Vollpension

Vollpension is a social-enterprise coffeehouse chain based in Vienna, Austria. Its distinctive model places older people—described by the brand as grandmas and grandpas—at the center of baking, serving and customer interaction. The cafés are designed not merely as places to buy coffee and cake, but as deliberately intergenerational spaces where older employees can earn supplemental income, maintain social contact and share family recipes and practical knowledge with younger customers. The business began in 2012 as a temporary pop-up café created by a group of young people who wanted to serve cakes resembling those made by their grandmothers. The project was staged during Vienna Design Week and was not initially conceived as a permanent hospitality business. Its concept attracted the attention of the Austrian Tourist Association, which arranged for ten older women involved in the project to travel around Austria for approximately three months. They baked and served at festivals, fairs, beer events and other public gatherings, giving the idea visibility beyond Vienna. In 2015, Vollpension established its first permanent café at Schleifmühlgasse 16 near the Naschmarkt, one of Vienna's best-known market areas. A second location opened in September 2019 at Johannesgasse 4a, within the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna. The expansion gave the concept a more stable operating base while retaining its emphasis on personal encounters between generations. The name Vollpension has a double meaning in German: it can refer to a full-board hotel stay and to a retirement pension, linking hospitality with the social and economic situation of older people. The cafés' visual identity is intentionally domestic rather than polished or corporate. Worn furniture, small vases, doilies and decorative animal figures are used to evoke a warm family sitting room. Cakes are the principal product and are generally sold by the slice. Recipes come from the participating older bakers, so the selection changes according to who is working and what they have prepared. The offer also includes coffee and other beverages, smaller snacks, and vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Portion sizes are available in two formats. Vollpension's social purpose is closely integrated with its commercial operation. Older staff members generally work part-time and receive additional income while also gaining regular opportunities for conversation and participation. In 2020, the organization reported a workforce of 80 people from 21 nationalities, ranging in age from 18 to 84; the older bakers were the only employees involved in baking at that time. The enterprise has also facilitated intergenerational activities such as knitting and poker workshops, although its regular program was later reduced in favor of occasional events. The COVID-19 pandemic was particularly disruptive because Vollpension depended heavily on in-person hospitality and intentionally employed many older people, who faced heightened health risks during the crisis. In response, the organization launched BakAdemy, described as the world's first Grandma Baking School. The online platform offered on-demand and live baking instruction from older people in several countries, including India, New Zealand, the United States and Australia. This initiative extended Vollpension's intergenerational and educational idea beyond its physical cafés. By 2024, company-reported figures stated that Vollpension had served more than one million guests and generated over €2.3 million in supplemental income for senior employees during its first decade. International coverage from outlets including The New York Times, CNN and France 24 helped make the Vienna cafés a prominent example of social entrepreneurship. Its positioning combines Viennese café culture, home-style baking and a practical response to loneliness and old-age poverty.

Vollpension originated in Vienna in 2012 as a temporary café project created by a group of young people. Their starting idea was simple: serve cakes resembling those traditionally made by grandmothers. The pop-up was presented during Vienna Design Week and initially had no clear plan to become a permanent company. Its combination of nostalgic food, older bakers and direct social interaction nevertheless attracted attention. The Austrian Tourist Association subsequently recognized the concept and arranged a nationwide tour. Ten of the participating older women travelled through Austria for around three months, preparing and serving cakes at festivals, fairs, beer events and other public gatherings. This experience broadened awareness of the project and demonstrated that the concept could operate outside a single temporary venue. A permanent café was established in 2015 at Schleifmühlgasse 16, close to Vienna's Naschmarkt. The location provided a stable base for a business whose central activity was the sale of cake and beverages, while also creating regular opportunities for older staff and younger customers to meet. In September 2019, Vollpension opened another location at Johannesgasse 4a in the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna. The second branch extended the brand's reach within Vienna and connected it with an educational and cultural setting. Vollpension's name refers both to a full-board hotel arrangement and to a retirement pension. This wordplay reflects the organization's dual identity: it is a hospitality business and a social enterprise concerned with the financial and social circumstances of older people. Its cafés use domestic visual cues—used-looking furniture, doilies, small vases and figurines—to suggest a family living room rather than a standardized commercial chain. Customers are encouraged to interact with the older people who bake and serve the food. Cakes remain the central product. Older employees prepare them according to personal and family recipes, meaning that the menu is variable rather than fixed. The cafés also sell beverages and smaller snacks and provide vegetarian and vegan options. Older staff members generally work part-time, and their roles combine food preparation, table service and conversation with guests. In 2020, Vollpension reported 80 employees representing 21 nationalities and ages from 18 to 84. The grandmas and grandpas were the only employees responsible for baking. The model responds to more than one social issue. It creates supplemental income for older people, while regular work and contact with customers can reduce isolation and increase participation. Earlier programming included knitting and poker workshops intended to encourage the exchange of skills between generations. Although these recurring activities were later scaled back, the cafés continued to organize occasional events and workshops. The arrival of COVID-19 in Austria in March 2020 created an especially serious challenge. Vollpension depended on face-to-face café traffic and employed many older people, who were particularly vulnerable to the health consequences of the pandemic. The organization adapted by launching BakAdemy, an online baking school offering live and on-demand classes led by older people. In addition to Austrian instructors, the platform featured participants from countries including India, New Zealand, the United States and Australia. BakAdemy transferred the brand's emphasis on recipes, storytelling and intergenerational learning into a digital format. Vollpension later reported that it had served more than one million guests and generated more than €2.3 million in supplemental income for senior employees during its first decade, measured through 2024. Coverage by major international media organizations helped establish the company as a notable example of social entrepreneurship. Its history is therefore defined by the progression from a design-week pop-up to a permanent Vienna café chain and then to a broader educational platform, while retaining the same core connection between baking, hospitality and social inclusion.

