By Jozef Tvardzík
Copyright sme
The company Fytopharma has been nominated for a FéliX Business Award in the category Outstanding Family Business.
When entering the industrial site of Fytopharma, one can still feel its socialist past. The complex of austere buildings near the hospital in Malacky, in the western-Slovak Záhorie region, has seen several owners and business stories over the decades.
The current owners are Martin and Janka Valigurský, the married couple behind this family firm that has been producing herbal teas for a quarter of a century now. Its portfolio is so wide that CEO Martin Valigurský half-jokingly says they ran out of colours during the most recent redesign of their packaging.
“Competition is strong, so we try to offer what customers demand,” explains Valigurský. “Or we react to interesting market novelties if we see potential for sales growth in them.”
With over 30 employees, the company is financially healthy. Last year, Fytopharma’s revenues approached €3 million. Its profits exceeded €220,000, but have seen little growth over the past three years, which is why Martin and his wife Janka, who is also the company’s CFO, are looking for ways to expand beyond the tea market.
An expert in herbs
Fytopharma was founded in 2001 by Martin’s father Ján together with his friend and business partner Pavol Čupka. The premises once belonged to Liečivé Rastliny Malacky (Medicinal Plants Malacky). Under the communist regime, it was a branch of Slovakofarma in Hlohovec, with a history dating back to 1970.
