Fifteen years of representing the trade’s interests

How do you see the progress made after so many years?

In the first few years one person was enough to manage the office, but when János Pataki was elected president, the number of tasks increased exponentially. We started organising the Cake of Hungary and the Confectioner of the Year competitions at the Hoventa trade shows, then came the trainings for WorldSkills competitions and junior world championships. Later the Erasmus+ international study trips started.

What were your personal favourites?

I must mention the Cake of Hungary competition first, because we put lots of hard work into it to become what it is now. I am also very proud of organising the UIPCG Junior Confectioner World Championship, and of the new headquarters and workshop.

What would you do differently today?

Perhaps my biggest mistake was that I was afraid of raising the membership fee for too long. We needed to turn into a prestige organisation from a collective organisation. The guild only has a future if its members are credible businesses from the trade, which represent high quality.

How did you react to the recognitions you got for your work?

Throughout the years my efforts were honoured many times, for instance in 2015 I was awarded the For Artisan Confectionery Prize and I also won the IPOSZ Award. There were times when I thought I was about to have a burnout, but since the start of Balázs Erdélyi’s presidency I have had the feeling that we can achieve anything we want to.

The „Cake of Hungary” project needed a lot of work to develop this far

What are your future tasks?

We have to organise courses where the workers of member confectioneries can learn those practical skills that are essential for satisfying the new types of consumer needs. As soon as the virus situation allows it, we need to continue with the courses of international masters. The guild should communicate more, using the available modern tools. It is also essential to start managing our affairs digitally. In representing the interests of the trade, we must strengthen our lobbying power. It would also be great if Hungarian confectioners could be successful on the international stage. //