Vorwerk celebrates its 140th anniversary
Successful through passion and the courage to change
There is something to celebrate – because this year at Vorwerk we are celebrating our 140th anniversary! We would like to thank our more than 100,000 advisors, 9,000 employees and numerous customers all over the world. They live the values that have always made Vorwerk so successful – innovative strength, passion for quality and the courage to change!
Under the leadership of the Mittelsten Scheid family of entrepreneurs, Vorwerk has grown into a globally active group of companies in its more than 140-year history. Vorwerk was founded in 1883 by Carl Vorwerk as a small carpet weaving mill that grew quickly and steadily expanded its product range. In 1929 Vorwerk - now under the management of son-in-law August Mittelsten Scheid - produced the first Kobold vacuum cleaner. This was followed one year later by probably the biggest milestone in the company's history: the introduction of direct sales. Finally, in 1971, the multifunctional Thermomix® kitchen machine was launched. The production and distribution of the Kobold vacuum cleaner and Thermomix® are still part of the core business today.
Today, the Vorwerk Group is known to millions of people all over the world as an internationally successful company – and has always remained a family business. A total of 20 members of the Mittelsten Scheid family of entrepreneurs are associated with Vorwerk as shareholders. But there is even more to Vorwerk as a family business: Vorwerk stands for family values such as loyalty, mutual support and cohesion and represents these values both internally and externally.
We look forward to many more successful years!
The first Kobold vacuum cleaner
Vorwerk buildings in the 1920s
August Mittelsten Scheidt
Gramophone
Thermomix® production site
Thermomix® dircet sales today
Kobold direct sales today