“That Step Set Several Things in Motion That We Had Failed to Achieve Before”

For two Slovenian companies from different industries, Austria’s Carinthia region became a launchpad for expansion beyond Slovenia. Jezeršek gostinstvo entered through a concrete opportunity at the Tagenbrunn estate, while energy-management company Reduxi chose the region as a natural first step into the Austrian market.

Jezeršek’s expansion began in late 2023, when Benjamin Wakounig of the Slovenian Business Association in Klagenfurt contacted Jure Jezeršek about the estate. After meeting the Riedl family, the sides quickly found common ground. Jezeršek took over catering, events and hotel operations there on May 1, 2024, less than six months later.

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In Austria, there is great potential for catering, which remains one of our key areas, and above all it offers the possibility of expanding across the entire DACH region.

Austria offered the company room to grow in catering and a route toward the wider German-speaking DACH market. At a business forum in Ljubljana, Jezeršek said the Slovenian Business Association and the Carinthian Chamber of Commerce helped the company navigate key early steps, including language barriers and local procedures.

Geographic proximity also made the move practical. Jezeršek said staff could drive from Slovenia to Carinthia for a bank visit, document signing or meeting and return home the same day. The Austrian presence subsequently helped generate new opportunities, including UEFA Champions League projects in Austria and the UEFA Super Cup in Udine. The company already had experience with major international sporting events, including the Olympic Games.

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A major advantage is the support service you have, and because of that it was much easier for us.