The company’s grand future commenced from very humble beginnings in the 1980s, from a makeshift laboratory set up by Dr. Irena Eris and Henryk Orfinger, a spirited husband-and-wife team. Eris was studying at the Medical Academy of Warsaw when she met Orfinger, a graduate of the Department of Transport at the Warsaw University of Technology. They shared the same vision of building a nimble and smart company (zwinna i sprytna firma) that would design cosmetics and hygiene products based on comprehensive research and the best possible ingredients. That vision was turned into reality in 1983, at the height of Socialist power in Poland, when they kick-started the business in a small one-room workshop in Warsaw. At first, the dynamic duo employed one single worker and produced one type of cream at the plant and the monthly output of 3000 cream containers where distributed personally to each buyer by the family car. Acquiring satisfactory materials from foreign producers was painstakingly long and difficult under the strict Communist control, especially given the massive amounts of compulsory paperwork and the limitations of transport and communication, but their motivation and drive to develop their brand inevitably yielded positive results.

Women now in Poland are highly active and well-educated professionally, and there’s a growing number of us vigorously seeking new business opportunities and taking leadership positions in companies. Dr. Eris knows how to seize whatever opportunity arises. Now in her fifties, Eris effortlessly exudes a blend of charm and confidence that undoubtedly played a part in turning her eponymous empire into an exemplary picture of success, harmony and wellness.

Determination (determinacja), passion (pasja) and desire to pursue your own dreams (chęć do realizacji własnych marzeń) is absolutely essential in business, and if you are strong, revered and respectful to the people around you, success will be at your fingertips!

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)