For the documentary „Hoagascht: In Vienna's Underworld“ In 2024, the ServusTV camera crew accompanied us for a few days during our daily work. As the feature is currently no longer available in the media library, we're bringing the stories and highlights of the segment back to life here.
From Jean-Paul Gaultier to the Sewer Business
Anyone familiar with the story of our founder Stefan knows: his path to becoming a drainage professional was anything but ordinary. Before he DerKanal founded, Stefan earned his living, among other things, as a model. From that time – more precisely, from a legendary casting call with Jean-Paul Gaultier in Paris – he took away a valuable life lesson that continues to shape our company philosophy today:
“The first three seconds determine how you are perceived. If you walk in upright and with positive energy, you'll have a completely different impact than if you slink around on the floor.”
The Birth of DerKanal
But how do you switch from the fashion business to Vienna's sewer business? By a brilliant coincidence! Stefan himself was out at a Viennese pub at two in the morning when suddenly the bar overflowed – the drain was completely blocked. The emergency service called in worked on the pipe for 40 minutes right before Stefan's eyes and charged a hefty 3,600 Schilling.
To Stefan's incredulous question about why it cost so much, the worker simply replied: “Because it's nasty, the equipment is expensive, and it's complicated.” That was the birth of DerKanal. Stefan immediately realized: This can be done better, faster, and, most importantly, more customer-friendly!
The brother duo behind DerKanal
In the ServusTV documentary, it quickly became clear why the two brothers and managing directors, Simeon Schmoigl and Stefan Hofstetter-Ebner, work so perfectly as a team. A third brother, smiling, summed it up perfectly in the interview:
- Stefan is the creative mind with the “killer ideas” that might sound totally crazy at first, but ultimately prove to be absolutely brilliant.
- Simeon is a rock and a natural-born organizer. Give him a seemingly impossible project, and two days later, the complete implementation plan is ready.
Together with our entire team – the unbeatable Drainforce – they have built a true 24/7 emergency service system, 365 days a year. Today, this ensures lightning-fast help for acute blockages in Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland. And when it comes to larger projects like pipe relining or professional backflow prevention , our team is even available throughout Austria for you!
Why Wastewater Management is the Lifeline of Every City
A functioning sewer system usually only gets our attention when it doesn't work. Yet, for millennia, the development, hygiene, and health of an entire metropolis have directly depended on wastewater management. In the ServusTV report, Stefan impressively connected antiquity to modern times on this topic.
“Sanitas per Aqua” vs. the Great Dying in the Middle Ages
Even in ancient Rome, which at the time had a population of one million, it was clear: a city can only remain healthy if water flows. The Romans built huge aqueducts for fresh drinking water and channeled waste through sophisticated sewer systems – like the famous Cloaca Maxima – controlled out of the city. Their motto: “Sanitas per Aqua” (Health through Water).
This knowledge proved crucial centuries later in the Middle Ages when the system was completely forgotten. Kitchen waste and faeces were simply dumped into the streets. The result? An explosive increase in rats, devastating epidemics, and widespread death across Europe.
"The purpose of clean drinking water and safely transported wastewater simply relates to the health of an entire civilization." – Stefan Hofstetter-Ebner
Sustainability for the next generation
When Simeon and Stefan need to recharge, they head to their personal power spot: Lake Neusiedl. By the water, the best ideas for the future emerge. Because at the end of the day, our business is primarily one thing: active environmental protection.
By inspecting, cleaning, and ensuring our channels are absolutely watertight, we prevent wastewater from seeping into groundwater. Clean water will be one of Earth's most valuable resources in the coming decades. We work daily to pass on an intact world to our children and grandchildren.
