Herbert Felix

Who was Herbert Felix?

Herbert Felix was a Swedish entrepreneur of Austrian-Jewish descent and the founder of the food companies AB Felix and Felix Austria.

Herbert Felix was born in an Austrian-Jewish business family in the town of Znojmo, then part of Austria-Hungary. He started working for the family company Löw & Felix, which was known for its type of Znaimer Gurken cucumbers, and Herbert Felix was trained to become his father's successor as the company's CEO. He was responsible for the company's export and as such got the opportunity to travel around in Europe. During a visit to Sweden, he met his first wife.

In 1938, Herbert Felix decided to leave Czechoslovakia following the annexation of Sudetenland by Nazi Germany. He came as a refugee to Sweden and in 1939 he started working for the company AB P. Håkansson in Eslöv. The activity was first run as a part of AB P. Håkansson, which through its cooperation with Felix could find an outlet for its surplus of vinegar in the factory. The success came in the early 1940s and the name "Felix" was started to be used by AB P. Håkansson as its trademark.