"King of Vending Machines" and Bon Vivant: Viennese Entrepreneur Ferry Ebert Celebrates 90th Birthday
Not only can Ferry Ebert look back on an impressive life, on December 16th he reaches the equally impressive age of 90. The Viennese is known to many generations as the Vending Machine King or Condom Pioneer, but for him that is long history: "I live a life beyond entrepreneurship, but with the awareness of what it means", he defined his present in a conversation with the APA - and this presents the Viennese with his biggest challenge so far.
Former Vending Machine King Ferry Ebert turns 90: "Now I am human"
"Now I am human and I am allowed to help a person who has no more chances, my wife who suffers from dementia, and that is actually a task, everything else in my life was not even worth a debate", Ebert said about his wife Amalia's illness. At the beginning of the year, the two were commemorated with the film "And freshly in love every day" by Houchang Allahyari. It shows how they master their everyday life with love. Actually, the filmmaker had intended to portray Ebert's life as a vending machine king, he recalls. "The 90th birthday is now the occasion for us to make the second part", said Ebert - and then both aspects would be the content.
Almost Half a Century in the Vending Machine Business
His entrepreneurial life began in 1956, when the then representative for technical rubber goods at Semperit had 300 condom machines delivered to his mother's doorstep by his boss. This not only caused her horror, with his "condoms" he also drew the wrath of the "porn hunter" Martin Humer decades later, Ebert recalls. This was in the 1980s when he installed a condom machine at the University of Linz, which resulted in him being pursued by Humer and three priests. The business success with million-dollar turnover eventually went as it came, especially when he lost the then main revenue driver named Brieflos in his mid-50s - but as long as the success was there, he enjoyed it, says Ebert.
The vending machine business kept Ebert busy for almost half a century. Only the switch to the euro meant his final economic downfall, as the effort to adapt the mechanics of the machines to the new currency would have been too expensive. Until the headline in 2001 "Ferry Ebert separates from life's work", however, he was accompanied by PEZ, chewing gum and Brieflos machines and exports to the whole world, including the USA.
"Grandchildren and Automaton Museum" in Vienna-Penzing
Currently, Ebert is running his "Grandchildren and Automaton Museum" in Vienna-Penzing again. In 2018, it was temporarily up for sale due to his health problems, but he announced its reopening just a year later. There, you can also find one of the fairy tale automatons, a late innovation from the Ebert house, which he is particularly fond of. "Well, I can look back on a truly fulfilled life," Ebert summed up, "with all its ups and downs."
Dealing with his wife's dementia has certainly been a huge challenge for Ebert in recent years. He tried to cope with it alone for a long time before he had to admit that this task could not be managed without 24-hour help. His granddaughter was the first to recognize his increasing overwhelm, which he did not want to admit to himself. "One day she came and said 'Grandpa, pull yourself together. I'm going on vacation with you for a week'."
Second Film Planned for 90th Birthday
That was a few years ago, the Eberts are still active: "We are invited to a retirement home of the Vienna municipality this week, where my wife sings Christmas carols with a musician," Ebert said. "Well, that's something really great," and something they want to convey - that's why he welcomes the second film by Allahyari. Of course, the 90th birthday will also be celebrated, and more than once, Ebert announced.
(APA/Red)
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