Few people know that "Kola" was produced and sold in pharmacies long before the beverage became popular. Most pharmacists had their own formula for this beverage, which is why Simon Windhager, a Salzburg-based pharmacist, browsed old books and found a formula by someone by the name of "Hubertus." Mr. Windhager replicated the formula based on the provided instructions, improving the formula along the way. This is how "Hoobert Natur-Kola" was invented.
In its early days, the beverage was a well-kept secret and was only sold on the market in Salzburg. Eventually, Hoobert became widely available at grocery stores including Spar, dm, and Billa Plus. In 2019, the company took the next step towards growth and started Austria-wide distribution in collaboration with Stieglbrauerei.
Logistics processes with Stieglbrauerei required Hoobert to provide electronic delivery orders as EANCOM standard INSDES messages (Instruction to Despatch). To comply with this requirement, Hoobert turned to the long-standing EDI expertise of EDITEL, who worked with all involved partners to coordinate all processes and content.
Eventually, Hoobert also started using the conversion service via EDITEL's platform eXite to make sure that distribution partners receive their delivery orders both with the correct content and in the adequate format.
Looking back, Martin Heim of the brand owner West Company says: "This was a decisive step for our collaboration with Stieglbrauerei and it also opened up new paths and opportunities for ‘Hoobert,’ especially when it comes to nationwide distribution."
