Corporate History

Alexander Schärf acquires a coffee machine trading company in Vienna and shortly thereafter moves to a business premises in the center of Wiener Neustadt.

The installation of a state-of-the-art radio service network drastically reduces service times.

A new company headquarters with a service and administration center will be established on a 10,000 m² business site in the industrial area of Wiener Neustadt. Here, a modern customer service network is gradually being built up.

The customer base now includes several thousand Schärf customers. In-house technical developments and patents in the field of machinery are being driven forward and sales are being extended to cover the whole of Germany. A commercial kitchen and planning department will be installed. The descendants of Alexander Schärf take on successive tasks within the company.

The company starts importing high quality espresso coffee from Italy. Gradually, an independent coffee brand is developed and the roasting moved to Austria. Schärf launches a coffee machine trade and a real estate business in the USA.

An in-house TB engineering office for planning and architecture is founded.

With the advent of EDP in all areas of the economy, accounting systems and computer-controlled beverage systems, that have been specially tailored to the catering industry, are developed and placed on the market for the first time.

In Hamburg, a branch office is established for optimum support of the northern German market. In addition to the USA, Germany is one of the most important export brands for Schärf products.

The first fully automatic, interactive piston press coffee machine is presented on the market under the name Schärf ECOM +. The piston technology used continues the tradition of the company in the consistent maintenance and improvement of the piston system.

The further development of the technologies used and the increasingly used microchip technology lead to the establishment of an industry-leading service concept under the name of „x-serve“.

With the introduction of the piston espresso machine Xpress Piston, a completely new technology conquers the market.

Reinhold Schärf, who has been a co-owner and managing director since 1975, takes over all shares in Alexander Schärf & Söhne GmbH as part of a management buy-out.
In 1999, the first German subsidiary of Alexander Schärf & Söhne GmbH was opened in Hamburg as a distribution center for the German market. With a first location in Vienna, the concept of the Scharf Coffeeshop Company is being implemented – thus integrating the contemporary coffee trends from the USA and Europe. In the same year, the Schärf Barista Royal concept is presented: with the purchase of this special concept, the customer gets both the highest level of espresso technology, as well as access to recipes, preparation methods and advertising measures. This package also includes intensive employee training by the specialists of the Alexander Schärf & Söhne GmbH. In the following years, the concept establishes itself as a successful complete gastronomic solution with over 3,000 satisfied bakery and catering partners in Germany and abroad.

The American „Carnival Cruise Line“ is won as a cooperation partner and installs the first coffee shop corner on a cruise ship.

In January 2004 the groundbreaking ceremony for Schärf World – The Art of Coffee takes place in Neusiedl am See.
Both nationally and internationally, the Schärf Barista Royal concept expands its importance as one of the most successful coffee concepts on the market. The Coffeeshop Company is expanding into the new member states of the European Union. Another important strategic expansion step is the processing of the Arabic market. By the end of 2004, 17 new franchise and license shops will be opened by the Coffeeshop Company.

In the same year, the physical water treatment Schärf Aqua Coffea is developed. This unique technology returns the water to its natural and dynamic source state through diamagnetic transformation of molecular clustering. This process increases i.a. the solubility of the water, whereby a consistently high quality of the coffee flavor can be guaranteed. The Schärf Aqua Coffea technology is certified by renowned independent international institutes and research laboratories, Schärf Aqua Coffea water treatment column is patented.

Schärf World – The Art of Coffee is opened in Neusiedl am See.

The second subsidiary of Alexander Schärf & Söhne GmbH in Germany will open ist doors in Erfurt, Thuringia. The employees at this location take care of all technical and service concerns of the German Schärf customers.

The product range of Schärf is extended by the high quality tea expertise „Schärf Art for Tea“.
In autumn 2007, Schärf Coffeeshop GmbH is nominated for one of the world’s best system gastronomy concepts at the “MAPIC – The international market for retail real estate” in Cannes and achieves the third place.

