After living in Germany for more than a decade, Intars Tumanovs knew that one day he wanted to return to Latvia. But for his return to mean more than simply moving home, he needed a business idea that would allow him to build his future in the place where he grew up. That idea emerged where his professional experience in woodworking met his personal passion for hunting. Today, the company he founded, SIA “Natur Haus”, manufactures hunting towers in Mētriena Parish for customers in Latvia and abroad. The company already employs four people and plans to recruit a fifth. Support from the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) has also played an important role in its growth – from mentoring and consultations during its early years to funding for equipment, materials and export development.
Tumanovs explains that the origins of the business idea can be traced back to Germany, where he trained as a restoration specialist, worked and established his own company. Hunting was already one of his hobbies, so he naturally became interested in how the sector was developing elsewhere in Europe.
“I was already a hunter myself, and hunting was something I was very interested in. I visited a hunting exhibition in Dortmund and saw the range of hunting towers available in Germany. That made me think that, at the time, nobody in Latvia was really producing anything like that professionally. That was where the idea began,” Tumanovs recalls.
Returning to the Place Where He Wanted to Live
Although Intars gained his professional experience abroad, the idea of returning to Latvia never left him. He spent approximately ten years in Germany, but has previously described how living abroad always made him feel somewhat like a tree uprooted from its native soil.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the moment came when his plans to return home became a reality.
It was also important to him that the business should not be based in Riga or another major city. He chose Mētriena Parish – the place where he grew up and where his family, friends and hunting community are still based.
“I always wanted to come back from Germany. This is where I live, where I grew up and where I go hunting. This is where I want to be,” he says.
Running a business in a rural area naturally comes with its own challenges. Finding employees is more difficult, suppliers are often located further away, and transport costs are consequently higher. Tumanovs readily acknowledges these disadvantages but does not see them as a reason to relocate his company.
“The transport costs and the distance from suppliers are, of course, disadvantages, but they are not reasons why I would want to move away from here,” he explains.
This decision has become one of the defining aspects of the “Natur Haus” story: the company exports its products beyond Latvia, while its manufacturing operations remain firmly rooted in Mētriena.
The First Hunting Tower Was Built in His Own Garden
The company began operating almost at the same time as Intars returned to Latvia. “Natur Haus” was established on 18 September, and this autumn marks six years since its founding.
The first hunting tower was built in Intars’ own garden. Compared with the company’s current products, it was very different – a simple, open structure that had not yet been designed for convenient transportation or quick installation.
The following years demonstrated just how important seemingly small details can be in manufacturing. Step by step, the structure was redesigned to make it easier to produce, transport and assemble.
For exports, making the most efficient use of the available space in a lorry is particularly important. The more compactly the towers can be packed, the more cost-effective their delivery to international customers becomes.
“Everything has been refined over the years to make transportation and installation easier,” Tumanovs says.
Today, the hunting towers are designed so that heavy machinery is not required for installation. Depending on the structure, two or three people can assemble a tower. This makes the product suitable even for locations where access with large machinery would be difficult.
From Custom Orders to a Carefully Designed Product Range
Initially, “Natur Haus” tried to accommodate each customer’s individual requirements as much as possible. However, experience showed that creating a completely bespoke solution for every order was not economically efficient.
Every new size and structure required separate design work and adjustments, significantly increasing the cost of the finished product.
The company therefore now works with several standardised models – four basic versions for the Latvian market and three for export markets. Various modifications and adaptations are still possible, but the underlying manufacturing principles remain consistent.
“Of course, we can make small adjustments. If an order is large enough, a customised solution can also be worthwhile. But essentially, we have developed our own standard models and are trying to stick to that product range,” Tumanovs explains.
The company’s main business is manufacturing hunting towers and related wooden structures. Tumanovs emphasises that this specialisation has helped the company refine its products down to the smallest details.
The upper section of each tower consists of several panels, with windows fitted with lifting mechanisms and catches. Both insulated and non-insulated versions are available. Larger models even have space for a bed, as some hunters travel considerable distances to their hunting grounds and spend the entire night in the tower.
For Latvian customers, the company can manufacture the complete structure, including the wooden supporting framework. Hunting associations also order simpler towers for driven hunts, which are positioned at several locations around a forest area.
These structures are designed not only to make hunting more convenient but also to improve safety by providing better visibility of the surrounding area and a safer direction of fire.
From Mētriena to Europe
“Natur Haus” serves a wide range of customers, including private individuals, hunting associations and businesses.
“Essentially everyone – from private individuals to companies,” Tumanovs says.
The product supplied to international markets is not fundamentally different from the one sold in Latvia. The main adjustments relate to dimensions and structural features that make transportation easier.
“What goes to Europe is essentially the same product. There may simply be slight differences in dimensions and how it is prepared for transportation,” Tumanovs explains.
As early as 2024, the company was cooperating with partners in Belgium. “Natur Haus” manufactured the upper cabins of hunting towers, while metal supporting structures were produced in Belgium, where the finished products were then offered to international markets.
In an interview with TVNET, Tumanovs highlighted a project in Luxembourg as one of the company’s most significant achievements to date. There, upper sections manufactured by “Natur Haus” were installed on metal structures approximately eight metres high.
This example illustrates the company’s development particularly well: a structure first tested in the founder’s own garden became an exportable product and part of an international supply chain within just a few years.
