European Commission - Enterprise Europe Network

Network helps Polish bakery owners secure funding for new equipment and boost annual turnover by 20%.

Ewa and Grzegorz Olszyna always had big dreams for their bakery in the central Polish town of Kalisz. Taking their cue from the fast-food business, the husband and wife team came up with the idea of a drive-through window to serve customers on the go, as well as those with reduced mobility.

For help with financing, they turned to Business Incubator, a non-profit business support group that works closely with the Kalisz town council. As part of the Enterprise Europe Network, Business Incubator is ideally placed to steer ambitious entrepreneurs to a multitude of funding sources, from public financial aid to venture capital and loans. For the Olszynas, a €1.28 billion, multi-annual EU programme financed by the European Regional Development Fund and aimed at boosting the competitiveness of small businesses in the Wielkopolskie region was just the ticket.

 “It took us 20 minutes to find the information while Ewa was still in our office,” says Network consultant Aleksandra Kasprzak. “We then helped her prepare the necessary documents.”
The application was approved, and the Olszynas received €60 000 for a new state-of-the-art dough-stirring machine and the only drive-through window attached to a bakery in the 104 000-population town.

Today, dozens of hungry customers stop by daily to buy fresh bread and słodkie rogaliki, crescent rolls with a sweet nut filling, without leaving their cars. The investment proved a major boon to business, boosting annual turnover by 20%. Newly aware of all the resources available to companies, the Olszynas plan to apply for additional funding next year. “With the Network on our side, the sky is the limit.”