The founder of an organic apiary which recently went bust has accused its landlady of blocking restructuring procedures.
Bienenlieb, a Salzburg-based honey farm and beekeeping network, recently sent shockwaves by revealing its bankruptcy.
The firm said on its website: “We have a sad update for you. Bienenlieb is bankrupt and has asked for the launch of insolvency proceedings.”
CEO Daniel Pfeifenberger, who established the company in 2012, emphasised that Bienenlieb had not made any losses until 2020 when Austria experienced a series of lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now Daniel controversially criticised the owners of the property his firm has rented.
The IT expert and business consultant argued on the Bienenlieb website: “Eventually, it has been impossible to get Bienenlieb back on its feet due to the nonexisting willingness of the landlady to participate in a restructuring procedure.”
Six employees and 46 creditors are affected by the bankruptcy of his enterprise, according to the Kronen Zeitung.
The Austrian newspaper reports that the debts of the enterprise, which aimed at connecting apiarists with firms interested in boosting their eco agency, ranged around EUR 750,000 (GBP 642,600). The company’s assets reportedly range around EUR 120,000 (GBP 102,800).
Judges at Salzburg Regional Court are currently looking into Bienenlieb’s request to start insolvency procedures.
Meanwhile, Bienenlieb has launched a crowdfunding initiative in a desperate bid to stay alive. Having determined EUR 60,000 (GBP 51,903) as its target, Bienenlieb managed to generate EUR 21,516 (GBP 18,612).
Austrian law enables bankrupt businesses to continue operating for some time under certain circumstances. Furthermore, indebted companies can remain active if creditors agree to get compensated with just a part of what they actually could claim.
Determined to continue its operations, Bienenlieb is currently searching for a new production and storage facility in the city of Salzburg.
However, owners of gift vouchers have been told that it is no longer possible to redeem them.
NewsX, of which the Bee News community is a part, has asked Daniel to shed some light on the developments.
Reflecting on the failure to agree on a way forward with his landlady, he said: “Due to the landlady’s refusal to forgo a certain amount of the debt, we were unable to apply for restructuring measures.”
Daniel added: “The issue regarded the estate in Membergerstraße 1 where we initiated our Bienenhof project.”
The Bienenlieb chief said the bankruptcy affected his Betriebs-GmbH (mehrdafon GmbH) company. He explained that the call for donations had been made for the benefit of Bienenlieb gem.V., a not-for-profit organisation.
Daniel told NewsX he was now focusing on ensuring a continuation of the body’s education and awareness campaigns.
Asked by NewsX whether voucher holders would get their money back thanks to the great success of the ongoing fundraiser, Daniel emphasised this was impossible as they were linked with the insolvent firm and not the not-for-profit organisation.