Moreover, the company has not worked exclusively in the hunting sector. “Natur Haus” previously won a tender to manufacture observation towers for nature trails, producing a total of 25 towers for the “Latgales takas” project.
This demonstrates that the company’s expertise in wooden structures can also be applied beyond the traditional hunting market.
From Two Employees to Recruiting a Fifth
The company’s growth is reflected not only in export orders but also in its workforce.
At the end of 2024, “Natur Haus” employed two people, and Tumanovs was discussing plans to recruit a third employee. Today, the company has four employees and is looking for a fifth.
“There are currently four of us working at the company, and we are planning to recruit a fifth. One carpenter has been working with me practically since the very beginning,” he says.
For a manufacturing company in a rural area, such growth cannot be taken for granted. Finding employees is one of the challenges Tumanovs identifies as a disadvantage of running a business outside major urban centres.
At the same time, the company is creating new jobs in an area where employment opportunities are considerably more limited than in larger cities.
The example of “Natur Haus” demonstrates that an internationally competitive product does not necessarily have to be developed in Riga. A company can operate in a small parish in Madona Municipality and supply customers elsewhere in Europe.
LIAA Support from the Company’s Earliest Days
LIAA became part of the company’s journey right from the beginning.
After returning to Latvia, Tumanovs learned that applications were open for the Business Incubation Programme. He applied through the LIAA Representative Office in Madona, where he presented his business idea.
Initially, he had two ideas: manufacturing environmentally friendly houses using clay and lime plaster, while simultaneously developing the production of hunting towers.
However, it soon became clear which direction offered greater market potential, and hunting towers became the company’s main business.
“It was in the very year the company was founded. I presented my idea, and that was when our cooperation began,” Tumanovs recalls.
During the first stage, LIAA support meant much more than funding. The entrepreneur had access to mentors, marketing specialists, training and practical consultations, as well as financial support for purchasing equipment and materials.
One of the objectives was to help the new company enter export markets.
The first international orders arrived towards the end of the incubation period, although they were not yet regular. After completing the programme, the company continued growing independently until it achieved more stable export volumes.
Approximately two years later, it was able to enter the next stage of support as an export-ready company.
“Once we had reached a certain level of exports and were actively exporting, we were accepted into the second call as an export-ready company,” Tumanovs explains.
The support once again enabled the company to invest in equipment and materials. However, the entrepreneur also highlights a less measurable benefit – being surrounded by other people who are building businesses and facing similar challenges.
When an entrepreneur encounters an unfamiliar situation, there is often someone in the group who has already dealt with something similar and can explain how they resolved it.
According to Tumanovs, this practical exchange of knowledge was one of the most valuable aspects of the support programme.
“It Acts as a Buffer for the Company”
Cash flow is particularly important in the day-to-day operations of a manufacturing company.
Materials and equipment must be purchased before the finished product is sold, while ordering larger quantities of raw materials often makes it possible to secure better prices.
If a customer delays payment, this can significantly affect a small company’s ability to finance its next production cycle.
In this respect, LIAA support has provided “Natur Haus” with additional financial security and enabled it to invest in development more quickly.
“Of course, it would be more difficult without it. Purchasing equipment and materials – it helps you manage the company’s cash flow more effectively. It acts as a kind of buffer, a financial boost that helps,” Tumanovs explains.
At the beginning, the application process itself also required time to learn. For someone who has only recently started a business, writing grant applications and understanding the various requirements is not necessarily straightforward.
“In the very beginning, of course, writing grant applications and understanding everything was more difficult,” he recalls.
Systems and rules change over time, so entrepreneurs need to be prepared to adapt. However, assistance is also available from LIAA specialists when needed.
“The staff at the LIAA Representative Office in Madona are always helpful too – if something is unclear, they explain it,” the entrepreneur says.
In Woodworking, Prices Remain the Biggest Uncertainty
The company’s own development is not the only factor shaping its daily operations.
“Natur Haus” operates in the woodworking industry, which has had to adapt to both material shortages and price fluctuations in recent years.
According to Tumanovs, one of the main challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic was the availability of materials. Although this problem has now largely eased, material prices can still be difficult to predict.
“Prices are constantly fluctuating. Perhaps they have stabilised a little now, but rising material costs remain one of the challenges. During COVID, even obtaining the materials themselves was very difficult. Now availability is more or less back to normal,” Tumanovs explains.
For a manufacturer, this means constantly looking for ways to operate more efficiently – standardising products, reducing unnecessary material consumption, planning shipments more intelligently and making the fullest possible use of transport capacity.
The company also strives to use locally sourced materials.
Tumanovs has previously explained that the company purchases pressure-treated posts from a supplier near Sigulda and cladding boards from a company in Prauliena.
As a result, a significant share of the value of products intended for export is created in Latvia.
When discussing the future, Tumanovs does not reveal much, but it is clear that “Natur Haus” does not intend to stop with its current product range.
Asked whether the company is considering developing new products, he responds without hesitation:
“Yes, definitely. My head is full of ideas, but I am not ready to reveal them just yet.”
Information for Entrepreneurs
Latvian businesses and start-ups have access to various support instruments offered by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) to promote business development, innovation and exports, including support for start-ups to attract highly qualified employees.
Information about current support programmes, eligibility requirements and application procedures is available through the unified business portal business.gov.lv and liaa.business.gov.lv.
This article was produced in cooperation with LIAA.
This article was produced within the framework of the project “Development of Innovative Entrepreneurship for SMEs”, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Union.
