“Dare to ask” is a principle of the Potto team, which has often helped to find solutions in unexpected places.

The idea of bringing a planting pot made from pressed cow manure to the market, which began to germinate a few years ago, reached the stage of working prototype one year ago. So the next step was to move from a small-scale, semi-automated production facility to an industrial solution. “We knew that fresh salad and herb producers like Grüne Fee wanted a 100% biodegradable alternative to the plastic planter. We had a workable recipe and solution in the form of the Potto planting bag, but it took us a long time before we found our first manufacturing partner this spring,” explains Märt Raudvee, one of the founders of Potto.

A world of direct contacts

Initially focusing on the Estonian and Finnish markets, Potto started looking for a production partner in the domestic market, but it soon became clear that the necessary technology was not available in Estonia. Through contacts with friends and acquaintances, as well as intensive surfing on Google, a number of potential partners were found. Most of the time, the initial polite rejection e-mail went no further, or conversations got bogged down in technical details that were difficult to resolve from a distance. “Getting into the picture and finding the right contact within the organisation was the biggest challenge,” admits Märt Raudvee. In the meantime, they even considered buying their own production line to speed up the process. Fortunately, this scenario did not materialise.

Faster than ever

Significant progress was made possible in the spring, when Raudvee met a representative of the Chamber of Commerce to discuss Potto’s concerns. “They were quick to offer help in finding a partner, mapped out what we were looking for, and in less than a month the first meaningful contacts with manufacturing companies were established,” says Raudvee, pleased with the speed with which the EEN network enabled him to move forward.

“In our experience, the EEN network helped us to reach manufacturers we had not been able to contact on our own, because we got through to the right person in the organisation.” Raudvee adding further that, “the size and diversity of the EEN network is certainly a value in itself.”

In the coming months, the Potto team is looking forward to close cooperation with a selected production partner in Lithuania, so that from the new year onwards, customers in Estonia and Finland will be able to buy fresh salad and herbs in biodegradable Potto pots.

Author: Indreku Potto, co-founder and CEO of Potto by Sambert OÜ.

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What is EEN?

The Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the representative of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) in Estonia. The network has members in 66 countries around the world, and through it we offer free background information, advice and partner search services to Estonian entrepreneurs.

“We wanted wines at a normal price,” says Juhan-Markus Laats, one of the founders of Veiniekspress. “For wines that are a little bit finer, you always need to pay a fortune.”

In the late autumn of 2020, when the corona was in full swing, the Estonian wine community was given a new lease of life – Veiniekspress was born. “The idea is to order a larger quantity of wines from good wineries together. We get to taste exciting flavors, regions and often superlative wines from small winemakers, and most importantly – at a very reasonable price,” says Juhan-Markus Laats.
In Estonia, it was possible to buy champagne for less than €20 at the beginning of June. “We simply couldn’t get that price, but after repeated discussions we got the producer to agree and everyone had the opportunity to buy exceptional champagne at a reasonable price,” says Laats.

How to recognize a good winery?
“Don’t all winemakers try to decorate themselves as lavishly as possible. But once you’ve been around the wine world for a while, you develop a certain flair,” he says. “Of course, the best thing is to go from winery to winery and talk to the winemaker – their skills and knowledge are the foundation of everything. But a bumbling winemaker can negate any ideal conditions.”
The wine express usually visits wine regions itself, but this winter it went on its first trip to Rioja, co-organised by the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “We are already familiar with Rioja, but an organised trip like this is easier – you don’t have to organise everything yourself.” says Juhan-Markus. “The Chamber and the EEN’s Spanish representatives were looking for great operators from above and below the ground, and we had already made some selections ourselves. We came up with an impressive line-up of wineries to get to know.” Unfortunately, many of the superlatives had to be ruled out in the end – however, the number of wineries is limited for each order to Estonia.

A seventh sense comes with experience
In the end, four wineries from Rioja brought their best: wines made from berries picked from Berta Valgañon’s 120-year-old vines, for example, as well as a unique Rioja sparkling wine. “When you see that the winemaker is the salt of the Rioja earth, who knows with his seventh sense when it’s the right time to pick the berries or when the wine has finished maturing, you somehow can’t resist these wines. Berta, for example, still makes wines from grape varieties that are no longer allowed to be planted in Rioja. She has them left over from her grandfather’s time, and she can make wine from them,” says Laats.
“Our experience has shown that the chamber’s tours are very good, well organised and if you let them know in advance what you are going to look for, they are very helpful in finding the right contacts,” concludes Laats.

GOOD TO KNOW
On 22-23 February, Veiniekspress took part in the “Rioja Wine Trade Mission 2023”, organised by the Spanish partner of the Enterprise Europe Network. The Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the network’s representative in Estonia. The network has members in 66 countries around the world and through the network we provide background information, advice and partner search services to entrepreneurs.

Martin Pärn
One of the founders of Veiniekspress

*Journalist and wine fan commenting to Veiniekspress after ordering Rioja.

Read more: https://enterprise-europe.ee/en/partnerid/

Read more below and create new beneficial business contacts.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Joosep Vimm announced the Tallinnovation competition at the MELT innovation forum. Organised in cooperation between the City of Tallinn and the research and business incubator Tehnopol, the aim of the innovation competition is to find smart city solutions that make city services and the environment more convenient. For the second year in a row, a total of up to €100 000 will be invested in smart city solutions.
The deadline for applications is 31 May! See more information here