REGION
thankful to those who design, produce and
put their ideas in action, and also accept
critical feedback which, in the first stage, may
not be very favourable.
How successful are you in breaking into and
winning over international markets so that
meals in countries all around the globe are
prepared in your ovens?
Pavelka: Initially we distributed our product
in the Czech Republic only; a little later
we added Slovakia. As time went and we
gained some confidence in the direction
we were going and faith in what we were
doing, we conquered neighbouring markets
in Poland and Hungary, and thanks to trade
fairs held all over the world, Retigo was soon
introduced globally, and customers arrived
from Lithuania, Serbia, Germany, Switzerland,
Norway, and other European countries.
Step by step we arranged for our own sales
representatives in various other countries;
nowadays we have our own trading company
in Germany, and representation in Asia, Spain,
France, and Great Britain. Trading companies
which offer our products allow us to achieve
other markets and keep our business share
in other countries of the world. Their staff is
thoroughly trained and promotes convection
ovens by the only Czech producer. We are
currently active on every continent except
for the Antarctic. We can say that we use
B2B sales in the Czech Republic and direct
B2C in Slovakia. Our greatest income comes
from the Czech Republic, then Germany,
France, Poland, China and Switzerland. We
expect an increase of sales in the USA; after
a painstaking journey we have recently been
granted all the necessary certifications and
overcome all bureaucratic obstacles.
This area of the Beskid Mountains is home to
interesting recipes. Would you recommend
a stylish restaurant and meal for our
readers, something which represents
the outstanding flavours of this beautiful
region?
Miller: There are numerous operations
and kitchens using Retigo convection
ovens in our region. Let me mention
a few from the area near our company
headquarters, in the heart of Wallachia.
Businesses in nearby tourist destinations
include Restaurace U Vašků in Rožnov
pod Radhoštěm (Wallachian Open Air
Museum); Koliba Pod Horů in Dolní Bečva;
Mountain Hotel (Horský hotel) Čarták in
Soláň; Koliba Valaška at Pustevny; Valašská
Rychta in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm;
Mountain Hotel (Horský hotel) Soláň, also
in Soláň. I would recommend the readers
to blueberry dumplings or lamb knee roast
with vegetables.
Thank you very much for the interview.
Editorial of Magazine.
POSITIV 2/2019 ǀ 53