From warehouse to the heights of food technology
Aristida Sventickienė’s journey at “Vilvi Group” began in 2011, when she completed her studies at Kaunas University of Technology. Although many young specialists dream of a career in a big city, Aristida chose a different path.
She understood that Kaunas is a big city, and the competition there is a huge challenge for an inexperienced, “freshly baked” specialist. It is for this reason that young people often do not continue their path according to their specialty. Aristida decided that it is strategically better to choose a smaller city.
“I didn’t choose the easy way. I’m not afraid of challenges, I’ve always had a goal and a strategy. I’m sure that if you work for your goal, you will achieve it. You just have to not be afraid of that work,” Aristida emphasizes, talking about her choice.
Her career start at the company testifies to incredible perseverance and a desire to understand processes from the ground up, as the first position she held was a warehouse worker.
At that time, she didn’t even imagine where she was going to work, but she had a clear goal – to start working in the food industry, integrate into it, and absolutely “touch” everything with her own hands, gain knowledge and accumulate experience.
To achieve this goal, she tried working on packaging lines, worked as an apprentice, later as a master, delved into various positions, and only then accepted the challenge of a food product technologist.
“The secret to success is simple, although it requires immense dedication. It’s important to strive to do more than others, to have a vision in your work and a direction where you want to move. Even if it’s small steps, keep climbing,” says Aristida, emphasizing that experience comes through practice, as it often does not align with theory.
True, wanting to try another industry, Aristida briefly left “Vilvi Group” in 2015. However, after five years, she returned and has now been working here for seven years. She herself calculates that if she hadn’t left, she would have worked at the company for 15 years.
Food as Creation
Today, holding the position of chief technologist, Aristida looks at the food industry creatively. She is most fascinated by the opportunity to understand food through chemical reactions, physics, or microbiology.
“This is true creativity in everyday life, because a technologist sees food as a living organism and can control processes. There is no monotony in such work, every day is different. And the joy comes from the fact that this creativity touches both Lithuanian and foreign residents, allowing them to connect with what buyers enjoy,” says Aristida.
According to her, the daily life of a chief technologist involves many processes and constant communication with numerous departments, from marketing to purchasing and sales, without which products would not reach the market.
“Products are never released to the market until all risks have been assessed and it is ensured that they are safe. When creating new products, the team also encounters unsuccessful attempts. After all, for a product to be successful, it must appeal to the masses, not just one person,” she says.
Therefore, tastings are both internal and external, and Aristida smiles, admitting that the product that wins is not necessarily the one she liked the most herself. However, the specialist is convinced – one must be proud of all achievements, even the smallest ones, because it means moving forward.
A Team That Replaces Family
Working in the food industry and the company’s culture eventually became incredibly close to Aristida. After returning to work for the group of companies, for the first four years she had to commute to work from Šiauliai, which was not convenient. A 40-kilometer journey awaited her every day, and her child was attending kindergarten at the time. The family had already owned a homestead in Kelmė district for some time, so the decision to move changed everything for the better.
“When working in industry, it’s much more pleasant to return to peace, nature, where there’s little city hustle. And the commute to work was shortened by at least half,” Aristida emphasizes.
Today, she feels like a true part of the Kelmė region and especially appreciates the warmth of the local people. According to her, the local community is much closer, as people in big cities are often more alienated, and there is a lack of community spirit there.
“It’s also very important how you present yourself to the community. With what mood and intentions you come and how others see you – that’s the response you get,” she is convinced.
Exactly the same sense of community thrives at the workplace, which has become a second home for Aristida. According to her, we spend so much time at work that the workplace naturally becomes a second home. And at home, one wants everything to be tidy and good, so eventually, at work, a person starts to behave exactly as they would at home, striving to improve the quality of the environment.
The strong team of the organization also contributes greatly to this home atmosphere. Aristida’s closest colleagues are the technologists in her department, with whom she gets along perfectly and is not afraid of any challenges.
“We are very friendly in the team, and if a colleague doesn’t manage something, the work is taken over by whoever has a free minute. There are many masters with vast experience throughout the factory, so people will definitely share their knowledge,” she says.
Asked why people work at the company for many years, Aristida states that the most important thing is simply to find your place in the company, find goals, and there is a huge variety of specialties here.
Pandemic Baptism and Disinfected Keys
If Aristida’s story tells of gradual growth, the career start of Eduardas Mačiulis, the current director of AB “Kelmės pienas”, required complete resilience to extreme situations.
His journey in the group of companies began with working at AB “Modest” – a factory that produces mozzarella and mold cheeses. Here, Eduardas tried the work of a production manager.
