Zuckerlwerkstatt Trendy Handcrafted Candy

Just over a year ago, they opened up their candy shop in the heart of Vienna and could not be busier by now. Popular as give-aways for weddings or in hotels, or just as a simple souvenir, it's already hard to imagine Herrengasse without those fine little Zuckerl, as the locals call their pieces of candy.

Christian Mayer and Maria Scholz really seem to have their finger on the pulse with this idea. Their showroom at the Hochhaus Herrengasse, Vienna's first highrise from the 1930s, shows off clear and linear designs: no fuss, nothing but a few old machines and posters that hint towards the long tradition of candy-crafting.

Glas shelves are installed along the walls and make for a perfect presentation of glasses and bags full of colored sugarcandies. After all, this is what it comes down to – Zuckerl!

While talking to Christian, I observe how two young men carry in hot liquid sugar in a big steel tub, then add aroma oils and food coloring. They stir tirelessly as the mass cools out and they get to swirl longish little pieces out of it. It smells of citrus.

1 | 7

After two hours, that mass of sugar looks like a supersized bonbon. Which then ultimately serves as the basis for the tiny pieces of candy that end up getting sold. Candy-making is not an easy thing to do and requires experience, says Christian, and I'm beginning to understand why.