• 2024

  Company reports decade-scale social impact

  [1]Vollpensionen.wikipedia.org

  Company-reported figures stated that more than one million guests had been served and over €2.3 million in supplemental income had been generated for senior employees over the preceding decade.

• 2020

  BakAdemy launches

  [1]Vollpensionen.wikipedia.org

  Vollpension introduced an online baking-school platform taught by older bakers in response to pandemic disruption.

• 2019

  Second Vienna location opens

  [1]Vollpensionen.wikipedia.org

  A second branch opened at Johannesgasse within the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna.

• 2015

  First permanent café opens near Naschmarkt

  [1]Vollpensionen.wikipedia.org

  Vollpension established its first permanent location at Schleifmühlgasse 16 in Vienna.

• 2012

  Vollpension begins as a Vienna Design Week pop-up

  [1]Vollpensionen.wikipedia.org

  A temporary café project was created by young organizers to serve cakes inspired by those made by grandmothers.

• 2012

  Older bakers tour Austria

  [1]Vollpensionen.wikipedia.org

  Following interest from the Austrian Tourist Association, ten participating older women travelled to events around Austria for about three months.

A socially oriented Viennese café brand combining home-style cake and coffee with paid work, supplemental income and social participation for older people.

• Bakery and café food · 2012

  Homemade cakes

  Vollpension's principal offering is cake sold by the slice. Older bakers prepare the recipes from their own family traditions, so the selection changes according to which bakers are working and what they have made. The offer includes different portion sizes and vegetarian and vegan alternatives.

• Café food and beverage · 2012

  Café beverages and snacks

  The cafés complement their cakes with coffee and other beverages, as well as smaller snacks. These products support the everyday coffeehouse format while keeping the social focus on conversation between customers and the older people who prepare and serve the food.

• Digital education · 2020

  BakAdemy

  BakAdemy is Vollpension's online baking-school initiative, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides live and on-demand lessons led by older bakers, extending the brand's recipe-sharing and intergenerational-learning concept to participants beyond its Vienna cafés.

• 2020BakAdemy

  Austria · International

  Vollpension moved its baking and storytelling concept online through live and on-demand classes led by older people from several countries.

  Outcome. The initiative provided a digital channel for teaching and social connection while physical café operations were affected by COVID-19 restrictions.

  Source
• 2012Austria touring café project

  Austria

  Ten older women associated with the project travelled around Austria for approximately three months, baking and serving at festivals, fairs, beer events and similar public gatherings.

  Outcome. The tour broadened the project's public exposure and helped demonstrate the portability of its intergenerational café format.

  Source

• 2020

  Adapt operations through online baking educationOther

  Background

  The pandemic severely affected in-person hospitality and posed particular risks for a business employing many older people.

  Action taken

  Vollpension launched BakAdemy, an online platform for baking instruction by older teachers.

  Aftermath

  The brand extended its social and educational mission beyond its physical cafés and reached learners in multiple countries.

  Source

• 2019

  Expand to a second Vienna branchStrategy

  Background

  After operating its first permanent site, Vollpension sought to extend its intergenerational café model within Vienna.

  Action taken

  The organization opened a second location at Johannesgasse within the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna.

  Aftermath

  The expansion increased the brand's physical presence and placed a café in a university and arts environment.

  Source

• 2015

  Move from pop-up to permanent caféStrategy

  Background

  The original Vienna Design Week project had been planned as a temporary activity, but interest in the concept created an opportunity for a stable social-enterprise operation.

  Action taken

  Vollpension established a permanent café near Vienna's Naschmarkt.

  Aftermath

  The permanent site became the foundation for the brand's ongoing café model and later expansion.

  Source

1. 1Vollpensionen.wikipedia.org