PromZ Vak 4 · 2025 · English edition

FEB 2025

“We want to ‘tickle’, but it has to be appreciated”

familiar, but it has a twist — and the packaging is appealing. At the same time, we know Gen Z often isn’t the one making the decisions in a company — they’re the recipients, not the buyers. So we account for that too. You can track what’s trending among younger people by following social media, but the challenge is integrating that with what resonates across older generations as well. That’s why we often wait a year before acting on a new trend — so it’s gained broader acceptance. But we certainly want to keep this new generation in our sights and engaged.”

Can you give more examples of remarkable products in your assortment?

“Sausage rolls are festive, but you don’t usually see them in Christmas hampers because they need to be shelfstable. So we came up with a solution: the sausage itself is sourced elsewhere, but the ingredients for the sausage roll are included in the kit. A sweet pizza mix, or a Mojito cheesecake kit. More traditionally winter-themed, but also playfully presented, are the Christmas stocking marshmallows or Rudolph cookies. Or on a completely different note, we’re offering products made from upcycled product streams — very much in line with today’s values. These kinds of products typically stay in our collection for a year or two before being replaced by something new. Important of course, and this brings us to our other area of expertise: logistics. It has to be feasible. For example, in a chip factory producing tens of thousands of bags a day, it’s not realistic to ask for just 3,000 bags with a custom flavor. But what we can do is buy bulk batches of chocolate, have them packaged by a social enterprise, and create a fun custom-made gift box. That’s where we can really make a difference.”

Supply Chain In what way do you handle logistics?

“As a supplier, we operate between approximately 100 factories and 200 wholesalers. We constantly assess what is and isn’t feasible within that playing field. At the same time, we need to keep the end customer in sight to understand where demand lies. It’s a complex process. Since 2017, we’ve made significant strides in terms of systems and automation. Tastemakers had grown considerably, and maintaining control over logistics — the need to connecting data streams and being able to act quickly — became essential for further growth. That means mapping out quotation processes, knowing our average sales per product, and coordinating with manufacturers to ensure on-time delivery. You have to constantly monitor and think ahead, long before any orders are actually placed. We’ve gained a lot of experience with that over the years. Still, there’s always a risk factor — you can never predict things 100% in advance. What really resonates with customers? We often don’t fully know until the autumn, while right now we’re already finalizing our product lines for 2026!

We handle the majority of our packaging in-house. Innovation and creativity in packaging are a core part of our concepts — especially with new regulations coming into play. It’s a delicate balance in the food gift industry: What is responsible? And what’s feasible in terms of shelf life? Some products are in transit for as long as five months… For example, we’re currently testing paper-based film that could potentially be used as packaging material for certain products. But we have to research this thoroughly — otherwise, it risks becoming a case of greenwashing. For example, we’ve found that cardboard boxes are not always more sustainable for food products than plastic film — because they still require an inner layer of plastic to preserve shelf life.”

Burnout How did you end up in this industry?

“I’ve always worked in the food industry. I studied business administration at MEAO and got my first real job at Reforma while continuing my education in the evenings. After that, I worked at several companies in the food sector.