'Delicious' business: as a repatriate from Russia created a network of edible souvenir shops in Israel - ForumDaily
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'Delicious' business: as a repatriate from Russia created a network of edible souvenir shops in Israel

Ex-owner of the Russian regional television company TV-2 Arkady Maiofis became a producer of tasty souvenirs in Israel under the Yoffi brand.

Photo: yoffi.gift

His story told edition biz360.rubased on an interview with an entrepreneur portal booknik.ru.

Mayofis, 53, has worked in the media industry for 25 years, during which time he has received 22 TEFI awards (the highest award in television). In February 2015, the television company lost the airwaves because its broadcast license was not renewed. After this, Arkady Mayofis decided to emigrate to Israel, where he launched a family business - the production of edible souvenirs under the brand Yoffi. Now the company's products are sold in 40 stores in Israel (including Ben Gurion Airport Duty Free).

“Brand name is part of our last name”

Until February 8, 2015, I lived in two countries and was not a citizen of Israel, because, according to Russian law, the owner of a media outlet cannot be a citizen of another country. I earned money in Russia, not much, but enough to support my family and pay off loans. He spent a little more than six months a year in Russia. This dual situation did not imply either learning the language or integrating into the country - I came here, communicated with my family, and it was a pity to waste time on everything else.

But 8 February 2015, the fate decreed that I came to Israel for good. The idea of ​​business came to mind back in Russia, about half a year before the “evacuation”. I understood that the clouds are gathering, and, moreover, the family lives in Israel, in general, you need to start something.

I met with different people - not particularly actively, but I had some conversations. First, with those associated with Russian-language media in Israel. But I quickly realized that I didn’t need to go there: there was no economic prospect. In addition, Israel is a very politicized country, and the people here are passionate, including Russian journalists. Such passion rushes from the screens when a journalist proves to his audience why his political opponents are goats and that they should be lynched...

At the same time, I did not know how to do anything other than the media. 28 years I worked in the media, the last years 20 as a manager, and the last four years in general only as a shareholder. I didn’t have to go to work every day, which is why I even suffered a little bit of remorse. And then suddenly you have to start life completely from scratch. In another country. In another language unknown to me.

Photo: Facebook/Yoffi – unique gourmet gifts from Israel

Once in Moscow, I met a man who once worked as a restaurant critic in Russia, then lived in Israel for six months. He came to the strange conclusion that Israel is an unsavory country. This statement was unexpected for me, especially since it came from a professional. I thought (and still think) just the opposite. Besides, I had the idea of ​​opening a restaurant here.

In general, it seems to me that all the active Russians who come here are divided into two parts - some want to open a restaurant, the second - a bookstore.

I saw that in most restaurants, no matter what my new acquaintance said, they were very tasty, but they looked very bad, they had no atmosphere. This is the atmosphere, as I thought, that needs to be created. But that man convinced me that no one needed this, but what Israel really lacks, in his opinion, is edible souvenirs. There are a lot of tourists, but you can only buy refrigerator magnets. The idea seemed interesting to me. I told my wife Polina, she liked it too. And she suggested the brand name - Yoffi. Translated from Hebrew - “beauty”! And this word is part of our surname.

“My actions are dictated not by logic, but by emotions”

It should be noted that I am an emotional person, and most of my actions are dictated not by logic, not by business plans, but by emotions. And I have painted such beautiful pictures in my head: it will be a family business, it will bear our name, we will all be holding each other, produce tasty and stylish souvenirs ...

I started talking about it on every corner. And, first of all, to the eldest daughter Lisa Mayofis, who lived in Moscow and worked as an executive producer on one of the TV channels. Then what happened to me happened - I found myself in Israel, almost depressed and without money. There was no time to build up at all. We began to discuss the idea more actively. We are my wife Polina, my eldest daughter Liza, her husband Sergei and Liza’s mother, that is, my first wife Sveta. All, except for Sergei, Mayofisa.

Soon, Liza and Sergey decided to repatriate. For Liza, the closure of my channel, where she spent all her childhood, where she knew everyone, was also a big blow. She considered it necessary to support me. In addition, he and Sergey increasingly liked the idea of ​​business, which in the process of our endless conversations was overgrown with new details.

Then the difficulties began. There was no money, but there were a lot of obligations, including loans for which I had been building a house in Caesarea for the last six years. A house is wonderful, and a house in Caesarea is even more so. If you don’t see electricity bills... And you needed money for your business. It seemed to me that in a year we would grow. We needed money for this year. And I borrowed them.

"I broke one of the main commandments of the business"

In Israel, business etiquette suggests that if you are promised to do something in March, it can happen in March of the following year. And this will not surprise anyone. The main word here when you are doing business is not “plan”, not “control”, not “budget”, but “sovlanut” - patience.

