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
Excursion into history
1927
Foundation stone
In 1927, Mag. Josef Heller laid the foundation for the HELFE success story by founding a laboratory for his Sacred Heart pharmacy in Feldkirch. He formed the name of the new laboratory by combining “HEL-ler” and “FE-ldkirch”, thereby creating a trademark that has been protected since the 1930s.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.