They figured out how to keep their pastries fresh for longer and started a successful business

How did it ever occur to you to make a bread bag? Darya: Originally, it wasn't really supposed to be a bag, or even bread. I sewed my son a wrapper for school, but it was more of a folding napkin. I also found a suitable coated fabric so that the snack would stay fresh and not stain the briefcase. Well, my sister got involved, she started talking that it was a great idea because she didn't mind using so many plastic bags. Lea: I was even more upset that we had molded our bread at home, and when you think about how many tons of food to throw away, I wondered if something like that wouldn't be suitable for the pastry, the way to pack and store it.

Darya: It was a matter of finding a fabric that breathes so that the pastry would not steam and mold, but on the other hand, so that the moisture would pass slowly so that the pastry would not corrode too quickly. There are several textiles on the market today with a special coating, but it was difficult to find the right one. In addition, you also make sure that the entire packaging can be washed. I ordered several types of special fabrics, found bags, and distributed to family and friends. And testing began.

How did the tests turn out? Darya: After a few months, we found the right thing that suited us. A substance in which the pastry did not mold or dry quickly. Lea: But we ran into another problem. For a substance that worked, we had to obtain a certificate that it is also suitable for food. Fortunately, that also worked.

It was probably no longer a problem to sew the bag? Lea: That's what we thought at first, but it wasn't easy. We wanted the bag to be nice, to like it, so we combined the inner and outer cotton fabric. But each behaves differently, each with a different clot, for example. We had to find a trick to sew the fabrics so that the bag would not deform after the first wash. Darya: I don't want to brag, but in the end I found out on my old sewing machine. Today we also have patent protection for our product. Lea: By the way, we also gave the bread bags a fashion aspect. I was convinced that we could do with two patterns, today we already have twenty. We had no choice but to listen to the wishes of customers who wanted their bag to match their kitchen.

You speak nice Czech about your product as a pastry bag, but you chose the trade name Wrap Up for the company. Darja: We also thought about the Czech name, but Pytlík sro, Pytlíkárna, Pytlíkov, it already exists. It is also our ambition to sell abroad, for example, we are testing how our packaging handles French baguettes, for example. Lea: Plus, we don't want to just stay with the bags. At first we didn't even think about it, we rather planned a sail, like when Honza packed buns and went out into the world with them. Wrap Up means wrapping something, so it fully captures our product. Darja: But the cleaning has already taken place, our customers started using the name Scrapers and it took over.

You sell in an e-shop, you deliver to stores. You recently opened a stone shop in Frýdek - Místek. Aren't these extra costs? Darja: The e-shop experienced a stress test in January this year, when the results of the first tests of our bags appeared on the Internet. At that time, the whole family also passed the test, which helped us to cope with the onslaught of orders. Lea: The seat in Frýdlant nad Ostravicí was small for us. We need offices, a place for product assembly, shipping and an e-shop. And when the opportunity arose to acquire the premises of the former gallery, we did not hesitate and invested the family savings in the purchase of part of the property and equipment. And it would be a shame not to open a store here. The place basically says so, not only with a nice open layout, but also due to the location. We are close to the square and directly opposite the castle park.

You are both executives. Are you always united when it comes to running a business? Lea: But yes. (laughs) What we need and what is important to us, we always agree on that. Actually, we haven't argued yet. Darya: We also have divided tasks. They sew seamstresses from the area and two sheltered workshops for us, so I distribute the cut material to them and check the finished products. In addition, I do warehouses and accounting. Lea: Well, I'm in charge of the business. In the beginning, it was mainly about the e-shop, today we also supply to stone shops. We also offer bags as original corporate gifts, so I provide special prints and embroidery according to customer requirements.

Where do you see the company in five, ten, twenty years? (laughs) We have only a year of intensive business behind me, I am pleased with satisfied customers and the fact that this is a Czech product. Everything is Czech, fabrics, threads, laces and seamstresses. And as an accountant, of course, I'm glad we're in the black. (laughs) Lea: We already know that the bag alone won't be enough, we want to expand the range with handkerchiefs, table accessories and bags for unpacked shopping. Darya: We were also very lucky to be creative employees who enthusiastically invent and create together with us. Are we in the phase of - how to say - prototypes? We invent, we sew, we try. Lea: The new generation of packaging certainly has potential in many segments, the kitchen is the beginning.