To get used to this, you need a lot of sovlanut. In addition, I violated one of the main commandments of business - do not fall in love with what you do. I fell in love with it so much that I probably stopped feeling connected to reality. However, let's not rush (you see, I'm becoming an Israeli). Perhaps a certain amount of madness is exactly what we need, because if I were in my right mind, I would go to work in a factory.

Photo: Facebook/Yoffi – unique gourmet gifts from Israel

What is it like working with family? This cannot be put into words. I started to enjoy the process. Previously, I mostly enjoyed the results. It all started with the fact that we had to choose - where we would start, what products we would choose for the first batch of souvenirs. The only “Israeli” in our family is my wife Polina, who came here when she was 15 years old. She offered honey, haruv (aka carob - carob paste), dates.

We created a group in WhatsApp, because at the very beginning everyone was in different places. And the discussion began. We were digging on the Internet, arguing. Someone says: it is better to start with spices. He objected: a lot of spices. Better with haruva, nobody knows him. And so on. When messages were not enough, in the course went emails, Skype.

Soon the amazing designer Lika Marutyan appeared - a young Jewish Armenian (or Armenian Jew). She made the first sketches, and we realized that she was what we needed. This rarely happens. We found her again through Polina, or rather, through her friend. We found the executive director of our company in much the same way. Before that, he was quite successfully engaged in medical tourism. Our idea also fired him up. And now he is part of the team, or part of the family, if you like.

Six months ago, Lisa, her husband and two children, one of whom was only two months old at that time, repatriated to Israel. And time moved even faster. Everyone had their own responsibilities. Lisa was tasked with mastering Hebrew first, faster than the others. She has a penchant for languages, Hebrew should become her fourth language. She went to ulpan (language school). Her mother Sveta was responsible for the baby. Her duties included writing texts for booklets and catalogues. Lisa’s husband was selling an apartment in Moscow - and selling an apartment in Moscow is now hardly easier than opening a business in Israel. But we needed money. Therefore, he spent a lot of time in Moscow and delayed the ulpan. Now he's catching up. Lisa recently finished ulpan and went to work. Now she is in sales. Just like the rest of us, he is learning a new profession.

I also go to ulpan, but it’s difficult for me. But we have to! In order to do business in Israel, language is necessary. Well, if you live in a country, you must know its language, otherwise it’s disgusting, disrespectful to the country and the people who live here.

“Our products are beautiful”

Now about what we do. Our company under the brand Yoffi produces Israeli edible souvenirs. For us, it is important that each of our products personified Israel, was associated with it by a long history, and grew here. All our products are natural, all kosher. These are different types of honey, syrups and spreads from dates and carob, herbal teas, matzoh, thina. And this is an incomplete list.

From the very beginning, we wanted our souvenirs to be beautiful. This was, in addition to taste, the main consumer property. And our main competitive advantage.
In the production process, we realized that we are not just a niche of edible souvenirs, but a niche of premium class souvenirs. Our product is not cheap. Gradually, souvenirs “simpler” appear in our line, but also beautiful.

Photo: Facebook/Yoffi – unique gourmet gifts from Israel

At first we thought that our products would only be aimed at tourists, of whom there are three million a year. Then we realized that the buyers could be Israelis who travel around the world and need to give something there as a keepsake of themselves and Israel—that’s another four million a year. There is also Israel during the holidays: here it is customary to give each other gifts for the holidays, and this is generally a dimensionless market. True, it is extremely difficult to access it. And finally, there are Jewish communities abroad, very wealthy and very numerous.

Of course, it would be worthwhile to first study the market, hire marketers, and after their conclusions ... go to the factory. And you can trust the intuition and take a chance. We went the second way. The stakes are very high. We'll see. In the end, I was already working at the plant, after school I was collecting underwater mine detectors, but I hadn’t yet made any edible souvenirs.

"There is no option but to win"

Our business development plan states that by the end of the third year of Yoffi’s existence, we want to have not only production, but also our own stores in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and, possibly, Haifa, as well as in London and New York. You may ask why I thought this needed to be done? And I will answer from the same point where I got the idea that Yoffi is a beautiful word. Or that our product will be in demand. I don't know, how it feels.

We didn't start by opening our own store, and I think we did the right thing. One of the people who works with us now, a real Israeli, once owned an olive business. They had their own factory where they made everything from olives to oils, creams and so on. And they had their own store where all this was sold. When the next war began, he went bankrupt - the tourist flow dried up, and the store and factory needed to be maintained.

Photo: Facebook/Yoffi – unique gourmet gifts from Israel

Our competitive advantage is that we have nothing of our own. It seems to us that the company store should be opened only after the brand has unwound.

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