Business conversation: South Tyrolean entrepreneur: "I don't understand this lack of courage in Germany"
Ulrich Ladurner has created a world market leader for gluten-free food. In the interview, he explains how he opens up new markets and how he looks at Germany and the USA.
In the charming town of Burgstall in South Tyrol, surrounded by apple orchards, the world's largest family-owned manufacturer of gluten-free food products, Dr. Schär, bakes bread using robots. Their preparations are meticulously monitored, for only absolute gluten-free products prevent stomachaches in their most important customers: people with the autoimmune disorder celiac disease, which affects about one percent of the global population.
The 1922-founded company supplies gluten-free products to over 100 countries, with annual revenues reaching 632 million euros in 2025. Ulrich Ladurner, aged 76, presides over the company's board of directors and is often found at the firm's headquarters. Ladurner closely examines two of the company's most significant international markets, Germany and the United States, noting that "those who argue factually and objectively win no elections."
The entrepreneur hosts a bright, sunlit office overlooking his hotel, the Vigilius Mountain Resort, accessible only by a gondola from the mountain peaks.
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