An Unexpected Food Entrepreneur in Romania

March 2016

"In Romania not many young aged people want to be entrepreneurs,” Liviu says, “So I encourage young people to be entrepreneurs. To make something to provide value for the community.” This is the story of Liviu, an unexpected entrepreneur in a place where the enterprising spirit has yet to be nourished.

My partner Nicu and I discovered Casuta Naturii (Nature's Small House) in July 2014, when visiting his hometown of Iasi, in eastern Romania, population 300,000. The store appeared to us a mirage on that hot summer day. It revealed an oasis of fresh, open space, a new, organic vision, at the bottom of a decrepit, gray, communist spaceship building from the ‘80s. A tall, thin young man in a green apron was sweeping the concrete steps. (We later learned this is a strategy to attract customers. Liviu does this several times a day.) The doors were wide open, and the owners, Liviu and Ionela, warmly welcomed us inside.

Liviu invites customers into the fairytale of his organic food store Casuta Naturii, "Imagine that you enter the forest on the narrow path. In the middle you can explore all the goods that nature will provide to you. The elves, meaning me and Ionela, will help you, the client, to attain your healthy state of mind."

The store’s wooden shelves are stacked high with clear bags of chickpeas, raisins and whole wheat flour, soy milks, goji berries, chia seeds, and organic oatmeal flakes. A refrigerated section holds blocks of tofu and fermented miso paste. I was excited to finally find a store in Iasi which sold unsweetened soy milk!

Small tables and chairs encourage clients to take their time to look at products, touch them, read ingredients, and ask questions. Casuta Naturii also holds free weekly workshops on nutrition, sushi making nights, and creative children’s activities, and serves as a meetup place for a group of young mothers.

Liviu told us if there was anything we wanted but couldn't find, he could order it. Previously, I had experiences with poor customer service in Romania, where salespeople acted like they were doing me a favor. Nicu grew up in the communist time, when, he said, "They were doing you a favor by selling you stuff, because they didn't have any stuff. So, whenever they were selling you stuff, it was a favor. Maybe some of them preserved that mindset."

I was inspired by Liviu and Ionela's optimism, and their quest to introduce organic, wholesome food to Romania, while also educating adults and children on healthy cooking and eating. Very much like some parts of America, Iasi has a high incidence of cardiovascular disease and obesity, and people have moved from locally grown food, to shopping for (often unhealthy) food in American style supermarkets.

Only looking backward, could Liviu connect the dots of his unusual journey to become a food entrepreneur. "I was a regular guy, who was drinking Cokes and playing games," he said. Liviu studied economics in high school and engineering in college in Craiova, Romania. Liviu had a friend in the insurance business; envying his friend's new car, he followed him to an insurance seminar in 2007, which would change his life. The seminar instructor not only taught about insurance policies, but also knew a lot about organic food. After learning about the benefits of healthy eating, Liviu chose to eat more fruits and vegetables, while consciously realizing his passion.

Liviu continued to work in the field of insurance, and in 2010 was promoted as right-hand man to the owner of the insurance company. While traveling with him in Bucharest, Liviu visited one of only three sushi bars in all of Romania at the time. They enjoyed the sushi so much that in 2012, Liviu and the CEO started their own sushi bar, and hired a qualified sushi chef. "That was the original plan," Liviu said. "The final plan was that he showed us the sushi and left us." Learning how to make sushi on YouTube, Liviu became the sushi chef. "In the beginning, the sushi was not so tasty or good looking," he said.

After his marriage to Ionela in May 2013, they moved to her hometown of Iasi. They had no savings. Though, just as Liviu had utilized his resourcefulness in learning to make sushi, he again used his drive and creativity to reinvent his own lean startup. In August 2013, Liviu and Ionela used their wedding gift of €10,000 as seed funding capital to open Casuta Naturii.

From the beginning they knew that Casuta Naturii had to offer not only products hard to find in Romania; it also had to bring a different mentality. However, this new vision did not come without challenges. In the first month, Liviu had to borrow from their €1500 reserve, just to pay rent and keep the "not so full" shelves stocked with products customers requested.

"I don't want to say that we worked hard. Our job is not hard physically or mentally. But we are two of us here. We support each other," Liviu said. "We don't like to complain.” He explained how other shop owners gripe about the economic crisis. “What helps me that?” Liviu said. “There are days or months the income is low. Okay. That's it. Let's put ourselves mind to work, and learn how to make otherwise."

The store offers both organic and conventional products, with no artificial coloring, preservatives, or trans fats. It's not only the products, but the exceptional service that makes Casuta Naturii stand out. They offer home delivery, and include a personalized thank you note in each package. Once, Liviu even bought medicine at the pharmacy and delivered it to a customer’s sick child, along with the order from his store. If Liviu does not have the product the customer is looking for, he will tell them where to find it, even if that means buying from a competitor. He says, "A happy customer with a need resolved will remember you. When she will have a need she will think of you as the solution." The message seems to resonate with customers. For instance, customer Silvia says about Liviu and Ionela, “Of course they care about their pocket, but they also care about people.”

Furthermore, Silvia said “I like their selection of seeds. But, it is expensive for regular people. We care mainly about the price; we also look at the quality of the products. Yet, Romania needs 25 more years to get educated about food.”

Liviu’s inventive marketing also livens people’s spirits. He piques the interest of passersby by putting quotes inside Casuta Naturii’s high windows: "I feel good", "I like myself", "It's a happy day", "Keep smiling". Liviu said, "That was catchy. We put them for fun, but some people read that when they pass through. Why? Our windows were like a mirror, and many people fix their hair in the mirror. In winter, the quotes were missing, and customers commented.”

He also organizes a raffle each month, with prizes ranging from a cozonac (Romanian Easter bread with chocolate filling) to a food dehydrator.

Liviu said, "We want to grow the market, but not with a lack of morality on our part. We will expand until we know that it's the same idea that we started with."

"If you want to build something you need to be optimistic,” Liviu said. “It's hard, not to say it’s easy. I encourage people to make a business. I encourage people to try different things. Acquiring the knowledge will give you opportunities and possibilities to make the choice like I did, because if I didn't have the information, I couldn't make the choice, about making the shop, about healthy food."

If you visit Iasi, Romania, make sure to stop by Casuta Naturii: http://casutanaturii.ro