Sweet success EdHaas Hungaria

SWEET SUCCESS

2014 is a special year at EdHaas Hungaria Kft as they are celebrating their 25th birthday. Haas has a distinguished history; in fact their Austrian parent company is looking forward to celebrating a century of the Haas brand next year. The reasons behind this long term success are the company’s continuing family ownership and the management’s commitment to keep up with the trends to satisfy the housewives of all times.

The history of Haas goes back for more than 100 years when Eduard I invented baking powder and offered it to his patients as a medicine. His son, Edudard Haas II set up a grocery shop in Linz but it was his grandchild Eduard Haas III who was the main founder of the family empire. In 1915 he not only distributed products but also started the production of baking powder. 1927 was a major milestone when the peppermint flavoured sweet PEZ was produced. The concept of selling the sweet in a

toy dispenser figure was a great success in the 1950s. In 1962, V Edward Haas established Haas International Trading House, which is still today the exclusive distributor of many international brands. More production and distribution plants were developed in Austria and soon subsidiaries were established in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Russia and in Ukraine and products were distributed to 60 different countries.

The Hungarian subsidiary, EdHaas Hungaria Kft was founded in 1989 by EdHaas International and Győri Keksz Kft initially to produce PEZ sweets. In 1994 the company was completely bought out by Haas, and in the same year the production of traditional Haas powder products started in Jánossomorja, midway between Vienna and Győr, Hungary.

Today production is carried out on a 4400m2 area in Jánossomorja, where a 1100m2 production facility and a 3300m2 logistic warehouse was built in 2009. The centre office building of the company is located in Győr and was newly developed in 2011.

Extensive product portfolio

The product portfolio of EdHaas Hungaria has been continuously extended in the past 15 years. The company’s most recent product range is Haas Naturals, which targets the needs and requirements of health conscious customers. This gluten free powder product range is manufactured with natural aromas and without any artificial colours. In addition to their own products the company distributes market leading confectionary brands including Manner, PEZ, Zaini, and since 2014 D’arbo, covering the whole of Hungary. They also provide private label products for the largest supermarkets in the country, including CBA, Coop, Tesco, Spar, Metro, Lidl and Penny Market. Since the beginnings of the 1990s the company has sold over 570 million sachet powder products and over 154 million packets of PEZ sweets in the domestic market.

The company’s Wellness Effervescent tablets are market leading products in Hungary with a 40 per cent share. Domestic sales have now reached 53 million tubes of tablets. In this segment the company has developed an extensive product portfolio under the Haas, VITATAB, Premium and Private label brands. In order to sustain this key position wellness products are frequently supported by Big Billboard/City light ad campaigns. Most recently, in 2013 the company invested in a TV Campaign to launch a new premium product line that includes more vitamins and is sold in unique packaging.

Special spirit

EdHaas Hungaria is proud of its heritage as a family company and that special spirit is a vital part of the modern Haas atmosphere. The company is an important employer in the West Hungary region whilst the management group has remained unchanged since the very beginning and is typified by balance and loyalty. Mr Tibor Bozori, managing director of EdHaas Hungaria sums up the key to success in the long run: “It is due to the joint cooperation and persistent work of the office staff, the sales team and workforce in Jánossomorja that the company has been so successful for many years. With our own modern warehouse, factory and office buildings we have created a positive environment for our staff and suppliers.

“Our colleagues are the keystones of our company; the respect towards each other and the company, their commitment and cooperation, has all contributed to the success of Haas. We believe that the family atmosphere, the fact that we have all been working together for so long and the informal good relationships have built a strong team.”

Currently 80 per cent of Haas products are distributed in Hungary to major supermarkets. Products however are also exported to the Czech, Slovak, Ukraine and Romanian market whilst Croatia is also a new market . Last year EdHaas Hungaria turned over 2.7 billion HUF. Besides the good sales figures, the company’s achievement has also been recognized by industry professionals who awarded the Hungarian firm the Superbrands award five times. In 2012 the Haas Natural custard family range has won the Product of the Year award in the dessert category based on consumers votes. Mr Bozori is confident that the company will continue with its success and that the business can look forward to a positive and bright future.

“We are very optimistic about the future, we would like to maintain our significant position among the Hungarian food producers and wish to become the eastern and central European production centre of the group.” n

Raben Trans European Hungary Ltd

Raben Trans European Hungary Ltd has been the main supplier of collecting freight to EdHaas Hungary Ltd for several years. The cooperation between EdHaas Hungary Ltd and Raben Trans European Hungary Ltd goes back to 2006 when Raben was owned by Wincanton Plc. Then in 2012 Raben Group has bought the company and has been delivering reliable and good, quality service continuously.

EdHaas Hungary Ltd is looking forward to a long term partnership with Raben Trans European Hungary Ltd.