Our company has come a long way to get where it is in the market today. Let us take you on a little journey back in time.

From hand-sewing to high-tech robots

 Before the war, in 1933, the first saddler in the Chwiłowicz family - grandfather Stefan - completed his apprenticeship by passing the master’s examination and got on his bicycle. He travelled through Greater Poland’s countryside in search of farms where the worn-out horse harnesses needed professional repair. Eventually, he settled down in his own workshop. With the help of his first employees and while sitting on wooden benches, they sewed horse harnesses, using awls and thread in order to sell them to farmers at village markets.

A few decades later, Stefan passed on his craftsmanship, knowledge, and skills to his son, Franciszek. The changes taking place in the countryside made horse harnesses begin to fall out of use. Franciszek, therefore, began to specialise in leather goods, and the wooden benches in the workshop were replaced by electric machines.

In the 1980s, already a maker of well-selling wallets, cases, and briefcases, Franciszek developed the technology to produce a leather pump piston. Thanks to a contract signed with the famous Polish bicycle factory ROMET, this piston was part of every Polish bicycle or car pump.

NIn the early 1990s, Tomasz Chwiłowicz, the third generation of the saddler family, took over the business from his father. From an early age, instead of playing with his peers in the sandpit, he preferred to stay in his father's workshop all day long, surrounded by leather scraps that had a particular smell, which he always will associate with his childhood. Around the same time, the Polish złoty was redenominated and this event very soon led to a very important milestone for the company. Almost overnight, the enterprise started to mass-produce so-called “horseshoe” wallets, i.e. small wallets for coins which were making a great comeback to the market. For decades, the life of the company was intertwined with the social and economic changes in Poland. Ever since Tomasz took over the company and all responsibilities, he took things into his own hands and developed the business, which now offers a wide range of other high-quality products in addition to leather goods. He has invested in modern production machinery and the robotisation of some workstations. During this time of transformation, the LUVA brand emerged, where we design and produce accessories for the Horeca sector, including elegant and innovative menu cards.

Bravely doing our bit

We are a committed and close-knit team that makes the impossible possible. Working on new products, from the initial design stage, through prototyping, testing, and revisions, to implementation, marketing, and sales - it's a real adventure. But it's also a pool of creativity, which we greatly appreciate because an idea inspires another idea. We have more ideas than capacity, hence our constant work to filter them in order to focus on the best ones.

We know that this enthusiasm is recognised by our clients and makes working with us a good experience. In addition, this is followed by our products' high quality, ingenuity, and innovation. Courage is also crucial, it is very important not to be afraid to continuously try something new and not to be afraid to share it with others. For this reason, we often present our brand at trade fairs around the world. Direct contact with customers, their interest in our products, and positive feedback are our driving forces. No email exchange can replace a conversation around a table full of products, personal presentations, and simple human interaction. We can happily say that our team consists of very positive individuals - we are practical and competent, but we can also have a good laugh. We avoid the corporate jargon; we are ordinary people with whom it's enjoyable to do business. This human aspect is often lacking in many industries. But it is simple and it works. Thanks to our positive attitude, we establish warm relationships with our clients and partners that last for years.

Nowadays, when the market is flooded with cheap and carelessly made products, many people are looking for those products that are authentic and long-lasting. Products that have been handcrafted, refined, checked, and carefully packaged by real people. People who are masters of their craft. We are well aware that this is where the strength of our company lies. Our own team of designers and our own workshops give us full control over the entire creative process and the satisfaction of not taking any shortcuts. Naturally, our products will be slightly more expensive than the copies from outside Europe, but they will last for many years and they certainly have a soul - that special aura of handmade objects that everyone knows. 

LUVA - are, on the one hand, modern and innovative collections for restaurants and hotels, but on the other hand, are still the result of the work of human hands. Designed by us and made by us. We offer unique items that are not just another copy of a copy and therefore the goods we create and produce are registered and copyright protected. We do not limit ourselves to just one type of leather at all. We regularly search for new materials and solutions. Our latest discovery is perhaps the oldest of materials - wood - warm to the touch, naturally beautiful, and durable. It is one of our bestsellers at the moment, and we are very happy about it because working with such a graceful material gives us a lot of joy.

Traditional craftsmanship will always defend itself and be in demand - we know this ourselves and we see it in the conscious attitude of many of our customers.

Tradition that will last

    Nine decades on the market is something to be very proud of. The company has prospered this long because, starting with our founder Stefan, we have always been flexible. We act accordingly to the situation - we are always ready to change our offer, improve it and adapt it to the needs of the market. Especially now, when nothing is certain in the long term, it is important to act prudently but confidently. Thanks to this approach, the company has not only survived the transformation of the 1990s but has definitely benefited from it. We also coped during the recent pandemic, which affected many companies so painfully. The world stopped for a while, but we did not. In our workshops, where we usually sew hundreds of high-quality menu cards and other Horeca accessories on a daily basis, we started mass production of hygiene masks in order to serve the very high demand for protection and safety. 

In summary, our company is like a solid, long-lasting leather that becomes more flexible and even stronger over time. Regardless of what the future brings, we are ready to face challenges and provide our customers with innovative, handcrafted products that have a soul. Made in Poland - straight from the small town of Słupca.

We look towards the future with a smile because we know that both good leather and a good company have no expiration date.