In Palma they had the first automatic line in Slovakia

20. Apr 2025 at 12:38

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Heliol, Raciol, Palmarin, Bupi. Palma products with a large industrial area in the wider center Bratislava You can find in every Slovak household. However, oils or plant spreads are no longer produced there, its owner is preparing to build apartments and offices.

The palm factory was established during the first Czechoslovak Republic and the time of the planned socialist economy was a dominant position in its field. She was doing well even after privatization in the 1990s, but at the beginning of the millennium she got into the hands of the financiers, which planted her fateful blow.

We describe the Palma story in the next part of the series Made in Czechoslovakiadedicated to cult products and brands whose roots date back to the time of the common Czech-Slovak state.

From oils to washing powders

The production of oils and fats in Bratislava started after the First World War, in 1920 under the auspices of Olea. In the 1930s it went bankrupt, but the production was taken over by the Czech company Lovosická.

After the Second World Fabric, it has passed under the Bratislava participation company for the production of edible vegetable fats and oils. In a year NATO It was nationalized and its name turned into Bratislava fat races.

In times of “building socialism”, independent production plants were once joined into large national enterprises. The concentration did not avoid the Bratislava fat plant either.

In 1958, a national company Palma was established, which, in addition to the Bratislava factory, also covered production operations in Košice and in Nové Mesto nad Váhom, from which it also took over its name.

At the beginning of the 60s, the management of the company decided to modernize and expand the factory in Bratislava. While she had processed raw materials for other plants until then, she added the final products to the portfolio, ie fats and oils.

Soaps and detergents were produced in the Sister’s plant in Nové Mesto nad Váhom.

Margarine production in Palm was one of the most modern in Czechoslovakia. (Source: TASR)

In 1965 in Palm they deployed the first automated line in Slovakia, serving for filling bottles with oil. New machines have increased efficiency, as well as the volume of production of edible oil, which was in tens of thousands of tons per year.

At the same time, Palma expanded the assortment, and baby soap got to the store counters. It was first produced on hand presses and since 1972 in series.

In the next period, the national enterprise has increased again. At the end of the 1980s, he was covered by six plants, which in addition to oils produced cosmetics, cleaning and detergents (but the Bupi soap brand was introduced only in 1991).

It was also successful after privatization

After the gentle revolution of the year 1989 large national enterprises began to disintegrate and the individual factories gradually privatized. The pair of Palma plants in Bratislava and Levice, which produced cosmetics and washing powders, was taken over by German Henkel.

The other three Palma Food Races in Bratislava, Šenkvice and Nové Mesto nad Váhom have passed under the new Palma-Tumys. It was privatized in 1991.

Palme-tumys has been able to hold a dominant market share of the market for 90 years. In an environment of growing foreign competition, it benefited from the popularity of traditional brands such as Raciol or Cera, which the Consumers knew from the time of socialism.

In addition, the company invested in the extension and modernization of rapeseed oil production, and started to fill it in PET packaging. She also bought a new fat processing technology.

Hera to Palm’s portfolio added in 1972. (Source: TASR)

The Palma-Tumys also had a strong position thanks to relations with the entrance suppliers. « She had almost a monopoly when buying a raw material. Since she pre -financed the rapeseed growers with the supply of seed and agrochemistry, it achieved bargain shopping prices, » wrote Pravda daily at the beginning of the millennium.

The position of the company began to deteriorate after Slovakia joined the European Union, which brought even stronger competition. The production of edible oils fell from 90,000 tons in the record year 2003 to 67,000 tons three years later.

Slavia Capital reimbursed Babiš

In the meantime, managers invested in the production of Methylester Mero, which was used as an ingredient in biofuels. The impulse was Slovakia’s accession to the EU and laws to support biofuels. Palma-tumys produced 40,000 tons of measurement annually and its solid sales also attracted investors’ interest.

Around the traditional manufacturer, financiers from Slavia Capital, as well as Agrofert of Czech entrepreneur of Slovak origin, were circling Andrej Babiš. The Czech large -scale entrepreneur was also mentioned among the candidates Petr Kellner and American concern Archer Daniels Midland.