Our Story
History & Vision of the Vatheuer Family Foundation
Our Founder
Hans Jörg Vatheuer made his career as a successful civil engineer, business owner, and land developer in Portland, Oregon. In the early 1990's he volunteered his time in a humanitarian mission to Oaxaca, a poor state in Southern Mexico. The group went into the mountains of rural Oaxaca to install a sanitary water system for a community. He was surprised that the U.S. sponsor had obviously not considered realistic long-term goals or lasting commitment as a critical component of its work. Following this trip, he decided to return on his own to finish the water system, and organized and built water systems in two other communities.
After spending much time in the mountain communities, Hans began to realize the people had many potential needs, such as waste water disposal, diet supplementation, health services and education, and reliable income.
He wanted to help and tried various projects such as raising rabbits, introducing novel vegetable and berry crops, and building a central community bathroom, shower and laundry facility. One project led to another, and soon he was researching how to grow fruit trees after concluding that a consistent source of income would help the people the most.
The beginning of VFF
In 1996, Hans founded the Vatheuer Family Foundation. The mission of the Foundation at its inception was to improve the quality of life of the indigenous population and to further the local economy through agricultural projects that would ultimately be self-sustaining and provide a vital source of income. VFF worked directly with Oaxacan communities and started planting apple trees in 1995, after having located several varieties from Southwest Asia that could withstand the temperate climate of Oaxaca. By 2005, the Foundation was working with growers in 12 rural mountain communities, with thousands of apple and peach trees bearing fruit to be sold in the local markets. Some villagers also began producing rootstock and grafting thousands of apple and peach trees which were sold to various communities, government and private projects.
VFF’s partnership began with a friendship between Hans and Edgar Martinez, a Oaxacan originally from a small mountain community in the same region. Edgar was critical to the early success of the projects, providing full-time support, teaching new techniques, problem solving, and coordinating all activities in Oaxaca. Together, Edgar and Hans founded Proyectos Para un Futuro Mejor and Frutos de la Mixteca. These two organizations represented the non-profit and business activities of VFF in Mexico, respectively.
In 2006, work began on a fruit processing plant near the city of Oaxaca.
The communities took turns sending teams of men to provide labor. By April 2009, fruit processing equipment was assembled and installed, and interviews for a food engineer were underway. The plant began experimental trials of producing various dehydrated fruit, including locally grown pineapple and mango, and jams from the apples and peaches in our program. These original products met with varying degrees of success and the current focus of the processing plant is to develop new products with real market potential, and to strengthen local market relationships and partnerships.
Hans passed away in 2013 and left a legacy of hope and energy to the next generation of VFF leadership. In addition to the projects in Mexico, VFF provides scholarships at Portland State University, funds medical research at Oregon Health and Science University, and is partnering with several other organizations, both in Mexico and the United States.
Our model continues to seek the most effective means possible to achieve our goals, which for us has meant moving from an independent experimental basis to a more collaborative approach. As our Foundation grows, we hope to continue gaining insight from our partners and resources by working together towards mutually beneficial results.
The mission of the Foundation at its inception was to improve the quality of life of the indigenous population and to further the local economy through agricultural projects.
OUR VISION
We believe in supporting all levels of focused impact to promote sustainability, drive ingenuity, and to encourage individual welfare, community and nation building.
OUR GOAL
VFF's philanthropic work began over 20 years ago with the simple idea of being directly involved in helping people to help themselves. We've come a long way since then, and believe in the model of continuity and gaining strength and momentum through high-impact networking.
Sustainable change does not always happen quickly. We find long-term success through consistent dedication to our causes and the people we support.