A STORY BY Stefan Vollherbst
The Vollherbst
family business
A STORY BY
Stefan Vollherbst
Published
15. Aug 2024
CATEGORY
100 years
Reading time
20 Minutes
Four generations. 100 years experience. One goal: Labels for successful products
1856 – Founding of the bookbindery
In 1856, Franz Anton Vollherbst (1824-1908) founded a bookbindery in Endingen, Germany, laying the foundation for the development of today’s graphic design business.
1921 – Founding of the print shop
Franz Anton Vollherbst (1888-1962), continued in father Alexander and grandfather Franz Anton’s footsteps in the bookbinding business while also working as a vintner. In 1921, he expanded the bookbindery with the founding of the Vollherbst print shop.
1950 – Growth of the print shop
In 1950, Franz Vollherbst (1925-1998) became the second generation of the family to head the printing business and grew it to a successful medium-sized company.
1984 – Professional brand management
Dr Franz-Josef Vollherbst (born 1950) was the third generation Vollherbst to take over the family business in 1984. With his vision to expand the printing business by becoming the interface between marketing, design and printing, he opened up new markets.
2020 – Excellence, innovation and sustainability
In 2011, Stefan and in 2014, Matthias came on board and managed the company together with their father until Franz-Josef handed over the reins to the fourth generation in 2020. Since then, their corporate goal is the pursuit of holistic, sustainable excellence.
Founding of the bookbindery
In 1856, Franz Anton Vollherbst (1824-1908) founded a bookbindery in Endingen, Germany. An accountant, he was also a keen winemaker. His son Alexander (1859-1906), took over the bookbinding business and added a stationery store to it. Located in its original premises in Endingen, the Vollherbst-Koch bookshop exists to this day where it is run by Dr Franz-Josef Vollherbst’s cousin, Wolfgang Koch, and his family.
The two businesses – Vollherbst printers and the Vollherbst-Koch bookshop – are not only linked by family ties but also by shared core values such as the pursuit of creativity, originality and providing clients with that something special.
The first generation: From wine press to printing press
“Perseverance leads to the goal.” These were the first words Franz Anton Vollherbst printed on 5 July 1921. They also became the business’ slogan. From a young age, he’d learned his craft as a bookbinder and designer from his father Alexander and grandfather Franz Anton while also working in the family winery.
He was passionate about graphic design and further developed his craft and artistic skills at various master craftsmen’s workshops. With his characteristic perseverance and determination, he turned the business into a master bookbindery and after years of learning and travelling, he eventually took over the business from his father.
Trained in the artistic design and finishing of book covers, he creatively applied his skills to produce decorative embossing and gold leaf gilding. His craftsmanship and passion for excellence were passed on to his successors and can be seen today in the high-quality finish of Vollherbst labels. A talented draftsman, painter and type designer, Franz Anton also had a keen interest in photography which led to the establishment of a postcard publishing company.
Always keeping in mind the slogan, “Perseverance leads to the goal”, he personally delivered orders to his business and private clients on foot. Carrying a packed rucksack and parcels under his arms, he often made the journey over the mountains to villages in the Kaiserstuhl region. Among the orders were books he’d bound, pictures that were framed to order and various stationery items.
The bookstore, which sold among other things beautiful paper and writing instruments, was run by his wife, and other family members, while Franz Anton attended to his dual crafts in the workshop and vineyard. The desire to design and produce beautiful printed items himself and increasing demand for customised prints and business forms, led to the decision to start his own small print shop. In 1921, he bought the Vollherbst family’s first printing press, a second-hand platen press. The press has been lovingly preserved and passed down from generation to generation. On 5 July 2021, when Vollherbst celebrates its centenary, a special edition will be printed on the historic press to mark this special anniversary.
Franz Anton soon expanded Vollherbst’s production capabilities with additional printing presses and finishing equipment which enabled him to offer clients more sophisticated printed products in larger formats and longer runs. His son, Franz, grew up in Vollherbst and after finishing school decided to train as a typesetter in nearby Freiburg so he could join the business and ensure its continued existence.
The second generation: Vollherbst in the economic upswing
Franz Vollherbst took over his father Franz Anton’s small printing business in 1950. Over the next three decades the young master typesetter developed the business into a medium-sized industrial enterprise with about 100 employees. Initially his wife, Fin, managed the bookkeeping, working countless nightshifts as she also had to care for their children during the day.
