The Kapolcsikum Estate currently consists of more than 8 hectares of land that only deals with fruit crops. They produce syrups, jams, and dried fruits from the crops they grow. To maintain a constant supply of syrups and jams every day of the year, they freeze the fruits and process it when needed. This way they can always show up with fresh syrups and jams.
To create a bottle of syrup, a jar of jam, or a bag of dried fruit, it takes the daily work of many people—people who dedicate their lives to these processes. This work is not just a salary supplement. The business is run by a couple who take responsibility and bear its burdens.
Land is essential, as it is needed to plant the trees, bushes, and roots that will provide the raw materials for the finished products. With land available, they need to buy trees, acquire equipment to cultivate the land, prune, harvest, and spray. They require nutrients for the trees and spray to prevent fungi, pathogens, and pests from damaging the crops, which are necessary for the finished products. Once the trees, bushes, and stems survive the first 3-6 years before bearing fruit, the processing phase can begin. At this point, there is fruit, but it must be stored to ensure a year-round supply, avoiding situations where certain flavors are sold out and unavailable until next year. To be a reliable partner, it is necessary to store the fruit and provide the raw material for processing all year round. This requires freezing, which calls for a 24 m³ freezer.
When the fruit is ready and can be stored, processing can begin. However, processing requires further investment, including the need for a plant, machines, tanks, and tools. There are overhead costs to account for, along with human labor, contributions, raw materials like sugar and citric acid, and packaging materials such as glass, caps, chips, and labels.
Once the product is ready, the challenging work is selling the product which is not easy. Someone must handle sales, maintain customer communication, take photos, create ads, design labels, manage marketing, edit the website, and answer phone calls, providing relevant answers to all inquiries.
Their job is not easy, but they have chosen it and believe their work has value, which is reflected in the price of a bottle of syrup, a jar of jam, or a bag of dried fruit.
SUCCESS FACTORS
Commitment and dedication: Success relies heavily on the daily work and long-term dedication of multiple people who contribute to various stages of the production process, from planting to processing and selling. This commitment ensures consistency, quality, and reliability.
Investment in resources: Continuous investment in essential resources, such as land, trees, equipment for cultivation and processing, and storage facilities is crucial. This also includes investing in freezing equipment to ensure year-round availability of raw materials.
Diverse skills and responsibilities: Running the business requires a range of skills. The couple not only manages production but also handles various aspects such as marketing, sales, website maintenance, and customer relations. This diverse skill set helps ensure the business operates efficiently across all areas.
Marketing and customer engagement: Effective marketing strategies, including advertising, website management, and direct customer engagement, are key to the success of the business. Being able to answer customer questions, promote the products, and maintain an active online presence helps drive sales and build customer trust.
Financial management: Careful budgeting and financial planning are necessary to manage overhead costs, raw material purchases, and the continuous investment in land, equipment, and infrastructure. Managing these financial aspects properly ensures the business remains sustainable.
Human resources management: Managing the labour force, whether it is for cultivation, processing, or sales, is essential. Ensuring that workers are motivated, trained, and supported contributes to the overall success of the operation.
Sustainability: Sustainability is very important for the business and that is why they do it. They have sheep and bees working on their plantations and are trying to put more emphasis on natural pest management. The fruit is stored frozen and the energy is generated by solar panels. They avoid using plastic for packaging their products, preferring to use glass and cardboard.
Own brand of high-quality, healthy products: Own brand is a very important asset on the market and Kapolcsikum presents itself with its own brand of products, which it produces itself, making its products very attractive to consumers. The syrups and jams have been awarded gold in the National Syrup and Jam Competition, which has been held for several years. Their products are free of colouring and flavour enhancers and have a very high fruit content.