Good Practice - Project
"Podkarpackie way to health" - The Green Therapy (Zielona Terapia)
Demand for healthy convenience foods creates new jobs and boosts business opportunities in Poland.
General information
RDP Focus Area
- 6B: Local development
RDP Measure
- M19: LEADER/CLLD
Beneficiary type
- Small-Micro Enterprise
Summary
The "Podkarpacki Catering Dietetyczny Zielona Terapia" company promotes healthy food education through catering activities, participation in cultural events, and cookbook publications. The company had been struggling to continue operating in the 160-year-old building in which it was established, but thanks to CAP funding, was able to create a new facility. Its new home is twice as large as the previous one, and is equipped with innovative facilities and appliances. The funding also enabled it to boost its educational programming offer and invest in photovoltaic panels and a biological sewage treatment plant.
Results
- Moving to the new location allows the company to handle more orders, leading to a 50% increase in the number of deliveries and a 40% increase in income.
- The company has gained recognition and popularity in the region, and has been able to increase staff, with three new full-time positions.
Promoter
Podkarpacki Catering Dietetyczny
Funding
- Total budget: 800 000 (PLN)
- RDP support: 100 000 (PLN)
- Private: 700 000 (PLN)
Topics
Resources
Good Practice Report - "Podkarpackie way to health" - The Green Therapy (Zielona Terapia)
(PDF – 926.58 KB)
Context
Małgorzata Kuliga is the owner of "Podkarpacki Catering Dietetyczny Zielona Terapia", a catering company based in Korczyna, in the Podkarpackie voivodship. Before starting this project, the company had been operating from a cramped, 160-year-old building which posed numerous challenges to catering operations, in particular the production and distribution of its ‘Diet in a Box’ meals, and the storage of materials and ingredients. As the business grew to 100 customers a day, the limitations of the building began to seriously jeopardise this home-grown catering company.
Małgorzata needed to relocate. A new, larger headquarters would allow her to streamline production processes and expand her warehouses, all of which would allow her to make more economical purchase choices and introduce a customer service point. Since a key element of her company's strategy was to introduce new technological solutions to support their growth and improve standards, Małgorzata was able to obtain financing from the Rural Development Programme 2014 – 2020. This proved to be a key step in enabling her to put her plans into action.
Objectives
The aim of the project was to fulfil increased demand for healthy convenience food, and improve the supply of healthy food by allowing the company to move out of rented facilities into a new, purpose-built headquarters - twice the size of the previous one – so that they could improve working conditions, expand their services and improve efficiency.
Activities
Project activities included:
- Constructing a new purpose-built facility in Korczyna.
- Purchasing modern equipment such as trolleys, cold rooms, and collective warehouses to improve production processes and storage.
- Moving the company from its current location to the new building.
- Creating a customer service point in the new facility.
- Increasing the number of deliveries in line with growing demand.
- Organising educational workshops for schools, kindergartens and other community places to promote healthy eating habits.
- Actively participating in local school Open Days to promote healthy eating among young people.
- Organising ‘Aerobics for Everyone" classes to promote physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.
- Participating in ten culinary festivals and cultural events to promote the company.
- Publishing 1 000 copies of Małgorzata’s own cookbook, making it easier for customers to prepare healthy meals on their own.
- Marketing activities including website development, social media and cooperation with a website positioning expert.
- Installing photovoltaic panels and a biological sewage treatment plant to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
- Participating in the Eco Mission program, which promotes a pro-ecological approach to tackling food waste.
- Maintaining contact with customers, adapting the offer to their needs and responding to their suggestions.
Main results
In addition to growing the company’s revenue by aproximately 40%, the "Podkarpackie Way to Health" project brought numerous economic, social and ecological benefits:
- Moving to the new location allows the company to handle more orders, leading to a 50% increase in the number of deliveries and a 40% increase in income. The number of customers has increased by 20%.
- The company has gained recognition and popularity in the region and has been able to increase staff numbers with three new full-time positions.
- Production and storage processes have been improved by the new equipment, which translates into faster meal preparation.
- The Customer Service Point increased customer satisfaction by 30%, and has enabled the company to better adapt their offer to client expectations.
- The company organised five educational workshops for over 500 school and kindergarten pupils, increasing nutritional awareness.
- 100 people participated in the “Aerobics For Everyone" classes, which promoted physical activity in the local community.
- The company participated in the Eco Mission food waste reduction program.
- The photovoltaic panels have reduced energy costs by 25%, and CO2 emissions by 15 tons per year.
Key lessons
During the implementation of the "Podkarpackie way to health" project, the Podkarpacki Catering Dietetyczny Zielona Terapia company gained valuable experience.
- First, they learned how crucial proper infrastructure is for catering services: the new facility with more space and modern equipment has dramatically improved efficiency.
- Second, the success of promotional and educational activities, such as publishing a cookbook and organising events promoting a healthy lifestyle, improved the company’s visibility and brand positioning.
- Third, maintaining an active relationship with customers and responding swiftly helped the company to adapt its products and services while building brand loyalty.
- And finally, putting care for the environment at the centre of its plans for expansion helped the company to save money, without compromising on its principles.
The new headquarters allows us to work in optimal conditions. More spacious rooms make daily production easier and customers appreciate the service point where they can get direct help.
Thanks to the use of photovoltaic panels and a sewage treatment plant, I feel that I am using the services of a company that cares not only about me, but also about our planet.