Author: Panevėžys now

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When applying “Industry 4.0” solutions in business, processes are mostly automated and digitized. However, representatives of the food and beverage production sector note that sometimes manual work is inevitable in order to meet the high-quality expectations of a customer. Erika Tiškevičiūtė, the sales manager of JSC “Geld Baltic“, which manages the SUPER GARDEN brand talk about the combination of innovative solutions and hand work and the strategy that helps to integrate into global added value chains.

The processes applied in the company allow to combine innovation and handwork

We produce lyophilized fruit, vegetable, meat and dairy product snacks. They are produced using new technology of drying – the water that is in the product is frozen by turning it into gas and freeze-dried in vacuum environment. Food product prepared in this way, which we also call the “golden” way of preservation, retains useful nutritional properties and one small piece provides a large amount of useful substances for the human body.

Actually, it was nature itself that hinted about this preservation method, but it took many years to discover this method again. This technology is patented by NASA (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Often half-jokingly, half-seriously, both we and our customers call SUPER GARDEN products the food of astronauts, which has become accessible to everyone – we strive to make our snacks a part of people’s daily lives around the world.

Probably it is hard to imagine that a one tiny bite of a snack contains a generous handful of berries in itself. Another exceptional feature of this product is its shelf life – the products stay fresh for up to 20 years! However, according to the European food safety regulations we must indicate a much shorter validity period of 2 years. Of course, storage conditions of the product are very important too. In order to keep it fresh for longer, the product should be kept in a cool place away from sunlight. For this reason, we are using packaging made from recycled plastic, which is sealed with foil, and paper label provides additional protection from the sunlight. In this way, we ensure the long shelf life and sustainability of the product.

When visiting our production facilities, one might be surprised that we are still using a lot of hand work. We use it to meet the highest quality standards. Only thoroughly selected fruits and vegetables from farms are used in our production, however only a human eye can spot an imperfection, such as a freeze-dried berry of a lighter color compared to others, and such imperfections can be removed only manually Products that have irregular form or color are reused for other products of the company.

One of such examples are the ice-cream sticks. We turn their crumbs into powder to make milkshakes or decorations. We are also cooperating with other producers and part of the berries, which do not have a marketable appearance, are used for the production of honey, chocolate or even cosmetics and organic candles.

Extensive list of suppliers opens new possibilities

We always prefer Lithuanian farmers when choosing berries, vegetables, and fruits. We have supply agreements with 35 Lithuanian farmers, three of them come from the Panevėžys district. Bilberries that we use in our production come from the Pažagieniai berry farm, organic black currant come from Raguva and pumpkins – from Trakiškis.

The products that we offer remind our customers of forgotten berries such as rowan, snowball bush berries or juneberries. Unfortunately harvest season in our country is relatively short, therefore we rely on the farms that are close to Lithuania – this allows to ensure commitments both to local retail chains and soaring export figures.

Another important part of our strategy is listening to the needs of our clients and being open to new cooperations. Being a small company allows us to be flexible and find solutions that benefit both parties, for example for producers that use only the specific parts of fruits or berries.

One of the examples is our partnership with Lithuanian company that grows oranges in Spain. For our own production needs we use only lyophilized orange peels, however, due to the sustainable product model we have chosen and the technology that we use, the residues are not thrown away – they become a component of our other products and go to the consumer. We partnered up with a shop in Vilnius that sells exotic fruits, for them we lyophilize fruits that are about to expire this way extending their shelf life. Such a mutually responsible model of cooperation, food conservation reflects our company’s responsible approach to nature.

Partnership with other Lithuanian companies gives us a chance to try lyophilizing new products. We have implemented many interesting projects together, such as freeze-drying cottage cheese sticks or sparkling wine. Of course, it doesn’t always work out right away, but through experimentation, future solutions are born. Recently, during an exhibition we established a contact with Lithuanian company which offers fermented drinks that improve digestion. Together we were looking for a solution how to develop a product that was comfortable to consume while traveling. We are always telling our clients: if you are missing anything in our assortment, just tell us and it will be there.

Using the possibilities of science and business cooperation, financial support of the EU, we experiment and create products that meet the needs of the future. Cooperation with scientists from Chemical technology faculty of Kaunas Technology University led to a creation of patented increased biological value innovative food called BITES, which consists of powder from lyophilized berries and vegetables, cocoa butter and pea protein isolate.

To offer a product to those looking for a more usual taste, we have developed a product in cooperation with cricket snack manufacturers. So today we can offer a product containing cricket protein. One of the latest projects is a 3D printer created during an experimental project funded by the European Union. We have high hopes that in near future such printers will be found next to usual coffee machines in our homes and offices and we will be able to print these innovative functional snacks from premade lyophilized raw materials.

Employees in their daily activities are motivated by clear strategy of the company

Our company has a clear strategy, where we are now and where we want to be after three and more years. Thanks to the manager of the company Laura Kaziukonienė, our entire team is very well aware of our strategy. It really helps when you get carried away by work routine. Also, it is crucially important to know why our company exists and where we should put our best effort. Manager constantly encourages us to look for out-of-the-box solutions and not to limit ourselves with obvious possibilities – her spirit is really contagious and inspiring. Apart from manufacturing and direct sales we also conduct educational programs, actively attend exhibitions and meetings that open opportunities for cooperation.

In 2022 the company celebrated its 6th anniversary. Our main mission and vision, which we always follow when developing new products, is to invite people to choose healthy snacks, enrich their food ration with healthier options and we are here to offer such products. We are very proud that since the very opening of the company we have retained majority of staff that came to work with us, and we grow our team by following the principle to always move forward. Today, our team has grown sixfold, from five to more than 30 employees.

We develop talents ourselves – interns stay in our company and continue their professional growth, all employees are given equal opportunities to climb the career ladder. We know that we can‘t stop in case of failure, but on the contrary – learn our lesson and move forward. In the team we all try to be versatile, so, when necessary, we remember the company’s strategy, prioritize activities and allocate human resources accordingly, also we seek help from the outside when needed. For example, during winter holidays we were cooperating with youth day care center, who helped us in preparing cardboard gift packages.

Demand for the innovative production is growing in the global market

We are conquering new markets with great success. Our latest export destinations are the United States of America and Hong Kong. During the quarantine, customers also discovered us on the Amazon platform – through it, products make their way to Germany, France, Japan, America and other countries.

We have a map where we have pinned not only those countries that we export our production to, but also those, where we are planning our expansion. Participation in global Expo 2020 exhibition in Dubai, UAE, was especially beneficial for the company’s activity. Some customers who visited our stand rated it as one of the best, which was able to combine and demonstrate what we want to reflect in our product – healthy and innovative snack with a clear composition. The interest in our product at the exhibition was huge, therefore we are considering opening a factory in the UAE as well.

We are happy that our products are chosen as business gifts not only by companies, but also by institutions representing the country. One of such successful examples is the cooperation with an institution that takes care of attracting new investors in Lithuania – public enterprise Invest Lithuania”. While conducting negotiations on market development in foreign countries, we see an ever-growing interest in our products, which inspires us in our daily activities and encourages us to pave the way forward with the innovations we create.