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Eduardas remembers his very first step on this path with a slight smile: “It was November 23, 2020 – a damp, gloomy, and very cold day. At that time, the entire Lithuania was at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Tauragė district was even declared an official hotbed. Moreover, the landlady of the rented apartment herself had COVID-19, so I received the apartment keys simply soaked in disinfectant solution. The feelings that evening were ambiguous. I remember walking through the empty city to the store in the evening, thinking – how did I exile myself here?”
However, this gloomy first impression quickly dissolved, and, as it later turned out, was very misleading.
Five years spent working in cheese production provided him with a wealth of technical knowledge, taught him to work in complex situations, and manage changes. It was this stage that helped him grow as a manager and specialist and allowed him to properly prepare for significantly greater responsibilities – the company invited him to become the director of the fresh dairy products factory “Kelmės pienas”.
Changes Led to a Chain Reaction
Eduardas admits that upon receiving such an offer, he felt valued, encouraged, and motivated, and at the same time, it was a strong confirmation that he was indeed on the right professional path, where efforts and work do not go unnoticed.
Moreover, according to him, the chain reaction caused by such internal employee movement is particularly gratifying.
“When I moved to a new position, Reda, who had previously worked in the team, moved into my former place, and her place was taken by another employee, who also got a great opportunity to grow. Often, the promotion of one employee opens up new opportunities for two or three more people. For me, this is one of the biggest motivations and a clear example to the team that the company provides conditions for growth, development, and achieving career goals within the company,” E. Mačiulis praises the organizational culture.
Growth within the organization seems to him a very great advantage not only for the specialist but also for the organization itself.
“Growing within the company, a person understands people, the organizational culture, and the processes themselves much better. Therefore, the transition from one position to another becomes much smoother than simply coming into a high position from outside. Moreover, such an example motivates other employees, as they see clear evidence that career opportunities within the company are real,” Eduardas says.
The transition to fresh dairy product production also brought completely new challenges, as this area involves dealing with much harder-to-predict orders, which requires great flexibility and especially quick reactions to constantly changing needs.
“For this reason, it is especially important for me that all employees thoroughly understand the specifics of the segment they work in and its inherent challenges. The main goal of the entire team is to manage these production ‘roller coasters’, to make them as little felt as possible,” says E. Mačiulis.
He states that he constantly strives to listen to employees’ opinions and understand how people feel in their workplace, as he firmly believes that good results are achieved only when the team feels motivated, engaged, and valued.
“The best results can be achieved when everyone not only works for a common goal but also is not afraid to talk about opportunities and problems. Team spirit is best revealed precisely during difficult periods, for example, when implementing major changes or solving unexpected problems – that’s when you realize how incredibly much a true, strong team can achieve,” notes the head of “Kelmės pienas”.
Common Goal – Quality Dairy Products for People
Eduardas lives in Kaunas and commutes to Kelmė every day, but he does not lack motivation to create. This inner fire is supported not only by the results achieved but also by the very meaning of the work.
“As one of my colleagues, Zenonas from ‘Modest’, once said, our mission is to ensure that quality dairy products reach as many people as possible. This thought motivates me the most,” the manager reveals.
Family support also adds to the motivation. Eduardas’s biggest pillar is his wife Vaida. He states that no matter how difficult a day at work may be, upon returning home he knows that all difficulties will remain at the doorstep, and his wife’s support provides energy and allows him to maintain a balance between personal life and work.
Moreover, the manager’s daily life is full not only of optimizing production indicators but also of a true educational mission – he has to debunk persistent myths in society. Often, both from complete strangers and from new employees coming to work for the company, he still hears the myth that milk is supposedly made from powder.
“Although it seems strange that this myth still needs to be debunked, it still does,” Eduardas wonders. “So I want to assure you – no, milk and dairy products are not made from powder, they are made from natural cow’s milk.”
Eduardas’s own refrigerator always contains “Memel Blue” mold-ripened processed cheese, which his wife particularly likes. It also contains glazed curd snacks, which Eduardas himself immensely enjoys, and daily dairy products – curd and sour cream.
Asked to imagine what he would say to himself after all his experiences on that first, pandemic-marked and gloomy working day in the group of companies, Eduardas does not think long: “I would say very simply – everything will be fine. Even if the beginning seems gloomy, the most important thing is to remain persistent, learn, and not be afraid to take responsibility. After all, efforts pay off in the long run.”
Aristida’s and Eduardas’s journey shows how much can be achieved by genuinely loving your work and finding an organization that supports and provides all opportunities to realize your potential.
“Vilvi Group” consists of the companies “Vilkyškių pieninė”, “Modest”, “Kelmės pieninė”, “Kelmės pienas”, “Pieno logistika”, the Latvian company “Baltic Dairy Board” and the recently joined company “Marijampolės pieno konservai”.
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