Displaying remarkable entrepreneurial drive and courage, Franz introduced new techniques in the prepress, press and postpress processes. These innovations included changing from hot metal typesetting to phototypesetting, letterpress to offset printing, hand bronzing to embossing and foil printing, and steel rule cutting on a platen press to precision die-cutting machines.
Soon the production rooms in the historic centre of Endingen became too small and in 1964 the business moved to larger premises at its present location. Franz attached great importance to employing highly qualified specialists who were masters of their trade. A master craftsman himself, he trained well over 100 apprentices.
Initially, Vollherbst’s portfolio was made up of catalogues, advertising brochures and business stationery but as the business’ focus shifted to high-quality labels for especially wine, sparkling wine and spirits, new markets opened up. This allowed the business to constantly implement and develop innovative printing and finishing techniques.
In line with this shift, the company slogan was changed to “We are very close to people”. At the time, orders for new labels could only be acquired when a new design was introduced. It was customary for the label printers to supply the graphic design free of charge to the client and to claim the copyright for it and thus the right to reproduce and reprint it. Graphic design competence was thus a deciding factor when it came to winning new printing orders for labels. As a qualified typographer with calligraphic skills and his own graphic design team, Franz had a distinct advantage over his rivals and played a major role in shaping the trend in the ’60s and ’70s for labels in the wine sector. When it came to design and printing technology, the Vollherbst name was a byword for quality.
The remarkable growth of the business was only made possible thanks to a team of highly motivated designers, who Franz referred to as the “company family”, charismatic leadership and pragmatic organisation. But above all Vollherbst’s success was thanks to the close, personal client relationships it forged. Franz was supported by his daughter, Gerlinde, who was head secretary and his son, Franz-Josef, who was involved full time in the business while studying.
Thanks to Vollherbst’s reputation for high-quality printed products, outstanding service and technical production capabilities its market expanded far beyond the Endingen region.
The third generation: Professional brand management
While studying and simultaneously working in his parents’ business where he learnt the ins and outs of the printing trade, Dr Franz-Josef Vollherbst discovered a talent for creative design. After completing his doctorate in business administration with a focus on corporate social responsibility, he took over the family business in 1984.
“From the very beginning, I was fascinated by what labels do in the market and the function of our products in the packaging marketing,” he says. “It resulted in a whole new approach for our team. We didn’t just want to print beautiful, high-quality labels, we also wanted to understand our clients’ markets so we could work with their marketing and design divisions to create the best market-driven product because packaging sells.”
In line with this new approach, the company wanted to be more than just a printer, but rather an interface between marketing, design and printing. This strategic shift opened up new business pathways and markets, and made it possible for the company to expand its boundaries.
To ensure the Vollherbst team was up to the new challenges, Franz-Josef organised workshops and enlisted the help of the best graphic designers of the time, such as Olaf Leu, Kurt Weidemann and Günter Gerhard Lange. In 1986, he launched the acclaimed the New Wine Label design competition which ushered in a trend reversal in wine label design. “Wine as a product became more contemporary, more trendy, less stuffy,” Olaf says. “Leading this movement was Vollherbst in Endingen am Kaiserstuhl.”
In line with its contemporary profile, fresh image and expanded range of services, the company slogan was changed to “We empower brands.” It not only communicated the wide range of special services and competencies Vollherbst offered, but also its unique selling proposition, “We empower brands.”
The change in strategy also opened up international markets. Today, more than a third of Vollherbst’s labels are destined for other countries. “What makes Vollherbst special is a consulting competence that goes far beyond the usual,” Franz-Josef Vollherbst. “Diverse, constructive inputs for the optimisation and best implementation of designs into attractive product finishes add value for our clients.”
The new strategy led to even greater success. Plant expansions became necessary and possible. In 1989, a new office wing with a reception area for clients and business partners was added. This was followed in 1991 by a structural extension for production and storage. The dynamic technical development in the printing industry and increasing demand for self-adhesive labels made it necessary to invest wisely and with an eye to the future. “We placed particular emphasis on qualitative optimisation of our print finishing to secure our position as market leader in this area,” Franz-Josef says.
