typography takes up subtle elements of the historical fracture script and thus beats a bridge between tradition and contemporary readability. Another milestone of the realignment is the revised packaging design. The labels and packaging now appear clearer, modern, yet deeply rooted in the traditional brand values. Existing varieties were consciously maintained in order to Recognizability for consumers. The new appearance combines origin, character and foresight and makes it clear: over 755 years are not a degree, but a beginning.
The new appearance was tested in advance by the renowned market research company GfK Austria as part of a quantitative study – with excellent results: increased purchase preference, increased modernity and clear sort differentiation.
New brand architecture & launch of “Hirter Crush”
The brand architecture was tightened and clearly structured. Submarkets such as the Hirter Braukeller, the Hirter Bierathek, the Hirter Enjoyment counters and the Hirter Weinagentur Jordan are now clearly positioned. The portfolio is complemented by the newly introduced lemonade brand Hirter Crush – refreshing, striking, colorful, with international potential.
„With Hirter Crush we bundle our existing lemonades under a new, independent brand
“, Explains Marlies Heinricher-Woltran, Head of Marketing & Sustainability.”The playful design in a postcard style not only draws a lot of attention on the shelf, but also invites you to discover with every variety-the stamp as a central design element creates space for targeted brand communication and storytelling.
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National 360 ° Campaign started end July
The new brand appearance will be rolled out throughout Austria from July 28, 2025 by a comprehensive 360 ° campaign. The campaign was developed together with Scholz & Friends, the media planning took over Media1. A cross-media implementation across all channels is planned-online, print, radio, cinema, as well as analog and digital out-of-home. For the presence in the home market of Carinthia, the family -run private brewery relies on regional partners and the proven cooperation with Antenne Kärnten and PSG Posterservice GmbH. The focus of the campaign is the new image look: authentic, high quality, modern. The subjects combine strong headlines with emotional visual language and clear brand message.
About the private brewery Hirt
The Hirt private brewery is one of the oldest breweries in Austria and the only medium -sized independent private brewery in Carinthia. In 1270 it was first mentioned in the Gurker cathedral chapter in the list of goods. The private brewery has been in the current family of owners since 1846 and is run by Klaus Möller and Nikolaus Riegler in the fifth and sixth generation. The family -run traditional brewery stands for careful brewing, regional responsibility and uncompromising quality. Brewing is carried out with the best raw materials, pure mountain spring water and above all with one: time. The Hirt private brewery is the bearer of the Slow Brewing approval seal-the toughest quality seal on the international beer market. It stands for a particularly gentle brewing with slow fermentation, long maturation and the highest standards in all areas of the company. The durability of the beers is achieved by double filtration without changing the character of the beers. This creates a frequently award -winning beer range with 15 characteristic varieties – each with its own recipe, brewed with care, time and highest quality requirements.