- I think that these days, there is still very little attention paid to the safety of production, and very often, cold meats or other food products are manufactured in a way that leaves much to be desired. We want to produce goods at the highest level, therefore, we try to meet most of the safety criteria and among others, besides the HACCP system, we have also obtained the certificates – IFS and BRC. IFS is a European certificate, while BRC additionally includes the British market. Currently, these are the highest quality certificates which attest to the safety of the entire production process existing in our factory. Among others, they certify that we obtain raw materials from reliable sources; we monitor it while receiving it conducting detailed tests and ensure safety in each stage of production. We also have our own laboratory, which examines both the delivered raw materials, as well as the final product. Through scanning, we also check the labelling of the ready product to eliminate mistakes in distribution – this is also required by the certificates obtained by us. We have far reaching goals and want to convince our recipients that we meet the highest safety standards. It is worth emphasising, that still not many Polish factories have the IFC and BRC certificates.

What are the current criteria while choosing a product by a consumer?

- A few years ago, the main criteria while choosing a product by a Polish consumer were price and taste. Currently, the consumer regards the quality of the product and safety as more important. I think that consumer awareness is still being shaped and they will begin to value companies, which place hygiene and safety of food first.

What are the aims in the scope of brand building?

- Our aim is making products and creating a Polish brand, which would confirm that we are able to produce high-quality cold meats in reasonable prices. I am myself, as well as the technologists and chief of production, focused on producing good, tasty product, more or less traditional – depending on the client’s needs and expectations of the quality. It may be the top-shelf products, like dry kabanosy, dry sausages, hams, as well as those from the lower-shelf, e.g. Vienna sausages, or liver pate sausage. To ensure its high quality and safety, the goods must be produced in adequate technological and quality standards. It is of course possible to produce a good, which will be tasty, but may be dangerous, because it might be contaminated, or produced from meat of low quality.
We definitely choose products that are good in quality, and that is why we strongly invest in the brand – “Henryk Kania”. Clients reaching for products with the “Henryk Kania” logo are always sure that they are tasty and safe.

On some of your products, the Disney logo appeared. How did it come to that cooperation and how did it influence the sales of the product?

- We were wondering for a long time, how to create a shelf of products for children. The products from our offer with the Disney logo are just the beginning of the whole project. Our aim is to create a full shelf of products for children, according to Disney’s values – to put this logo on products which are health promoting and created according to the standards of the World Health Organisation. Therefore, in manufacturing these products, we must meet the criteria, which are regarded as healthy in international standards. We came up with the idea, that you can serve a tasty Vienna sausage, tasty ham, or pate, and at the same time prepare it in a very safe way and using ingredients and technologies of the highest standards. However, in order to be noticed on the market and convince consumers to these products, we decided to come into agreement with Disney – giving the clients a logo they are familiar with, confirming the high quality of the product. A Vienna sausage with an unknown name would not be noticeable on a shelf among other products in this market segment. Disney’s logo makes our products recognisable.

On which foreign markets can “Henryk Kania” products be found?

- As well as develop on domestic market, we also want to expand on foreign ones. We are strongly present in The Czech Republic – our southern neighbour; we are also developing in Germany. Taking into consideration the mobility of our society and the presence in Britain, we have also introduced our products to Tesco Great Britain chain.

You place great emphasis on the protection of the environment.

- When it comes to environmental protection, it is not something new for us. We’ve always wanted our factory to be regarded as a producer as harmless to the environment as possible. That is why in 1996, we began building works on a full wastewater treatment plant, which has been functioning for over 10 years now. We can also be proud that our wastewater treatment plant was created before the communal one. Apart from a full wastewater treatment plant, we also have smoking chambers, which limit the emission of chemicals. Our systems limit the emission of heat, as well as gases into the atmosphere, and when it comes to water – we purify the water 100%. 

Thank you for the interview.

Tamara Prusak