Introducing the VFI GmbH
VFI GmbH has its roots in a family company in the sixth generation. At our company headquarters in Wels, we employ 150 employees in production, quality assurance, development, administration, and management.
Our value chain starts with the acquisition of the oil seeds, sometimes from our own farms, through pressing, refining, product composition and bottling, right up to storing the products in our fully automatic high bay warehouse, from which we deliver to our customers just in time.
We continually invest in sustainable production, and environmental protection is close to our hearts. We are proud of our locations in Austria, our employees and our regional products.
The history of VFI
Vereinigte Fettwarenindustrie in Wels is a company that belongs to the Rauch family. The roots of the family go back to the 18th century, when Anton Rauch ran a grain mill in Tyrol. In 1945, the family started to produce cooking oil in Innsbruck. The brand Kronenöl was introduced, and quickly established itself as a nationwide known brand.
The path to success
As a result, the development into market leading producers of cooking oils and cooking fats was consistently carried on under the management of Christian Rauch. After mergers, Vereinigte Fettwarenindustrie (VFI) at its current location in Wels, is the most powerful operation of its kind in Austria and still family-owned. With its high-quality products, VFI became a high performance partner for the food trade, commerce and industry.
Austria’s entry into the European Union in 1995 offered new chances for VFI, above all in export. Under the management of Alfred Lehner and Florian Rauch, the Wels location was quickly modernised and built up. VFI developed into an important supplier of vegetable fats and oils in Central Europe.
In 2004, a fully automatic high bay warehouse was built, with 11,000 pallet spaces, to continually have the regularly ordered products available under optimum storage conditions.
Today, VFI is the clear market leader in Austria, with a wide product range of cooking oils and cooking fats, and increasingly uses the ideal starting position to sell the excellent products even across the borders.
Milestones of VFI
1809: Roots of the company go back to 1809 in Linz und Innsbruck
1912: Relocation to Wels
1972: Founding VFI with factories in Wels, Vienna and Innsbruck
1996: Austria’s entry into the EU – building up the Wels site, shutting down the sites in Innsbruck and Vienna
1998: Investment in new, high-performance bottling lines with bottle blowing machines
2002: Olea takes a share in the oil factory “Bimal” in Bosnia/Herzegovina
2003: Erection of the automatic high bay warehouse for 11,000 pallets of finished products
2004 and 2006: Takeover of the strong brands “Bona” and “Ceres” from Unilever Austria
2009–2014: Modernisation of the refinery for the production of the highest oil quality
2009: modern energy generation with combined heat and power station and power-heat coupling
2012: New build of the factory building with tank farm, warehouse, production, laboratory, canteen and office
2014: Start of a new high-performance bottle blowing machine with integrated oil filling
2017: Start-up of the high yield expeller press VFI Ölmühle Ennsdorf
VFI commits to a modern entrepreneurship with responsibility for its employees, the environment and the safe supply of its customers. We are convinced that only continual improvement of our own skills in all areas will lead to sustainable success. Our highly motivated employees are the basis of our success. We continually invest in their further training, and in health-friendly work places with modern equipment, and offer our employees family-friendly working time models.
We can only gain high-quality raw materials for our healthy foods from an intact environment.
Therefore, VFI continually invests in the improvement of the ecological footprint. We have lowered the energy consumption by approx. 30% and the particulate matter emissions by approx. 90%, and are continually developing new packaging, which requires increasingly less material, and is also 100% recyclable.
As the largest oil producer in the country, we are committed to sustainable, regional production. Together with farmers, we have started a programme for guaranteed Austrian rape seed oil and sunflower oil. The origin is certified by AMA, and the rape seed oil is pressed directly by the farmers. In our operation in Wels, the oils are refined and packaged gently. This means that 100% of the added value stays in Austria! Consumers and restaurant operators can find these oils made from sustainable, 100% Austrian production in food stores, as “Kronenöl” rapeseed oil and “Osolio” sunflower oil. The AMA certified Austrian origin oil is now also available for industrial application in IBC tanks.
The partner-like collaboration with our customers and suppliers is central to our worldview. Only together can we achieve economic success, and continually offer our employees good and safe workplaces, and the consumers healthy foods.
We have established our current position with a strict quality policy. At VFI, quality not only means outstanding products, but also an excellent relationship with our customers and suppliers on all levels. It is our aim to achieve optimum customer satisfaction in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way possible.
In cooperative collaboration with our pre-suppliers and state-of-the-art production methods, we guarantee maximum product security on the one hand, and consideration for the factory’s environment on the outskirts of Wels on the other hand.
In order to achieve the high standards that we set ourselves, we have established a strict quality management system. Through the IFS (International Food Standard) certification with regular audits, we ensure that our quality standard is not only fulfilled, but also regularly checked and adjusted.
The foundation of our success is our outstanding employees. They completely identify with our goals, take on responsibility and bring the necessary flexibility for a dynamic company in a fast-changing market environment. They combine responsibility for the success of their own company, with friendliness and understanding for the needs of our partners.
