Something about us

Who we are, what we do and something from our history

What we do

Smo podjetje v zasebni lasti, ki uvaža in distribuira prehrambene izdelke po Sloveniji že od leta 1993.

Our goal is to remain one of the top distributors in the Slovenian market in the field of food distribution and to expand into neighboring countries.

We work with customers and suppliers in a partnership based on trust and professionalism.

We aim to maintain and expand our product portfolio with high-quality items from producers who are not yet present in the Slovenian market.

We specialize in products that require cold storage.

Our product portfolio includes more than 500 different items from renowned brands. Our suppliers come from Slovenia and abroad (Croatia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Greece, France, Spain, Australia, England, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, etc.).

The products in our product portfolio are selected based on criteria that satisfy the most demanding customers:

high quality
products that are friendly to health and the environment,
eating habits of consumers.

Our values

Get to know us

Co-owners Otmar Gôlles, Sonja Mauko and Gorazd Krištof in our premises, March 2023

How we operate

We strive for long-term and mutually beneficial business relationships, as well as the quality of our services and products that we distribute. You can find more information about this in the document below.

Corporate policy

“The success of a company ultimately depends on the people who work there.”

We are adding to this quote "We add "and all the people who made it up in the past".

We believe it is important to recognize people who have contributed in any way to the success of the company, especially its founders. Therefore, we mention some of the most important individuals who have helped us get to where we are today. We believe that the key to success lies in respecting the past and utilizing past experiences and wisdom in shaping a vision for the future.

We thank all our predecessors for their contribution to our story.

Our goal is to build on the foundations they have laid and develop the company in accordance with new trends and market challenges, while maintaining high standards of product and service quality.

Our history

9

Founder Bernard Slaček

The company Benytrade was founded on July 1993, when the founder Bernard Slaček embarked on his own entrepreneurial path. Prior to this, he had worked in foreign trade at Ferromoto in Maribor. After the company went bankrupt and closed down, he decided to start his own business. He saw an opportunity in importing products to Slovenia, as he had years of experience in trading abroad. With his knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm, he laid the solid foundations of Benytrade.

At the time of its founding, Bernard Slaček owned 90% of the company, while the remaining 10% belonged to Ms. Milena Krope, the former Director of Foreign Trade at Ferromoto. The company's right hand was Ms. Biserka. We must also mention Faketo Vigec, who worked with us for many years.

9

Story about the name Benytrade

V času ustanovitve Bernard še ni imel lastnih otrok. Imel je nečaka Nejca, s katerim sta bila zelo navezana drug na drugega. Nejčeve prve besede so bile “Beny”, tako je namreč klical svojega strica.

At the time of establishing the company, Bernard was once again holding Nejc in his arms. Nejc caressed Bernard's cheek and said "Beny". Bernard then turned to his wife Tanja and said, "You know what, let's name the company Beny.

Bernard then added the word "trade" to the name, indicating that the company would be engaged in trading.

9

The first imported products

At the beginning, Bernard imported cans for the Laško brewery. Soon after, he expanded his business and started working with Woerle, importing their cheese and puddings under the HappyCow brand. He also started importing Kinder milk slices and Kinder Pingui. He established cooperation with Vindija and Zdenka companies.

Thus, over time, the company shifted to the import and distribution of food products.

9

Change of owners

Bernard Slaček passed away in 2001, which was a big blow to the family and the company. However, the excellent business contacts that Bernard had established with Woerle paid off, as Woerle ensured that they would continue to work with the company.

Bernard's wife, Tanja Slaček, appointed Ms. Tilčka Ternjak as the director. Ms. Ternjak significantly expanded the company's activities, acquired new brands, and ensured the company's continued success.

In 2007, the decision was made to sell the company. Sonja Mauko, Gorazd Krištof and Otmar Gôlles,who have been successfully leading the company ever since.

They moved the location of the company to Tržaško 43 in Maribor and refreshed the logo, but kept the name. They continued the successful operation of the company and expanded its product range, while also keeping its focus on the import and distribution of food products.

Izbrskali smo nekaj slik iz naše preteklosti, ki jih objavljamo z dovoljenjem družine prvotnega lastnika in si jih lahko ogledate od spodaj