In an interview, Przemysław Olczak, Purchasing Director at Fanex, talks about the importance of quality and innovation in building competitive advantage, the development of the sauce portfolio – including new fruit and sweet and spicy variants – as well as product trends, foreign expansion, and directions for the company’s further development.
Fanex is a family-owned company with nearly 40 years of history. How do you build a competitive advantage in the HoReCa market today?
Our strength continues to lie in consistently combining tradition with modernity. The HoReCa industry is evolving rapidly. Both flavor preferences and expectations regarding quality and product transparency are constantly changing. The last quarter once again proved how important it is not only to respond quickly to trends, but also to have the ability to co create them.
Our priority remains investing in quality, innovation, and the development of our team’s competencies. We also focus on being proactive – we don’t wait for the market to demand something from us. Our ambition is to be the brand that inspires and sets the direction.
In recent months, you have introduced new products, including Cranberry Sauce. You also offer a line of dessert sauces, such as Orange Sauce. What role do these products play for you?
These products align with two strong trends. The first is the use of natural flavor add-ins, and the second is expanding the assortment with variants that help restaurateurs create seasonal and original dishes, often combining traditional cuisine with a modern twist.
Cranberry Sauce perfectly addresses the growing demand for clean label fruit-based additions that work well with both savory dishes and desserts. Orange Sauce, on the other hand, is a nod to fusion cuisine – slightly sweet, aromatic, ideal for Asian dishes, meats, and even desserts. Considering the customer reactions in the last quarter, we can confidently say that both novelties enjoyed a very successful launch.
Which product trends are most reflected in your recent initiatives?
For years we have observed a growing popularity of high quality products with simplified ingredient lists. Our portfolio includes an increasing number of products without preservatives and with reduced sugar and salt content. Products such as Cranberry Sauce or Orange Sauce follow the trend of fruity savory combinations and broadly defined flavor personalization, allowing chefs to give dishes a unique character.
We also remain mindful of the strong trend of Asian flavors – our portfolio includes products from the Yamasa brand, which has long been synonymous with quality in the segment of soy sauces and seasonings from the Far East.
Which Fanex products enjoy the greatest success in international markets? Has the last quarter brought any changes?
Our bestsellers abroad include our Premium Ketchups, Garlic Sauce, mayonnaises, as well as BBQ sauces and sweet spicy sauces. Our Asian sauces, developed in cooperation with our Japanese partner, are also gaining popularity.
In the last quarter, we also recorded stable growth in demand for premium products in Western European markets.
Are consumer trends in Poland different from those abroad?
The overall directions are similar: health, naturalness, and new flavors. Details make the difference – some countries prefer milder flavors, others choose bolder, more aromatic ones. We tailor recipes to local needs, but we also continuously draw inspiration from international markets, bringing the best ideas into the Polish landscape.
What does Fanex’s export development look like?
Our strongest results come from Germany, Southern Europe, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, and Romania. We are also increasingly looking toward North America, where we see growing interest in premium European products.
What makes Fanex products stand out from the competition?
Fanex products stand out above all for their expressive, distinctive taste, which has been a hallmark of the brand for years. Our priority is also consistent quality, ensuring that customers in Poland and abroad can trust that they are receiving a product that meets the highest standards.
Another key element of our advantage is convenient, functional packaging that works well both in professional HoReCa kitchens and in home cooking. We design it to be easy to use, hygienic, durable, and to support the comfort of chefs and cooking enthusiasts as much as possible.
Flexibility also plays a significant role – we can tailor recipes, formats, and solutions to the needs of B2B partners, offering products customized for specific gastronomic concepts.
Our success is also driven by our team – competent, committed, and focused on building long lasting customer relationships.
How do you assess the development prospects of sweet savory sauces and fruit based products in your portfolio?
Sweet savory sauces and fruit based additions complement our core savory offering. However, we see great potential in developing this category, as it enables restaurateurs to create new, unconventional flavor combinations and step outside the boundaries of traditional cuisine.
We increasingly observe chefs reaching for notes of sweetness to highlight the savory character of dishes or to build a more complex taste experience. Therefore, we do not rule out expanding our portfolio with additional sweet and sweet savory variants, especially in the premium segment. Our priority, however, remains the further development of savory sauces to give restaurateurs the broadest possible opportunities to create their own signature culinary compositions.
What are the most important strategic goals for the company in the coming years?