The management is aware of its responsibility towards the employees and their families. With its business policy oriented towards continual profitability and sustainable success, it offers the many VFI employees high-quality and safe workplaces in a familial work environment, with fair wages and good further training opportunities.
Our home is in Central Europe. Here we want to prove that we have the best offer for all users, with quality products, delivery reliability, advice and fair partnership, and so gain further satisfied customers.
Code of conduct for employees, suppliers and service providers of VFI GmbH
At VFI GmbH, we committed ourselves to a healthy and safe working environment. This includes workplace safety and compliance with all legal regulations, but also legally and ethically unobjectionable behavior of our employees, suppliers, service providers and their employees. VFI GmbH developed its own social standard based on the SMETA principles. SMETA (SEDEX Member Ethical Trade Audits) is a standard used for ethical audits. A SMETA audit is based on the ETI codex which includes environment, health and work safety, work ethics and working references. VFI GmbH pursues the target to improve minimum social standards far beyond the company borders and to incorporate the compliance to the code of conduct as essential basis for any business relations with contract partners.
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Human dignity
The dignity of man is unimpeachable. It has to be respected and to be protected as elementary requirement for human cohabitation. -
Compliance with laws
All applicable laws and regulations, minimum industrial standards, ILO and UN conventions and all other relevant legal regulations have to be observed. The regulation which is most suitable for the implementation of protective purposes is applicable. Bribery, venality, giving and accepting of undue advantage and other forms of corruption are prohibited. -
Freedom of association and the right for collective bergaining
The employees‘ rights for foundation or accedence of labour organization as well as the right for collective bargaining according to national law and regulations and ILO conventions may not be restricted. Employees may not be discriminated due to the exercise of these rights. -
Prohibition of discrimination
Recruitment, remuneration, education and training approach, promotion, employment termination, or retirement of employees may not be subjected to discrimination due to gender, age, religion, race, birth, social background, disability, ethnical or national origin, nationality, membership in labour organizations including trade unions, political memberships or opinion, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, or marital status. -
Employment conditions and remuneration
Employment contracts are in writing. Maximum working time per period complies with legal regulations. Employees may not work more than 60 hours per week (including overtimes) regularly. Every employee has a right for at least one day off after six consecutive working days. More than six consecutive working days are only permitted if this complies with national and collective bargaining law. Salaries have to be paid regularly and on schedule. Salary level has to be appropriate to the work accomplished.
Salaries and additional benefits per usual working week have to comply with legally required standards as well as with standards of local manufacturing economy. They have to grant disposable income beyond only meeting basic requirements. Wage level and payment details have to be communicated easily understandable prior to commencement of work. Wage deductions as disciplinary sanctions are not permitted. -
Interdiction of child labour
Child labour is prohibited. The minimum age of employees has to correspond to local law with a minimum of 15 years (ILO 138). -
Special protection for adolescent employees
Adolescent employees need special protection so that working conditions do not endanger their health, safety, morality and development. Therefore, all national legal regulations have to be observed. Special risk analyses have to be carried out for the protection of adolescent employees. Access to education programs has to be granted. Adolescents according to international standard SA 8000 which are between 15 and 18 years old may only be employed beyond school time. Working time may not exceed 8 hours per day. School times, working times and transport may not exceed 10 hours altogether. Adolescents may not carry out night work. -
Workplace health and safety
Health and safety in the workplace should be promoted. Suppliers and their contractors have to meet legal regulations of the country in which they operate. Employees should not be exposed to dangerous, insecure, or unhealthy conditions which endanger their health. Personnel should be trained concerning workplace safety and health regularly.
We maintain an open and communicative error culture, i.e. every error that occurs and every dangerous situation should be reported by our employees. We assure a neutral and fast processing of the reported information. There will be no reprisals due to reported errors, neither for the reporting person nor for other affected persons. -
Interdiction of forced or compulsory labour or disciplinary sanctions
Suppliers may not utilize forced, prison, or other involuntary labour, e.g. obtained by deposit or retention of identity documents or other personal valuables at the beginning of the employment relationship. Prisoners or military personnel may not be employed. The use of physical punishment or psychological constraints or physical duress as well as verbal abuse are prohibited (BSCI). Wage payments may not be delayed for more than a month regularly. Employees with temporary contracts may not be forced to work longer than contractually agreed. If temporary staff is employed via agencies, all legal or contractually agreed fees have to be paid to the agency. Credits or advanced payments may not exceed three month’s salaries. -
Environment and safety
The company evaluates environmental impacts of its activity and takes all required measures to avoid and reduce environmental damage. Procedures and standards for waste management, emission, wastewater treatment, handling of chemicals, and other hazardous substances as well as their disposal have to comply with or exceed minimum legal requirements. -
Management systems
The supplier establishes and implements a policy of social responsibility. Furthermore, the supplier introduces an anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy in all business units. The management is responsible for the correct implementation and continuous improvement of the code of conduct execution. We maintain the right to carry out unannounced inspections. These inspections may also be carried out by independent third parties.