The name of the company is E.A.T. Trade GmbH, in contrast the name of the business premises is Salzburg Salz and thus also refers to the registered trademark ‘Salzburg Salz – the art of salt‘, which has been protected since 2009.

The company was founded well before 2007 under a different name, but also with the aim of selling salt, among other things. The business premises with the current name and a large part of the product range have existed at Wiener-Philharmoniker-Gasse 3 since May 2007.

Until 2020, the company had contracts with mainly Japanese but also international travel agencies, which regulated the visits of tour groups with city and travel guides in the store. In the course of internal restructuring that took place between 2019 and 2022—also influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic—the company increasingly focused on offering small, handcrafted batches of high-quality, mostly regional products, establishing itself as a specialist retailer for premium table salts and salt products.

The sole owner (shareholder) of E.A.T. Trade GmbH has been Ms. Carina Schreiber since December 2020. She also represents the GmbH externally as Managing Director (since December 2019).

Hundreds of millions of years ago, almost the entire surface of our earth was covered with salt water. Over the course of time, all life developed from this: Nature, animals and humans. The geological movements during the earth’s development also created the mountains, in whose depths the salt of the primordial sea was preserved. This protected storage in the mountain is responsible for the fact that the rock salt remained completely uncontaminated and was not polluted by harmful environmental influences. This salt also contains small amounts of various minerals and trace elements whose composition is optimal for absorption and processing by the human organism.

The production of salt in the Salzkammergut first flourished in the Celtic era from the 8th century BC. Hallstatt, a present-day market town in the Upper Austrian part of the Salzkammergut, is home to one of the oldest salt mines in the world. Later, the Prince-Archbishops, the rulers of Salzburg, established their power based on extracting and trading the white gold from Dürrnberg. The salt mined in the Salzkammergut was distributed via salt roads and salt shipping on the Salzach River. Many professions at that time relied on the trade of salt and its extraction, leading our region to significant prosperity.

We, the Salzburg Salz team, are committed to the long tradition of our homeland and therefore offer you a wide range of natural, healthy and, to a large extent, regional/Austrian salt products.

Salzburg, the city of Mozart with its melodious name, has a deep historical connection to salt. However, no salt has ever been extracted in Salzburg itself. The name Salzburg refers to the rich salt deposits in the surrounding area, the trade in salt, and, of course, the local castle. In line with the economic, religious, and political goals of the archbishops and rulers of the city, its promising name was consciously promoted for marketing purposes even back then. Today, we would like to take a brief look at the fascinating history of salt and the formerly significant extraction sites around Salzburg.

The Importance of Salt Trade for Salzburg

Salzburg owes its fame and wealth primarily to the salt trade. Although there was no salt mining in the city itself, Salzburg served as a central hub for the “white gold.” The religious and political rulers, particularly the archbishops, utilized the city as a key point for salt trade, contributing to its great wealth. The precious commodity was initially shipped along the Salzach River, also named after the salt trade, and ultimately distributed worldwide through various trading posts. The numerous salt extraction sites in the immediate vicinity of Salzburg and the Austrian Alps provided the foundation for this trade:

• Hallstatt: The Oldest Salt Mine in the World

The Pfannensaline in Hallstatt, which was closed in 1965, was once one of the most significant sites for salt production. Today, one can only experience the history of salt extraction through a visit to the oldest salt mine in the world and the associated museum. However, brine extraction for the Ebensee saltworks still occurs via a brine pipeline.

• Bad Ischl: A Place of Historical Significance

Bad Ischl also boasts a rich salt history and was once a very important site for salt extraction. Although the Bad Ischl saltworks were closed in 1965, brine is now being extracted again on a small scale for the Ebensee saltworks.

• Hallein: Tradition Meets Modernity

The Pfannensaline in Hallein operated until 1989. Currently, small quantities of salt are once again being extracted through the exhibition saltworks of Salinen Austria AG and through natural brine extraction by the Salitri salt manufacture in the Wolf-Dietrich-Stollen. This small but fine production of ‘Salzburger Natursalz’ keeps the tradition of salt extraction alive in the region.

• Altaussee: A Revival of Salt Extraction

At the Altaussee mine, natural salt has been extracted again since 2021 after decades of inactivity. With the ‘Altausseer Bergkern,’ one of the world’s finest salts is now being produced. Brine extraction for the Ebensee saltworks also occurs here, allowing the region to play a significantly important role in salt production once again.

Our Salty Conclusion

The name Salzburg rightly stands for itself, as few cities worldwide and their surroundings are as rich in history and culture surrounding salt. From the oldest salt mine in the world in Hallstatt to the traditional and resumed salt productions in Hallein and Altaussee, to the centuries-long trade in salt across Europe: salt has shaped the region and remains an important part of its heritage, which we at Salzburg Salz are proud to uphold.

Salt has always been an indispensable part of our lives. It serves not only as a seasoning but also holds symbolic, economic, and health significance. In this blog post, we will take a look at the origin of salt, the various methods of salt extraction, its role in the human body, and the cultural aspects surrounding the “white gold.”

The Different Types of Salt Extraction

There are fundamentally three methods of extracting salt:

1. Mining: Here, salt is extracted from rock through blasting and drilling or manually. Rock salt originates from the deposits of prehistoric seas that dried up millions of years ago. It is also handpicked, crushed, and sorted.
2. Brine Production: This method utilizes natural brine sources or generates brine through “borehole brine production” to dissolve salt by supplying source water from the rock. The water from the brine is then slowly evaporated during processing until salt crystals form, which are then skimmed off or until only salt remains.
3. Sea Salt: Sea salt is obtained through the gentle evaporation of seawater. Approximately three tablespoons of salt can be derived from one liter of seawater.

The fact is that all types of salt ultimately come from ancient oceans. The difference lies in the fact that rock salt, “conserved” within mountains, is not contaminated by modern pollutants such as microplastics or industrial oil, unlike today’s sea salt.