Schärf World will be the new headquarters of Schärf Unternehmensgruppe.
The Coffeeshop Company is launched in the Russian market.

The 200th Coffeeshop Company Store opens. The Coffeeshop Company franchise system is awarded for best quality by German and Austrian certification programs.

Reinhold Schärf will be honored at the European Coffee Symposium in Milan for his “special contribution to the European coffee industry”.

The company headquarters in Wiener Neustadt will be renovated: The technical department will be expanded, the Aqua Coffea laboratory as well as a innovative concept of room harmonization will be implemented.
The now internationally successful brand Coffeeshop Company is awarded for “the best coffee house in Russia”. In addition, the German Institute for Service Quality (DISQ) honored the Coffeeshop Company for “the best ambience in the coffee house”.

At Wiener Neustadt, the all-day dining concept „the Italian“ is introduced as a successful freestander concept and as a supplement to the previous coffee and catering concepts.

Schärf Franchise The ItalianSpeciality Coffee Association of Europe

In the same year, the Schärf Aqua Coffea water treatment is further developed to the Schärf organic lemonades concept: the production of its own sugar-free organic syrups takes place in cooperation with the Austrian agriculture.
Since 2012 Alexander Schärf & Söhne GmbH has been a member of the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe.

First steps are being taken to work with France and Kuwait. The product range is expanded with exciting kitchen concepts.
Reinhold Schärf will be honored for participation in the Moscow International Forum “Franchising in Russia” at the Buybrand Expo 2013.

Around 300 Coffeeshop Company stores in 28 countries have already opened.
Reinhold Schärf will be honored with the Brand Life Award 2014 by the European Brand Institute as “Brand Ambassador” for his extraordinary and many years of personal commitment to creating incomparable and valuable brands.
In the same year, Reinhold Schärf is appointed an honorary member of the board of Nanjing Tech University Pujiang Institute.

The Schärf ThreeSixty is introduced: the ultimate piston-cylinder espresso machine in patented, its revolutionary design sets new standards in the coffee machine industry and is considered another unmistakable unique selling point of the brand Schärf – The Art of Coffee. In the same year, Reinhold Schärf publishes the textbook series “Schärf – The Art of Service” as a basis for the cooperation with MODUL University Vienna. With the first openings in Australia and the US, the Coffeeshop Company has gained a foothold in all 5 continents.

The Coffeeshop Company can look back on a very dynamic year: with the change of corporate identity and the launch of a store-life-cycle-tool, a lot has changed, especially in marketing. In Doha, Qatar the first flagship store is opened.

At the end of the year, company manager Reinhold Schärf transfers the sole management of Schärf Coffeeshop GmbH with the Coffeeshop Company as an independent brand to his son Marco Schärf.

The successful full-day franchise system „the italian“ with 5 locations in Austria and one location in Armenia is now expanding into Germany. The first location will open in April 2018 in Recklinghausen.
Schärf presents “The Taste of Summer” for the first time – unique and refreshing cold drink creations at the IBA in Munich and launches the new highlight Cold Craft Coffee Beer. In September 2018, Reinhold Schärf receives the big golden medal for services to the province of Lower Austria.

The Coffeeshop Company signs the contract for the market entry in Portugal.
Reinhold Schärf is awarded with the Commander’s Cross of the Province of Burgenland, the most significant honor, currently awarded by the Federal Province of Burgenland. At the Internorga in Hamburg, the new Schärf Anima Coffea coffee liqueur will be tasted for the first time and the new double-walled Schärf grass paper cup will be presented.

The Austrian quick-service restaurant provider TQSR Group strategically expanded its brand portfolio with the acquisition of Coffeeshop Company®. TQSR Group has been the master franchisee of BURGER KING® in Austria since 2015 and currently operates 26 of Austria’s 54 BURGERKING® stores.The addition of the established Austrian coffee shop chain, which operates domestically and internationally, follows TQSR Group’s acquisition of the well-known Austrian food brand Rosenberger® in April 2019.