We aim to continue strengthening our position in HoReCa, expand exports, reach younger chefs and emerging gastronomic concepts. At the same time, we are developing our product portfolio, including the category of fruit based additions and sauces inspired by world cuisines.
Fanex is a family-owned company with nearly 40 years of history. How do you build a competitive advantage in the HoReCa market today?
Our strength continues to lie in consistently combining tradition with modernity. The HoReCa industry is evolving rapidly. Both flavor preferences and expectations regarding quality and product transparency are constantly changing. The last quarter once again proved how important it is not only to respond quickly to trends, but also to have the ability to co create them.
Our priority remains investing in quality, innovation, and the development of our team’s competencies. We also focus on being proactive – we don’t wait for the market to demand something from us. Our ambition is to be the brand that inspires and sets the direction.
In recent months, you have introduced new products, including Cranberry Sauce. You also offer a line of dessert sauces, such as Orange Sauce. What role do these products play for you?
These products align with two strong trends. The first is the use of natural flavor add-ins, and the second is expanding the assortment with variants that help restaurateurs create seasonal and original dishes, often combining traditional cuisine with a modern twist.
Cranberry Sauce perfectly addresses the growing demand for clean label fruit-based additions that work well with both savory dishes and desserts. Orange Sauce, on the other hand, is a nod to fusion cuisine – slightly sweet, aromatic, ideal for Asian dishes, meats, and even desserts. Considering the customer reactions in the last quarter, we can confidently say that both novelties enjoyed a very successful launch.
Which product trends are most reflected in your recent initiatives?
For years we have observed a growing popularity of high quality products with simplified ingredient lists. Our portfolio includes an increasing number of products without preservatives and with reduced sugar and salt content. Products such as Cranberry Sauce or Orange Sauce follow the trend of fruity savory combinations and broadly defined flavor personalization, allowing chefs to give dishes a unique character.
We also remain mindful of the strong trend of Asian flavors – our portfolio includes products from the Yamasa brand, which has long been synonymous with quality in the segment of soy sauces and seasonings from the Far East.
Which Fanex products enjoy the greatest success in international markets? Has the last quarter brought any changes?
Our bestsellers abroad include our Premium Ketchups, Garlic Sauce, mayonnaises, as well as BBQ sauces and sweet spicy sauces. Our Asian sauces, developed in cooperation with our Japanese partner, are also gaining popularity.
In the last quarter, we also recorded stable growth in demand for premium products in Western European markets.
Are consumer trends in Poland different from those abroad?
The overall directions are similar: health, naturalness, and new flavors. Details make the difference – some countries prefer milder flavors, others choose bolder, more aromatic ones. We tailor recipes to local needs, but we also continuously draw inspiration from international markets, bringing the best ideas into the Polish landscape.
What does Fanex’s export development look like?
Our strongest results come from Germany, Southern Europe, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, and Romania. We are also increasingly looking toward North America, where we see growing interest in premium European products.
What makes Fanex products stand out from the competition?
Fanex products stand out above all for their expressive, distinctive taste, which has been a hallmark of the brand for years. Our priority is also consistent quality, ensuring that customers in Poland and abroad can trust that they are receiving a product that meets the highest standards.
Another key element of our advantage is convenient, functional packaging that works well both in professional HoReCa kitchens and in home cooking. We design it to be easy to use, hygienic, durable, and to support the comfort of chefs and cooking enthusiasts as much as possible.
Flexibility also plays a significant role – we can tailor recipes, formats, and solutions to the needs of B2B partners, offering products customized for specific gastronomic concepts.
Our success is also driven by our team – competent, committed, and focused on building long lasting customer relationships.
How do you assess the development prospects of sweet savory sauces and fruit based products in your portfolio?
Sweet savory sauces and fruit based additions complement our core savory offering. However, we see great potential in developing this category, as it enables restaurateurs to create new, unconventional flavor combinations and step outside the boundaries of traditional cuisine.
We increasingly observe chefs reaching for notes of sweetness to highlight the savory character of dishes or to build a more complex taste experience. Therefore, we do not rule out expanding our portfolio with additional sweet and sweet savory variants, especially in the premium segment. Our priority, however, remains the further development of savory sauces to give restaurateurs the broadest possible opportunities to create their own signature culinary compositions.
What are the most important strategic goals for the company in the coming years?
We aim to continue strengthening our position in HoReCa, expand exports, reach younger chefs and emerging gastronomic concepts. At the same time, we are developing our product portfolio, including the category of fruit based additions and sauces inspired by world cuisines.
