(From left to right) Paweł Napiórkowski, Marek Marzec and Damian Kozłowski.
"When communism collapsed here in Poland, I saw that many new possibilities had opened up and I decided to take advantage of it and follow my dreams. I started working for Makro and was responsible for their purchasing of fresh products. I was so happy to be with them and after 5 years, when it became a part of the Metro Group, I worked there for a further 17.5 years." shared Marek.
In the current climate with the Russian embargo and a changing market in Poland, along with its traditional markets, Ewa-BIS has also been actively looking to new markets as well.
Ewa-BIS office in Warsaw.
The first shipment of apples to China is set for the middle of October. However, Marek shared that he is a bit hesitant about the success of the program with China.
"I recognize that China is an important program. I used to work in China when I worked for Metro Cash and Carry, and one of my companies used to import Chinese paper products. I know the Asian culture and recognize the huge differences between Europe and China. The Chinese are very prepared for export, but import is something somewhat new to them."
India: a promising market
Alongside China, Marek said that he thinks that India is a very promising market for the future, with many factors which will make the transition much easier than China.
"India is a huge market, the culture is different, but at least the language is the same and we can communicate in English. There have been a lot of trade programs between Poland and India in recent years. Visitors from states all of India have been coming over for trade mission almost every week. We also have two or three Polish-Indian chambers of commerce, which is a great starting point for trade." said Marek.
“There has been a lot of talk about the rising middle class becoming huge markets, I don’t believe that in China, India or Russia that we will really see a significant rise in the middle class and these seems to be more of a political issue. I think that the upper class is enough of a market for European products. Of course, we would like to have an increase in middle class, even in Europe.”
Russian Ag dependent on subsidies
Ewa-BIS has offices in Russia, which gives Marek more of an insider’s view of the market. There have been a lot of reports in the media recently about how Russia would like to become independent from as many fruit and vegetable imports as possible and become more self-reliant. Although, knowing the culture and the mindset of the people living there, Marek has his doubts about the staying power of these new developments.
"I have been active in Russia for the last 20 years and people there only seem to be interested in investing in agriculture if they are able to obtain subsidies from the government. The agriculture sector really suffered after the fall of communism. There had been some great orchards and greenhouses during that time, but there were suddenly no workers to keep them going at the time and the industry collapsed. It will be a process, rebuilding the agricultural sector, but I don’t think that Russia could ever become a second Holland. In today’s Russian culture, agriculture is not a sector that the richer class of Russians respect, so there is not much draw to enter the industry. However, there have been some recent announcements by the Russian government that they will be offering subsidies for transportation of fruits and vegetable from Russia to Asia in order to keep the prices under control." says Marek.
Adriana Rudwicka, Piotr Porosa and Pawel Napiorkowski at the Ewa-BIS stand at this year's Fruit Attraction.
Germany remains most important market for Poland
"We are working very closely with Germany, we have a very good relationship with them and they remain the main partner for Poland, with around 30% of Polish exports being dedicated to the market. We have observed that the German market has been more open recently to receiving Polish products. They are also a great business partner to deal with as they are honest and transparent with trade." said Marek.
Along with fresh fruit and vegetables, Ewa-BIS also exports large quantities of apples, pears and cherries for the industry in Germany, along with organic products such as juices and jams.
Marek shared that they have not started working with the major retail chains in Germany because he wants to make sure that everything is up to top standards with his growers. He said the the company has been actively working with growers to implement a quality assurance system.
"We plan on starting to supply small quantities to retailers this year, the retailers in Germany have developed very strict quality norms which are even higher than European standards. This is why I think that it is important not to rush into entering the market and instead, to be cautious and make sure that we are very prepared when we do make our entry." concluded Marek.
For more information:
Marek Marzec
Ewa-Bis
Tel: +48 223439800
Email: m.marzec@ewabis.com.pl
www.ewabis.com.pl