From the Beskids to the Wide, Wide World of Gastronomy (2. strana)

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