The confectionary business of former minister Toman’s family has hundreds of millions – Seznam Zpravy

Just two months ago, the joint-stock company Smetanová cukrárna was boasting cakes made for the presidential couple at the largest agricultural fair of the Earth Breadwinner. The suppliers also believed that the company with a turnover of about half a billion crowns was in good condition, but the reality of the economy is different. The business is going bankrupt.

A supplier of confectionery and ingredients to retail chains with one confectionery on Opletalová Street in Prague filed for bankruptcy on November 7. In it, he asked the court to declare bankruptcy because he was unable to pay his debts. In total, he owes more than 228 million crowns to 183 creditors. In addition to suppliers, they are also indebted to employees.

Smetanová confectionery employs 96 people and is a major supplier of ingredients and sweets to retail chains.

The company now states that there were problems due to the acquisition of a new production building in Panenské Břežany at the beginning of the year, where it wanted to move from Prague and also increase capacity. He explains that, especially during the transition of production and reconstruction, “the discovery of essential costs that were not expected to the extent that, over time, has led to a significant reduction in cash flow for normal operations representation.”

According to the legal representative David Krofta, even a loan of 27 million from the only shareholder – Kristina Tomanová, daughter of the former minister and influential head of agriculture and food Miroslav Toman, did not help to solve the situation.

Board chairman and director Martin Chroustovský referred to legal representative David Krofta with a request for a statement. However, he refused to divulge information on the matter, citing confidentiality.

In previous years, the company’s turnover was close to half a billion crowns. The restaurant itself writes on its website that it distributes the production of 60 distribution trucks throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia through 54 delivery lines. “We ship over 30,000,000 products of a total of 1,200 types each year,” he writes. Among the customers are, for example, Kaufland, Lidl, Tesco, Albert, Billa, Globus or Penny Market, wholesalers Makro and JIP as well as smaller retailers such as Coop, Brněnka, Hruška or Norma.

Kristina Tomanová is not only the sole owner of the food company, but also a long-term member of the board of directors. She was replaced in this position for a short month before bankruptcy was announced by former minister Miroslav Toman.

“I am not an owner or a member of the company’s organizations, so I am not required to express anything,” Toman answered a question from SZ Byznys. He served on the board of directors with one member between September 27 and October 24 this year. Toman was a minister for a short time between 2013 and 2014 in the government of Jiří Rusnok and from 2018 in the government of Babiš as a non-party member of the ČSSD.

According to one supplier of raw materials and an important creditor Smetanová cukárna, who wants to remain anonymous, Toman has even recently been coming to production and helping with the management of the company.

The editors of SZ Byznys came to several food manufacturers who supplied him with raw materials, but no one knew that the company had such big problems. Back in mid-October, she announced that she was looking for part-time production workers.

“The fact that they are doing so badly surprised not only us, but also other members of the Food Chamber of the Czech Republic. No one expected it. We accepted his payments (referring to former minister Toman) long because no one thought it would bankrupt him,” the source said.

In the past, former minister Toman managed the strongest interest groups in the region, ie the Food Chamber of the Czech Republic and the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic. He still has strong personal connections between food workers and farmers.

Among the biggest creditors of Smetana confectionery are the construction company Agrostav, the supplier of refrigeration equipment JDK, the butchery and charcuterie BP Krásno, the bakery Nopek, the wholesaler of ingredients for bakers and confectioners Pešek-Rambousek and others .

“We were surprised. They were moving to new buildings, they asked us to wait with the payments, that they would be late for a while because of this, but, on the other hand, that they would then increase their purchases and their own production . We nodded at it, we didn’t expect them to pack it,” says Nopek Bohumil Štanglica, bakery director. The company owes the bakery from Vysoké Mýt 3.5 million crowns.

The general public does not know much about Smetana’s desserts, but for grocers and traders it is a regular supplier of cakes, sweets, small desserts and also ingredients such as sandwiches, baguettes, aspics and salads. Kristina Tomanová acquired the patisserie in 2020. In the same year, the business bought the trademark from Agrofert for Papei sandwiches from a defunct company of the same name with production in Roudnice nad Labem.