History 
The foundation of the company originated from the knowledge that Fritz Happel gained at his agricultural farm in the Allgäu. In the early 1960s, he detected that mechanical milking differed from natural sucking by a calf in very significant physiological aspects.
The first patent application in 1964 and the first design of a new milking technology laid the foundation stones for the establishment of the company System Happel GmbH in 1976. In 1977, son Werner Happel joined the company, which he successfully managed for over four decades. Today, the Stöckle family manages the company with a team of 20 employees.
Sales did not start in Bavaria, but in demanding Switzerland, where cell count limit values of 350,000 for milk intended for delivery were compulsory as early as 1978. From the early beginnings, Swiss customers appreciated the "Happel milking".
Due to the positive response of the customers, the Swiss Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives decided to include the Happel VE (vacuum relief) system as the only milking machine in its product range.
The first patent application in 1964 and the first design of a new milking technology laid the foundation stones for the establishment of the company System Happel GmbH in 1976. In 1977, son Werner Happel joined the company, which he successfully managed for over four decades. Today, the Stöckle family manages the company with a team of 20 employees.
Sales did not start in Bavaria, but in demanding Switzerland, where cell count limit values of 350,000 for milk intended for delivery were compulsory as early as 1978. From the early beginnings, Swiss customers appreciated the "Happel milking".
Due to the positive response of the customers, the Swiss Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives decided to include the Happel VE (vacuum relief) system as the only milking machine in its product range.
In the mid-1980s, the company started selling its products in Germany and Austria. As a result of constantly increasing requirements for the milk quality, also dairy farmers in Germany and Austria became interested in the "seemingly small difference during milking" – the vacuum relief.
In November 2006, the Happel Suisse GmbH was founded with a staff of 10. In 2009, the company moved to new premises in Lyssach near Bern.
With more than 50 patent applications in the area of milking, Happel is regarded as one of the most innovative companies in the milking equipment industry.
Today, System Happel has become one of the most important international manufacturers in the area of milking technology. In total, approx. 4,000 dairy cattle owners now rely on the gentle vacuum relief (VE, which stands for Vakuumentlastung) milking technology from System Happel.
The benefits of this natural way of milking are not surprising in view of the fact that "the longer a cow produces healthy milk, the more economical it is.“
