AS “INGRID D.” is a family-owned company from Talsi Municipality that has been operating in the woodworking industry since 1994. Today, the company is one of the leading manufacturers of wooden handles in the Baltic States. Its products are used for a wide range of garden tools, brooms, brushes, rakes, hoes, and other everyday products. The company employs around 60 people, and approximately 80% of its production is exported to various European markets.
One of the company’s core principles is to use timber as efficiently as possible. Virtually every part of the roundwood is utilised and processed into various products and by-products. Alongside its traditional woodworking operations, in recent years the company has also been actively developing its higher value-added product line, “Joy of Nature” – educational wooden toys and furniture for children, which the company believes have significant potential for international growth.
In recent years, the company has actively used support instruments offered by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), both for participation in international trade fairs and for implementing digitalisation projects in its production processes. According to the company’s CEO and owner, Jānis Grahoļskis, the first significant cooperation with LIAA began around 2022, when the company participated in an international trade fair in the United Arab Emirates with LIAA’s support.
“It was a completely new experience for us. We went there feeling quite nervous and not really knowing what to expect, but we returned with much greater confidence in our products and export potential. As for LIAA’s support and the organisational side, we felt that everything had been arranged to a very high standard. The LIAA team had taken the time to understand our company and knew what kind of contacts and opportunities would be important for us. This allowed us to focus on our products and working with potential customers,” says Grahoļskis.
Following this first experience, the company continued to participate in international trade fairs in other locations, including Nuremberg, Germany. This has been particularly important for the company’s “Joy of Nature” brand, which offers educational wooden toys and furniture for children.
“In the wooden handle segment, we no longer need to introduce ourselves extensively. Over more than 30 years, the company has established a strong reputation, and most orders come through long-standing business partners. However, higher value-added products require a completely different approach. In that segment, it is important to be visible and meet customers face to face,” the company’s CEO emphasises.
He acknowledges that participation in international trade fairs has helped the company establish new contacts and gain a better understanding of foreign markets and the competitive environment.
At the same time, the company has also benefited from LIAA’s digitalisation programme. One of its most significant projects involved the digitalisation of timber drying process management. The company operates three timber drying kilns, which previously were not managed through a centralised system. As part of the project, an integrated management system was introduced, enabling the drying processes to be monitored and controlled remotely while improving the overall efficiency of production planning. The total investment in the project amounted to nearly EUR 50,000, of which EUR 15,000 was provided as an LIAA grant.
The company also views the cooperation process with LIAA positively, noting that the application and project administration procedures were clear and manageable without external assistance.
“We did not use external consultants – we handled everything ourselves. Of course, you always want processes to be even faster and simpler, but overall, the cooperation was very good and professional,” says Grahoļskis.
He emphasises that companies should definitely take advantage of the available support instruments, particularly if they are looking to develop their exports or modernise their production processes.
“You have to have the courage to go to international trade fairs, see how others operate, and not be afraid to develop and learn something new. Making use of the available support makes this much easier to achieve,” the company’s CEO emphasises.
This publication has been produced with financial support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility project “Digital Services Platform for Business Development”. The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the author. The views expressed herein do not reflect the official position of the European Union or the European Commission.
