2012: A dust-dry cake, and joking with the grannies but it was not funny at all
Once upon a very long time ago, in 2012, while eating a dust-dry piece of cake in a Viennese café…
Mike Lanner and Moriz Piffl, at that time known as social entrepreneurs behind the eco-fair custom jeans label Gebrüder Stitch, found themselves longing for the moist cakes their grandmothers used to bake when they were kids growing up in the countryside. And so, the idea of a coffeehouse was born—one that would bring back the nostalgic flavors of grandma’s baking, right in the heart of Vienna. During the night – and, rumor has it, after a beer or two – they came up with the name Vollpension (German for “full pension,” referring both to retirement benefits and the kind of hotel stay that includes all meals).
Things really took off when Mike successfully submitted their idea to the Social Design-Call at Vienna Design Week. But turning a vision into reality is no easy feat. While searching for a meeting space for their project, Moriz and Mike stumbled upon Impact Hub Vienna, a place that introduced them to a community of inspiring changemakers. It was here that they first came across the concept of “Social Business”—a model that would later become fundamental to Vollpension’s development. In the Impact Hub kitchen, they met Julia Krenmayr, who was quickly brought on board. Soon after, David Haller joined the team as well. Their first kick-off workshop marked the real beginning of Vollpension’s journey.
By September 2012, the first pop-up Vollpension opened its doors for one week inside the “Hosenlabor”, a tailor shop in Vienna’s 6th district. No permits, no grand plan—just a whole lot of heart. The premiere exceeded all expectations, with people lining up to get a slice of Ms. Charlotte’s eggnog cake.
The huge demand led to another Vollpension pop-up during the Christmas season of 2012. To establish a legal foundation for the project, they formed an association. It soon became clear that Vollpension was more than just a cozy space for eating, laughing, and spending time together—it also carried a strong social and political impact. A job advertisement in a major Austrian newspaper led to an increasing number of seniors applying. They all had one thing in common: a passion for baking. But beyond that, many were also seeking a way to earn extra income, as their small pensions were often not enough to live on—a harsh reality that the team came to understand through many personal conversations.