LABEL and packaging company, Vollherbst Labels, has announced a generational change in leadership: After more than 30 years, owner Dr Franz-Josef Vollherbst is handing over the baton to sons Stefan and Matthias.
Founded in 1921, family-owned German company Vollherbst Labels is a prominent supplier for the production of highly refined labels for multiple clients in the beverage and luxury food sector – many of them based in South Africa.
Six years ago, the company initiated a cross-generational development and handover process that has now been successfully completed.
Dr Vollherbst, Stefan and Matthias have been steering the reins since 2014 – cementing the company’s modernisation strategy and gearing it towards an innovative future. With a workforce of 110 like-minded individuals, the management structure of the company was further developed and the fourth generation assumed extensive responsibility. Going forward, Matthias will lead Vollherbst as sole managing director, while Stefan will work in a leading management position as authorised signatory.
Dr Vollherbst is very proud of Vollherbst’s ongoing growth as a 100% family-driven organisation. According to Dr Vollherbst, the handover ensures the company’s continuity and future orientation while its core values remain intact.
Since Dr Vollherbst took over from his father in 1984, Vollherbst has expanded its market leadership position within the ultra-premium label sector and increased its export share to 40%. In the 80s and 90s, Dr Vollherbst was one of the pioneers in the redesign of wine labels developing the values of a traditional print shop into a range of creative solutions.
The company recently demonstrated the entrepreneurial spirit of its successor generation with the development of one of the world’s first augmented reality applications for premium
labels. With Vollherbst’s smartphone app LABELinmotion, wine aficionados can now scan the label of a KWV Cathedral Cellar wine for an interactive experience with the brand’s winemaker – one of the first AR experiences in the South African wine industry.
Thanks to innovative new developments, Vollherbst’s qualified workforce and long-standing customer relationships, the family-owned company sees itself well positioned for the future.
