Gmundner CEO shuffled and merger planned in Austria
Left to right: Josef Fürtbauer, Johannes Trinkfass and supervisory board chairman Martin Wahl of Gmundner.
Austrian Gmundner dairy chairman Josef Fürtbauer has decided to hand over to his deputy Johannes Trinkfass. “We are currently in a very crucial phase for our company. These questions about the future should be clarified by those, who will then also be responsible,” Fürtbauer says.
He has also initiated talks about a possible merger with Salzburger Alpenmilch Genossenschaft (SalzburgMilch). After initial exploratory talks and in-depth negotiations, further talks are planned.
But it is important to Fürtbauer to place these final negotiations with Salzburger Alpenmilch in the hands of those who will continue to take responsibility for the company in the future, he says. Trinkfass will hold the chair position at least until the next general assembly.
He is 43 years old and runs a farm with 60 dairy cows and specialised dairy calf fattening in Taufkirchen an der Trattnach. He has been an official at Gmundner Molkerei since 2019, and since July 2020 has served as deputy chairman.
His goal will be to continue the merger discussions with Salzburg in order to continue to be a strong and reliable partner for the 2000 owners and milk suppliers, the company says.
“Gmundner Molkerei is a leading company in the region and this competence in milk processing can also be secured in the long term by merging the two cooperatives,” Trinkfass adds.
