Norwegian salmon from the heart of Poland

ALMENDRAS LLOPIS

For more than 80 years three generations of the Llopis family have been working in the almond business, keeping it loyal to its origin.

Nowadays, the Almendras Llopis plant is one of the most automated in Europe. Almonds are processed for the food industry, turning the almonds into any requested form. whole, blanched, roasted, sliced, diced, slivered, grinded, in paste or in praline.

We export to the world’s most demanding markets a product that accomplishes the highest quality standards. We have the BRC Certification (A Level), Global Standard for Food Safety and also the Halal and Kosher certificates for specific markets.

We have our own crop fields in the Iberian Peninsula and collaboration agreements with farmers, in order to reach the sustainability of the raw material and collaborate with the agricultural development, thus increasing the performance and profitability of their fields.

achieves more than 50 per cent of its turnover from items that were not even in its range 15 years ago. Just one of the many success stories of the past decade or so has been its Fine Lemon Pastry, which is now known and loved throughout Germany.

Meanwhile product developments in terms of its winning seasonal range include the first Christmas praline Baccione, which is made from nougat, marzipan, chocolate and almonds, and Omas Gewurzgeback; a baked festive product with Christmas spices.

One of the reasons behind Lambertz’s success in the past couple of decades has been its decision to move from the manufacture of Printe into the entire gingerbread market. Up until 1978 Lambertz had just been just another manufacturer of Printen, sharing a market in which there didn’t seem to be any real brand leader to speak of. Lambertz knew it could make the difference and, at a time when its annual turnover was something in the region of €8.2 million, the company took the initiative and invested some €3.1 million in a new domino manufacturing system. It knew it could fill the gap in the market by delivering another household brand name, and in this it was proven to be right.

In 2007, the company introduced its ‘Nussparade’ range of products, and this, combined with the growing popularity of its pastry mixes and mono pastries, brought about a significant increase in sales.

Increasing exports

As well achieving greater penetration with its own branded products, Lambertz also undertakes private label work and is collaborating with some of the biggest retailers in the business. Its international business is rapidly expanding, and today it is exporting its baked goods to more than 40 countries with its year round product lines, in particular, reaching a wider international audience.

In fact, one of the group’s continuing priorities is to expand its international exports, and indeed it is making great progress in the US market, for example, where sales are continuing to increase. It has a sales centre in this market and has also established permanent listing with several large US retailers. Here it markets its year-round bakery products under the labels of ‘European cookies and German cookies’. In addition to the US, Lambertz has also established a strong presence in China, Japan and Africa. Strong in eastern Europe

Another of the most exciting areas for the company in recent years has been the neighbouring market of Poland where Lambertz’s range of baked goods have sold particularly well. In fact, the company’s penetration of the eastern European markets is another reason why Lambertz has been able to increase its turnover by so much over the last decade. Today its subsidiary Lambertz Polonia is selling to the Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine, Latvia, Russia and Hungry as well as Poland.

Indeed the company’s expanding manufacturing portfolio provides further evidence of its success in Poland. As well as its six factories in Germany, Lambertz also produces in Poland, for the Polish and eastern European markets, and this site has been the subject of investment recently in a bid to increase capacity. The demands of the market have led the company to invest in inaugurating two new baking lines at its Polish facility. As well using the capacity at the Polish facility, demand is such that Lambertz also utilises its German manufacturing sites to meet the need in the Polish market. It has also added several new products to its eastern European line over the past few years. n

NORWEGIAN SALMON FROM THE HEART OF POLAND

Suempol, a company from Bielsk Podlaski, is Poland’s most experienced smoked salmon producer and one of the major salmon producers in Europe. Its policy of “the highest quality from the manufacturer to the customer” has made the company a supplier to the Belgian Royal Court.

Suempol was established in 1989 as a family business by Urszula and Edward Siecinski. Initially, the company was focused on processing prawns from Belgium and the Netherlands. Prawns were processed and then exported back to the same markets, including the Belgian Royal Court.

“The company proved to be a reliable, credible and trustworthy supplier and therefore it was easier for us to introduce a new product to the market, which was smoked salmon,” says Monika SiecinskaJaworowska, the company’s president of the board.

Such western European countries as the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany were Suempol’s first foreign markets. In 1994, the company entered the domestic market. “Currently, our product portfolio includes salmon in every possible form: cold-smoked, marinated, fresh, hot smoked. Our products are sold both under our own brand and under the private labels of various European retail chains. What distinguishes us from our competition is above all, the guarantee of consistent quality and continual work on new products,” says Ms Siecinska-Jaworowska.

Why salmon?

Salmon is one of the most healthy fish species, since it contains large amounts of fatty Omega-3 acids, which are beneficial for human sight and memory, for the functioning of blood vessels, heart and brain and for the prevention of cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. This type of fish is also rich in other nutritional ingredients such as selenium, iodine, calcium and vitamins B, D and E. Food experts claim that salmon helps our hormonal balance and the proper functioning of immunological system. Eating salmon is especially beneficial for children and the elderly, and also for those who are on a diet. As protein in salmon is easily absorbed, it makes it the ideal solution for people who are conscious of healthy eating and who, at the same time, like to eat tasty meals.

Since Suempol uses only natural and fresh ingredients, with no preservatives or artificial colourings, its products are not only tasty but also healthy. Salmon is recomenended by the Professor Zbigniew Religa Foundation of Cardiac Surgery Development (Zbigniew Religa was a prominent Polish cardiac surgeon and a pioneer in human heart transplantation in Poland) and is recommended as a preventative measure for heart disease. It also has anti-sclerosis, anti-thrombosis and anti-clotting qualities.

Confidence is more important than a contract

“Fresh salmon is imported mainly from Norway. We only buy the best species of fish from north Norway and Alaska, which guarantees the top grade quality of our products. The companies that supply us with raw materials are our long-time, proven suppliers who have all the relevant certificates, and are subject to regular quality audits. They include compa-