• 22/02/2023
• By wizewebsite
• 334 Views

Officials talked their business, today they have a turnover of 25 million<

They have been beekeepers for many years. They themselves used tincture and ointment with propolis at home. Milan Pleva worked at JZD, first in the orchards, later in the fruit warehouse. "There was no possible procedure, I had no way to show what I could do, moreover, I wanted to keep bees and be in pure nature," says the founder of the company. He started thinking about turning his hobby into a business.

His wife supported him in this. "I was delighted with the effects of propolis, so I had no doubts about our intention, I believed that we would support ourselves," says Hana Plevová. In order to check whether there would be interest in the products, she set off for Hradec Králové with a shoe box full of ointments and tinctures. "I quickly sold them and was sorry I didn't have more boxes like that," she recalls. And it was decided. The Plevos started their business in 1990.

What were your beginnings like? Hana: My husband went to Prague every week to sell at Havel Market. He was in Prague for three to four days. We lived in the village, it meant getting up very early, taking care of the animals in the morning and sending the older children to school. I was on maternity leave with the youngest, Martin. In addition, I answered customers' letters, labeled, packed cash on delivery, went to the post office in Rychnov and went to the fields.

On the field? Hana: We rented a field, where they grew straw for weaving and especially potatoes, when there was nothing to eat. The beginnings were difficult, three small children and a loan for a house we built ourselves. And instead of helping us, the state took child benefits.

Milan: We were young, smart and above all hardworking, so we weren't immediately afraid of any problem or failure. But probably the worst was when there was no money for basic things in the family. We immediately returned all the money we earned to production.

You produce and sell bee cosmetics. How many stamps and permits did you have to get? And how long did it take? Milan: We wanted to have a comprehensive line of bee cosmetics including sprays, creams, milks with royal jelly and propolis, and shampoo. But getting permission was not easy. State institutions were not used to private companies, let alone individuals. The products waited for a permit for a whole year, but the wait was worth it and we even got a permit to produce an ointment with bee venom - and since then we are still the only one in the Czech Republic who processes bee venom into cosmetics.

Hana: In order for us to even start, I had to complete my chemical education. The operation had to be approved for the production of cosmetics and approved recipes were a matter of course.

What was the biggest problem? Hana: Like finding suitable packaging. There was no internet, there were no lists of packaging manufacturers. Everything was a direct detective search and subsequently there was a problem with the quantity, the companies were used to deliveries of 100,000 pieces and more. It was almost impossible to arrange the quantity for the needs of a start-up company. It was the same with raw materials and labels.

Milan: The problem was with the officials. Once the head of the office explained to us that if we don't have the money to get an expert opinion on whether the business will support us or not, we shouldn't start a business at all.

Hana: For me, the hardest thing was that there was no free time for our children. We devoted all our time to the company.

You started your business at home, you had an office in your living room and a warehouse in the basement. Hana: That's right, from the beginning we worked at home, so our children shared with us all the hardships and joys that the business brought from an early age. They folded boxes, closed cups, went with us to exhibitions and markets. Only after a few years were we able to buy the former apprenticeship center in Častolovice and move production there. We had a small health food shop next to the establishment. But after only three years, the premises no longer met the regulations and the volume of production, so we once again decided what to do next.

Milan: We managed to buy a beautiful plot of land in Potštejn, where I come from, and obtain a building permit for the construction of an establishment.

As far as I know, it wasn't without problems either? Milan: Construction created a few wrinkles for us. And not only thanks to the neighbors and the mayor of the village at the time. The construction was complicated by a lot of waterlogging, so it became more expensive for us. There were problems with the mortgage, and to make matters worse, the thousand-year-old water flooded the village where our construction company was based. But we made it.

Hana: The stone fell from our hearts only when we paid off the loan of several million for this beautiful establishment. And you can't imagine the joy when we went on vacation for the first time after 11 years without weekends. Those who have not experienced it cannot understand.

Your path to success was definitely not easy, did you ever feel like giving up? Hana: I certainly didn't. Our company is like another child of mine. Only that other child took up all the free time and cost a lot of effort. But I'm a big optimist and I've always believed that everything will get better. And I keep thinking about it, I have the result in front of me, I can see it.

Milan: He shouldn't have, because as they say, you can't get off a moving train. And also because my wife and I worked and built everything with love, humility and renunciation.

The company is a family business, the next generation of Plevs already works there, who is in charge and who is the boss? Milan: After finishing chemistry school, son Martin said that he would like to work in the company, it was a great joy. And after two years, the second son Lukáš called a family council and immediately came up with suggestions on what could be improved and what he would like to do in the company. Today, Martin is in charge of operations and production, and Lukáš is in charge of marketing, e-shop, advertising, sales. And who is the boss? In principle, no one yet, everyone in their section and the others are discussed and resolved at the "company council", where all four of us agree, advise and resolve.

Hana: My daughter helps me with the graphic design of things for customers (calendars, bookmarks, notebooks, cards). I know that our children are aware of the family heritage. It is very difficult to combine family and business, so I am happy when everything works out well.

Milan: I am very happy that the children are gradually taking over the company, they value what my wife and I have built with them and they continue to do so successfully. The beautiful thing is that they realize that they are not taking over property, but mainly the great responsibility of further developing the family business and passing it on to their children.

How many employees do you have today and can you tell us what your turnover was last year? Or how many products did you sell? Milan: There are a total of fifteen of us in the company, including family members, and our turnover last year was 25 million. It is difficult for products, some are small, some are large, so we do not add them together in any way and do not track the number of all products sold.

What do you think is the secret to a successful business?Hana: Imagination. Perseverance, tenacity, hard work. The important thing is not to be afraid. Humanity is self-evident. To like people and to be very enthusiastic about helping them through products.

Milan: Successful business? I believe that if done with love and humility, success will follow. It's the same as beekeeping. If I buy bees only with the prospect of a profit and I have calculated in advance how much I will earn from them and how rich I will become, then in a few years I will be poor and without bees.

What are your plans for the future? Hana: There are really a lot of plans. We change the corporate identity, improve recipes, change packaging, labels, boxes. Prospective catalog. We have several new products planned for this year.

Milan: Last year we bought a former pioneer camp near Potštejn. We want to improve this piece of devastated land and bring it back to life. In addition to new buildings, we will plant new trees, shrubs, herbs and create pleasant living conditions for people, animals and especially bees.

Hana: It will be a big realization, a lot of hard but joyful work. I have a very good imagination and I can already see the result. There is another goal ahead of us, but we will create everything with our adult children, partners in the company. There is something to look forward to.