Szilasfood celebrates its 20th birthday

At Szilasfood, a medium-sized Hungarian enterprise, we are proud of taking an active part in the development of the domestic food sector. We started out in March 1991 and achieved our first big success at the 1992 FOODAPEST, with our soy meatball powder winning the grand prize.

The product did very well in retail too, but after a while it was copied by competitors in poor quality. We took out a reorganisation loan when the company was set up, which we paid back by 1998. By that time we learned how difficult it is to remain independent from credit institutions if a company is indebted. This is the reason why we have not taken out another loan in the past 13 years – we finance our own developments. From the second part of the 1990s our sales were soaring, there were years when our sales revenue increased by 50 percent. On 15 December 1994 we inaugurated a new production facility and in 2004 we further expanded our production capacities. In the last five years Szilasfood spent more than HUF 500 million on development. At the moment manufacturing is carried out on a floor space of 7,000 m². The year 2006 brought a generational change in the company’s management, which entailed a more dynamic approach with new products, revamped packaging and a fresh image. In 2010 our sales revenue approached HUF 2.6 billion. We are still a very reliable company as we are capable of delivering nearly 100 percent of orders. Szilasfood employs 120 people, many of whom have been with us from day one. Production still takes place at our Kistarcsa plant, where modern production equipment guarantees meeting the strictest regulations concerning technical processes. As regards our products, one of the most popular is the Lucullus product family, which is capable of competing with other brands on the Hungarian market in terms of both appearance and value. Presently more than 200 Szilasfood products are distributed in retail. With our Váncza and Cremo brands we are also present on the baking additive and coffee whitener markets. We realised the potential in manufacturing private label products relatively early. With our innovation activity we try to follow consumer trends and to contribute to the development of the market as well. Szilasfood also sees great potential in widening the palette of seasonal products: Lucullus mulled wine and honey cake spice mixes have appeared in shops recently. The current market situation is a bit volatile and many companies are fighting for survival, but we hope that in another 20 years the third generation will also take over a prospering company.