The family legacy

In 1927 Josef Heller founded the company HELFE in Feldkirch. He composed the name from HEL-ler FE-ldkirch.

Over 90 years later, we as a company can look back with pride on our history and the still existing family tradition of the Heller family in Feldkirch.
There are three pillars on which our company is based:

  • HELFE Werbesujet von früher

    Tradition

    The tradition within the company stands on the one hand for the more than 90-year family history of the company – it has been owned by the Heller family from Feldkirch since 1927 – and on the other hand for the use of traditional medicinal plants, including those from the Kneipp theory.
  • Hand mit Sense auf Blumenwiese

    Sustainability

    At HELFE, we attach great importance to sustainability, as we know that only a healthy environment can provide us with high-quality plants for our products.


    Solar system
    LED lighting in the company
    Earth cooling for the entire company
    Reuse of old cardboard boxes


    With these measures, we try to do our part to preserve our environment in the long term.
  • HELFE Qualitätsprüfung

    Quality

    In order to provide our customers with the best possible quality, we are constantly on the lookout for innovations and new technologies. We use state-of-the-art vacuum technology to extract the plants. Thanks to this gentle method, the boiling point is around 30°C and the thermolabile ingredients of the plants are retained.

HELFE

Excursion into history

HELFE 1927 – Mag. Josef Heller in Apotheke

1927

Foundation stone

In 1927, Josef Heller laid the foundations for the HELFE success story by establishing a laboratory for his Herz-Jesu pharmacy in Feldkirch. He formed the name of the new laboratory by combining "HEL-ler" and "FE-ldkirch", thus creating a trademark that has been protected since the 1930s.

HELFE 1928 – Mitizyn Creme Werbung

1928

HELFE Mititzyn Cream

In 1928 the HELFE Mitizyn cream was introduced. Because of its versatility, the all-purpose cream is still a tradition in many households today and is the ideal companion for every trip.

HELFE 1934 – Portrait Dr. Sedlitzky

1934

Takeover of the Sedlitzky company

In 1934, Sedlitzky & Co, one of the largest bath additive companies at the time, was taken over. Their specialties included carbon dioxide baths, which HELFE continued to produce and improve.

HELFE 1950 – Portrait Dr. Rüdiger Heller

1950

The second generation

In 1950 Dr. Rüdiger Heller, the second generation of the family, takes over the management of the company. Under his leadership, the production of high-quality plant extracts such as hay flower extract began.

HELFE 1984 – Portrait Mag. Wolfgang Heller

1984

New focus

In 1984, the third generation of the family, Mag. Wolfgang Heller, joined the company. His focus was on expanding HELFE economically and further improving existing products through technical innovations. In addition, he incorporated his strong environmental awareness into the company mission statement.

HELFE 1987 – Die blaue Linie Sujet

1987

The blue line

In 1987 the switch to HELFE's “blue line” took place. To this day, all the bottles of bath products are still in the same cobalt blue. At that time, Austria even developed its own deposit system for glass bottles.

HELFE 1999 – Patent Zertifikat

1999

Patent

From 1990 to 1999, HELFE focused more on the development of a plant-based anti-inflammatory substance, for which a European patent was granted in 1999.

HELFE 2000 – neues HELFE Gebäude

2000

New company building

Due to the increasing demand for HELFE products, the company moved to a new, modern company building with 1000m2 of production space in 2000. In order to meet personal sustainability standards, it was equipped with a solar system, a rainwater collection system to cool the machines, earth cooling and LED lighting

HELFE 2016 – Portrait Alexander Heller

2016

A new generation

With Alexander Heller, the fourth generation has joined the family business. His focus is on new marketing strategies and intelligent product innovations. Environmental awareness and sustainability are an important topic that should continue to be continually developed further in the area of ​​product development in the future. New products, in addition to traditional bath products, are in development.

HELFE 2017 – alt/neu Etikettvergleich

2017

Innovations

In addition to the new brand identity and the changed label design, the recipes for all products have been revised in order to provide them with even more natural ingredients. Mild surfactants, such as cocosides, ensure that the skin is cleansed and cared for when washing and bathing.

HELFE 2019 – Alexander und Amann

2019

Takeover company

In 2019, the family business HELFE was taken over by Alexander Heller. At this time, the first shower gel based on existing plant extracts was brought onto the market.

New contacts are made, such as with Mr. Werner Amann, a beautician from Hohenems. Because of his trust in the HELFE company, Alexander Heller handed over the recipe for his well-known lip care.

HELFE 2020 – neue Webseite

2020

Further development of the homepage

In collaboration with an external agency from Vorarlberg, the homepage was completely redesigned and redesigned. The goal of ensuring a better overview of the diverse product range and making the information about the products and the HELFE company more transparent was implemented excellently.