Fresh-pressed juice self-service machines made in Latvia being used in supermarkets in 11 countries

The primary product of Latvian company Sulapro is an innovative carrot juicer for supermarkets. Founded in 2020 and having spent several years in prototyping and technical development, the company has been an active market participant for two years now, and exports account for 80% of its business. Today, Sulapro juicers are available in supermarkets in 11 countries, including Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, the Baltic States, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Israel and Sweden. In Latvia, the company’s juicers are available at such stores as Rimi, Elvi and Stockmann. 

The Sulapro carrot juicer allows customers to enjoy fresh-pressed, healthy and 100% natural carrot juice. The machine was developed with a focus on ease-of-use for both customers and employees: it is easy to load, and the cleaning process requires just five minutes a day.

CEO Ingus Vilks and his partner came up with the idea for the company by drawing inspiration from the orange juicers found in supermarkets. They found that a similar solution was not available on the market for carrot juice and so they decided to do something about it. To develop their idea, the entrepreneurs joined the business incubator established by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) in Ogre. The support provided by the incubator both in terms of financial assistance as well as advice was crucial as it significantly reduced the time needed to develop the juicer. The company still sees great added value in the support of the incubator and has joined the incubation programme for a second time.

Another important support tool that Sulapro is actively taking advantage of is participating in the national booths at international exhibitions. According to Mr Vilks, direct communication at these exhibitions with representatives of supermarket chains is much more effective than cold calling: “Collaboration moves forward much smoother if the customer has already seen the machine in action and tasted the product. Further communication is much easier than if we have to cold-call supermarket chains and start explaining what our machine has to offer. We have found most of our customers at trade fairs.” 

The company is looking to the future with confidence and ambition. This year, Sulapro is planning to obtain certification which will allow it to enter the U.S. market, at the same time it is also exploring other new markets and opportunities to expand its operation in its existing ones. “We believe in our product! The opportunities for growth are huge, and we see potential across the world,” Mr Vilks says.

Since 2024, the Business Incubation Aid Program has been implemented by LIAA representative offices in Latvia and any company up to the age of 5 operating in the supported sectors can apply for the programme.

This article has been produced with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund, Small and Medium Enterprises Programme, Incubator Subproject.

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