This period was also characterised by the digitisation of the printing industry at nearly all levels, from job management to prepress, print production and finishing. But to this day, print finishing techniques are still largely based on traditional analogue printing processes. For example, embossing of all kinds, whether foil, raised, blind or deep embossing, is produced using the letterpress process. To achieve the best results, requires craftsmanship. This applies to both the design, execution with embossing tools and technical printing application. “We learned this from scratch,” Franz-Josef says. “It’s part of the Vollherbst DNA.”
The talent for fine illustration and sculpting, and delicate elaboration of printing forms runs in the family. “My grandfather and father were very good draftsmen,” Franz-Josef says. “I learned from my grandfather, the master bookbinder, how embossing is done on books. For artistic prints and posters, my father still cut the dies from linoleum plates himself in the early days. I was also allowed to produce my own printing plates.”
To this day, Franz-Josef’s expertise is visible in numerous demanding embossing jobs. And thanks to the team of experts who’ve mastered their profession from the ground up, this craftsmanship is now well established at Vollherbst as is evidenced by the numerous national and international awards for its premium labels.
“In our business, sustainable success and continuity are only possible with the full support of the family,” Franz-Josef says. “Many a vacation destination was based on business interests. I’m also fortunate to have had the best possible personal coach in my wife, Doris, and the joy of having my sons, Matthias and Stefan, as my successors.”
The fourth generation: Excellence, innovation and sustainability
Like his father, Matthias Vollherbst, studied business administration in Mannheim. He joined the company in 2013 and quickly took on the responsibility of introducing changes to the processes. He was appointed managing partner of Vollherbst in 2020.
Matthias says he values his team and clients, and has made a point of getting to grips with the wine and leisure market in general. He wants to have his finger on the pulse both inside the company and outside, and regularly meets winemakers and distillers on site and at trade fairs and international events. He’s focused on detail but never loses sight of the bigger picture. Besides steering the company in a strategic direction, he manages many client projects himself, including the Africa export market. He shares his passion for travelling and especially for South Africa with his wife, Kim. Their son, Joshua, was born in December 2020.
Matthias’ brother, Stefan, joined Vollherbst in 2010 and worked his way up, starting out as a production planner. He soon became head of the finishing department and is now familiar with all aspects of the printing process. Stefan was appointed resource manager in 2020 and is responsible for strategic purchasing, land, buildings and human resources. As an authorised signatory, he has extensive authority. A family man, he’s an important companion and confidant for Matthias. He’s married to Sonja and she and their two youngsters, Tim (born in 2015) and Luis (born in 2018), often drop in at Vollherbst.
The management team also includes authorised signatory Michael Vetter who joined Vollherbst as a student trainee. He worked his way up the ranks and was Franz-Josef’s right-hand man for many years. He was appointed production manager in 2018 and is responsible for the entire value-added process, from the production of printing forms, printing and finishing to the prompt dispatch of orders. He’s supported by several experienced team leaders who help him achieve the best results for clients on a daily basis.
Since 2021, Susanne Kappis has complemented the management quartet as "Sales Manager". She went through all areas of a company in packaging production: she started there as a BA student, gained experience in product management and rose to sales and division management. She has extensive experience in the field of high-quality product packaging, especially for watches and jewellery. She successfully introduced new products and coordinated international sales teams. With this experience and international expertise, she will bring new impetus to the Vollherbst team. She is also supported by three dynamic team leaders in the areas of marketing, field sales and internal sales.
Matthias Vollherbst, Stefan Vollherbst und Michael Vetter.
The fourth generation of the Vollherbst family business’ slogan is “With excellence into the future.” Vollherbst management and everyone in the team feel they are part of not only the printing and design industry, but also the wine and leisure industry. Whether the client is a winemaker, cellar master, schnapps distiller or jam producer, it’s all about deep understanding, Matthias says. “Where does the client want to go? What makes the brand? And how can we do our bit to make the brand even more successful?” Clients and their products are taken seriously every step of the way.
Vollherbst looks internationally and across industries for inspiration and innovation. For instance, the idea for the LABELinmotion augmented reality app comes from Australia. Years of collaboration with top international design agencies are more than just a source of inspiration. Boundaries are crossed, new horizons discovered and unusual paths taken. This is how strong authentic brands that tell a story are created.
Vollherbst became the first print and labelling company in the wine industry to receive Fair’n Green certification in 2020. “Sustainability is one of the most important topics for us in the future,” Stefan says. “Our clients – winemakers, beekeepers and jam producers – work directly with nature. We as label manufacturers feel just as committed to nature and take responsibility for people and the environment.”
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