Pampa-tea: Koprivnica-Based Company Targets Asian Market
As Lucija Spiljak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of September, 2020, the teas of the Koprivnica-based sole proprietorship Pampa-tea, which has been researching, processing and producing medicinal herbs and teas since 2000, has now started to conquer the "native land" of tea - the Asian market.
Pampa-tea's products first went on sale in Japan and Singapore, and the Croatian company recently signed product distributions in Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Macau and South Korea. Interested customers especially liked the new line of popular teas in pyramid packs, as well as the amusing names in English.
"These are the countries where tea comes from, so they were looking for the best. Their ''tea journey'' brought them to us, which we're proud of because they were convinced of our quality. The feedback has been very positive and we expect a new order soon,'' says the owner of the Pampa-tea, Kresimir Krznaric.
These Croatian teas also go to America and even all the way to Australia
After Asia, they are moving their sights, they say, to Australia and North and South America. The story of the Pampa-tea began way back in 1996 when in Argentina, in the village of Pampa del Infierno, they saw old gauchos preparing tea. Then their idea of producing medicinal herbs and teas such as lemon balm, mint, calendula, St. John's wort in his native Podravina, where it is a centuries-old tradition, was born.
"In the beginning, we relied on the development and cultivation of raw materials, ie medicinal plants. We had our own plots where we learned how to grow medicinal herbs profitably. Due to the increase in sales and demand, we turned to the sale and distribution of teas. We've transferred technologies and knowledge to subcontractors who now grow certain types of plants for our needs, while they sell surplus plants to other companies,'' explained Krznaric, who is otherwise a very learned agricultural engineer by profession.
All members of the immediate family are involved in the work of the family business; Kresimir's brother Domagoj is a graphic technology engineer by profession, his father is a graduate economist, and his mother is a food technologist, so together they cover all areas.
They offer 18 types of blends of homemade teas in bulk packaging, five types of blends of homemade teas in modern pyramidal packaging, and chamomile tea (100 g) and nettle tea (60 g) in bulk. They process 4-5 tonnes of medicinal herbs a year to make their popular teas.
"Every year we increase out production by about 20 percent,'' revealed Krznaric. They are characterised by a rich, fine taste and aroma so that almost all ages can enjoy them. The advantage is that the teas are not ground, but chopped to keep the plant, leaf and flower as natural as possible.
Chopped dried plant, leaf, flower or dried fruit contains much more essential oils and medicinal components than tea in filter bags does.
Here in Croatia, their products with memorable names - Mrsavko, Bronhitko, Smirko, Bakine chamomile - are available in more than 300 specialised stores and pharmacies/herbal pharmacies, and they recently signed a contract with the shopping giant, Konzum. They also work with the wholesale drugstore Medika d.d. and in parallel develop sales through the Kupicaj webshop and the international TEA2SHOP webshop. They want to further develop, grow, continue to improve their production and gradually introduce new products.
"Every year we record a steady growth in demand and sales on the Croatian market and abroad. By the end of the year, we'll meet the financial result set at the beginning of the year, despite the pandemic,'' said the owner of the Pampa-tea.
The Krznaric family advises people to be responsible and to strengthen their immunity by, among other things, drinking tea.
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