Our Heritage

The Founding and Growth of HyLife™.

In 1994, In Southeast Manitoba, three Vielfaure Brothers (Paul, Denis and Claude) and Don Janzen joined resources to create a company called VL4/Janzen and to fulfill a common vision: to create the most efficient and integrated operating structure for the production of hogs.

Moving towards self-sufficiency and other opportunities, the company built or purchased its own: feed-mills, vet services division and genetic company (www.fastgenetics.com).  They expanded their pork production in Canada & the U.S. and in 2008 ventured into China.  They created a distribution center for central buying of products used throughout the system, a nutrient management company (see Environment), maintenance division, started purchasing all feed ingredients in-house and began their own transportation division.  Many other measures have been adopted or created over the years to form an efficient, forward looking company.

As the company expanded, Grant Lazaruk and Henry Van de Velde joined as partners. The company then became known as Hytek.  The company remains focused on efficient hog and meat production, and finding new opportunities of growth and creating value-added partnerships. In 2008, the processing plant known as Springhill Farms in Neepawa, Manitoba was purchased (www.hylifefoods.com), which processes all the commerical production into pork products sold around the globe.

The company’s evolution into a ‘farm-to-fork’ food company provided the opportunity to re-brand the organization. In 2011 Hytek changed its name to Hylife™ which signifies the company’s promise to provide high quality food while retaining the values that made them successful. The new logo represents an integrated business brand that begins with a trusted food source and results in a premium pork product on your plate.

While HyLife™ has grown into a global company, with facilities across North America, China and beyond, the company headquarters remain in Southeast Manitoba. HyLife wears its homegrown principles with pride, as demonstrated in living up to the values that are the cornerstones of our business.  The Management and staff believe deeply in giving back to the communities where we do business.

HyLife™ Ltd Mission Statement

We provide our people with the opportunity to achieve the highest level of performance.
We produce quality  products that meet our customers’ needs in a sustainable environment.