EXCELLENCE IN PRIVATE LABEL PRODUCTS Mispol, set up in 1997 in Poland, today leads the Mispol Capital Group and specialises in the production of patés, canned foods, spreads, ready-made meals and sauces, mayonnaise and mustards, processed fruit and vegetable products, as well as pet food, both wet and dry. Having undergone major restructuring, a process which began in 2012, Mispol now focuses on providing the best service for its customers in private label manufacturing. Piotr Sadowski reports.
T
he overall strategic aim of Mispol Capital Group, overseen by the mother company Mispol SA with headquarters in Białystok, is to become, in the near future, the leading private label manufacturer for major retail networks. It is also looking to engage in effective business relationships with product distributors in Poland and neighbouring markets. “These are very important goals which we are effectively pursuing as a result of our restructuring process,” explains Bartłomiej Kowalczyk, member of the board at Mispol. “At the very beginning of 2013 we separated and sold off the own-brand company from the capital group. This was an important move in our strategy to strengthen our position as the leading private label manufacturer in FMCG goods and a partner of choice for the largest retail chains operating here in Poland
and across export markets. We thus continue expanding our operations with leading FMCG retailers in the region, including the Baltic States, such as Maxima, Jeronimo Martins, Eurocash – one of the largest cash and carry operators – Carrefour and Tesco, as well as a wide range of other smaller retail networks.” Reflecting on the implementation of the new strategic direction for Mispol, it is important to share some key figures relating to the capital group’s operations. Thus: 40 per cent of the overall sales are made up of the distribution of patés and canned foods; another 40 per cent is pet food; 8 per cent of sales is generated from ready-made meals and sauces; 10 per cent are mayonnaise, mustards, processed fruit and vegetable products; and 2 per cent is made up of other products. “In terms of our output capacity, in patés and canned foods we are producing between
2000 and 2400 tonnes of goods per month,” says Mr Kowalczyk. “Wet pet food is anywhere between 1300 and 2000 tonnes per month, dry 1700 and 2200 tonnes per month, while in mayonnaise,mustards, processed fruit and vegetables we manufacture 700 tonnes of goods per month, in addition to 600 tonnes of ready-made meals and sauces.”
Optimising the manufacturing processes As Mr Kowalczyk explains, one of the most important elements of the current development strategy is to move away from thinking about Mispol being a brand manufacturer and concentrate fully on being the most effective private label business partner for leading clients in Poland and abroad. “While 90 per cent of our production is distributed on the home market, we are nevertheless very much focusing on
