Malý Gazda – the transformation of a family-run mini dairy company to a premium dairy manufacturer with international ambitions

The tradition of yoghurt production has deep roots in Central Europe. After all, Czechoslovakia held global leadership in fruit yoghurt production - during the First Republic, yoghurt was produced by Radlická mlékárna in Prague and as a result of its innovativeness and excellent taste, it was exported to 14 countries in Europe.

Czechoslovakia thus proved the innovative quality of its food industry. Over time, unfortunately, the traditional yoghurt production process had been abandoned in pursuit of cost reduction, which led to compromises in quality. However, last year's volume of 1.2 million yoghurts produced by Malý Gazda indicates a new trend - demand for quality and healthy products is increasing despite the accompanying growth in production costs. The well-known saying "You are what you eat" defines present customer behaviour. In cooperation with a professional food industry investor, we selected Malý Gazda for our investment platform, aiming to bring new, yet traditional, products to as many customers as possible.

The first time I met Zuzana and Jozef Ševc, the founders of Malý Gazda, was last year in Banská Bystrica - with excitement in their voices, they explained to me why they had decided to leave their jobs in 2013 (Zuzana worked in financial services, Jozef at the police) and dedicate all of their time to traditional dairy products instead. Their conviction for traditionally produced dairy products from fresh milk maturing in glass jars with no quality compromises immediately caught my attention. The high sales volume of yoghurts with no marketing or promotion activities was a clear sign that an attractive, yet not saturated, segment was emerging on the market.

Malý Gazda is nowadays a well-established company with a 7-year history on the Slovak market with production based in Prešov. They produce yoghurts from fresh cow's milk packed in glass jars, where each yoghurt matures, honouring the traditional method. The reason is simple - an unmistakable taste with minimum loss of nutritional value and naturally firm consistency resembling home-made yoghurts.

The production process is undoubtedly unique for today's food industry standards - cow's milk delivered every day from local farms is tested for quality and pasteurized to destroy potentially harmful organisms. High quality yoghurt cultures from a Danish supplier are added and the mixture is filled directly into glass jars, where it ferments at 37 - 40 degrees Celsius. The desired bacteria "consume" the lactose and when the yoghurt reaches sufficient acidity and consistency, it is cooled, sealed and stored in the refrigerator at 8 degrees Celsius. This process ensures natural preservation without any stabilizers or added preservatives.