The business is about more than just honey and beeswax
Aleš comes from a large farm family of 10 children. In 1928, the year he was born, the family was evicted from their home in Primorska and moved to Ljubljana. Later, he studied economics there and found his first job in the main cooperative society of Slovenia, where he worked as a financial inspector. The Medex story began in August 1961 in response to a call from a friend: “He called me and told me about the opportunity that came up in Medex. I applied and the rest is history, as they say, and I have worked in the company for the past 55 years,” remembers Aleš of his entrepreneurial beginnings.
Medex was founded seven years before his arrival. At that time, the company had 27 employees and was involved exclusively in the export of honey. Immediately upon his arrival, Aleš noticed that it was in trouble and was soon given an opportunity to steer it on a new path toward success. “When I arrived, Medex was involved only in producing honey and beeswax. The Director of the Apiculture Institute in Vienna hinted that royal jelly, pollen and propolis were also products that could be marketed. At that time, we were the first in Yugoslavia to introduce and organize training for bee-keepers. When a bee-keeper steps across the threshold of his apiary, he is already at work,” says Aleš. More than half of all honey was bought at home with only very small quantities purchased from abroad. At the peak of its performance, the company sold 4,500 tons of honey a year.
Honey in the hands of an engineer
“I have always been aware of the importance of money and responsibility and we have never owed anything to anyone,” stresses Aleš. He bestowed these values of honesty and human integrity onto the next generation. “One must speak and act as one thinks in order to become a true personality. Above all, do not stop - if you stop, you become lost,” adds his daughter Aleša, who has always seen the world as it really is. In 2001, after more than 40 years at the helm of the company, Aleš resigned from his managerial position, which he handed over to Aleša, a university graduate in electrical engineering. “It is difficult when you have been at the wheel of the company for 40 years and then, suddenly, a young person comes along with new ideas. First of all you have to gain trust. At times my father and I had serious discussions to make it clear who was in charge, as uncertainty creates confusion among people,” describes Aleša, who as a child often accompanied her father to the company, of the initial challenges. Before she joined Medex, she led her own company, Spectra International, a distributor of toys and the Speedo brand, which in the 1990s became the biggest toy-selling company in Slovenia. After nine years of successful entrepreneurial experience, the time had come for her to step into bigger shoes. “When I joined Medex, my major challenge was the company climate. It took two years to change the mindset of employees, who had been employed in the business for a long time.
I wanted them to understand that they are the ones who must make decisions, think and take responsibility, as well as help each other,” she remembers.Upon her arrival, Medex was engaged in different areas of production. In addition to honey, a significant proportion of business was devoted to confectionery: manufacture of wafers and biscuits, followed by food supplements and representation of foreign products. Then came the time for restructuring. “All you need to do is to pour honey into jars and sell it. However, honey has a very low added value. Therefore, we soon noticed an opportunity in food supplements,” continues Aleša, and this switch has since proven to be the right move. At that time, proceeds from the confectionery amounted to a third of the company’s revenues, with honey accounting for a similar proportion, merchandise for 20% and food supplements for around 12%. Today, the picture is reversed: they are no longer involved in confectionery, honey accounts for a quarter of annual revenues, merchandise also brings some revenue, while food supplements account for as much as 60% of total revenue. Their annual turnover is about €14 million.
Material goods must be shared
The whole family has lived with the company ever since. Aleša’s son Martin, who joined the company for one year, has experience in all areas of operations. “I believe the most important thing for him is to understand how a business works: from sales and warehousing to marketing and production - to understand production and the processes it involves. However, his heart is in the finances. It is here where he would like to prove himself and it is only right for me to let him have a free hand. Every man must find what he really likes in order to put his heart and soul into his work. In a way, work must become your hobby, a way of life. We love everything related to bees,” explains Aleša.
They also cooperate with universities, are frequent visitors to trade fairs and closely monitor trends: “What used to be popular 20 years ago, is no longer so today. This is a continuous process of improvement, change, upgrades, and new findings,” adds the Director. In the future they intend to have patented products, which will also be a global innovation in the field of honey and other apian products.
Aleš is also extremely active as a member of many organizations and associations. Among other functions, he is a board member and a permanent supporter of the Slovenian Science Foundation: “Nothing works without science. We have always understood and supported the fact that material goods should be shared.”
“It is difficult when you have been at the wheel of the company for 40 years and then, suddenly, a young person comes along with new ideas. First of all you have to gain trust. At times my father and I had serious discussions to make it clear who was in charge, as uncertainty creates confusion among people,” describes Aleša
Slovenians would fare much better with family businesses
“We are pursuing growth, particularly abroad, because in Slovenia, we already cover the entire market. Bees and their products are very much appreciated in eastern markets, where people love natural products, so our activities are directed there. So far, we have recorded annual growth of 10% and we want this to continue in the future,” explain Aleša and her father of their ambitious company goals. “The future looks bright. My daughter is smart and determined, exactly as a manager should be. Family businesses are the most prosperous. All who work in a family business are well aware that one cannot spend money on things you cannot afford. Accountability requires a totally different approach. If there were more family businesses in Slovenia, life in our beautiful country would be much better,” concludes Aleš.
Summary
Medex in a nutshell: honesty, ability, integrity, optimism and courage.
