Honeybees provide a wide range of benefits: from honey, to other bee products and even pollination of crops. In Romania, a small company managed to harvest this natural power and transform it into a global success. We talked to Alexandru Nan, CEO of Apivest, about ecologically certified bee products and how to take a traditional business to the next level, with high tech partnerships.
1. How did you change from a traditional business into a tech-enterprise?
One of the biggest challenges we faced was finding the right people with the right skills at the right time. For this reason, we made a strategic decision to invest in up-to-date professional equipment and machinery. This means that we can do a huge amount of work much more efficiently with a small and committed team.
With the help of the Enterprise Europe Network we found the right partners to drive transformation in our business. At a brokerage event in Ireland we found a small laboratory that that helped us with the honey quality testing.
2. What has the Irish partnership brought to your product?
Our new Irish partnership has enabled us to transform the way the customer sees our product. The honey quality system we are implementing with them means that all of our products undergo state-of-the-art testing. In practice, each batch is awarded a quality level according to the laboratory test results. For the customer this means complete transparency and traceability: they can follow the product from source all the way through the production chain and be confident of the quality of the end product.
3. You have transformed your business in a short time. How do you now plan to keep ahead of the game?
Market awareness is essential. We are constantly monitoring market evolution and customer needs and planning accordingly. We are always looking for ways to improve our product. We are putting huge efforts into our organic honey production where we see significant growth potential. At the same time, we are working with research institutes and universities to discover the untapped potential of our products and of course to pass on our findings to the end customer.
Above all, we will remain passionate about our work, our product and preserving the natural environment it needs to flourish. For us these are the key ingredients for success.
Apivest has worked with the Enterprise europe Network partner Regional Development Agency of the West Region, in Timisoara, Romania. Are you looking for support to innovate and grow internationally? Get in touch with your local Enterprise Europe Network contact point.