Committed to Sustainability from the Very Beginning
The founder of the Grapoila brand, Marianna Pinczés, decided already as a student to build her company on raw materials that others considered waste. She chose grape pomace — an unused by-product of wineries — and at the beginning the company produced grape seed oil from it, later expanding into grape seed flour and natural cosmetics.
Over time, the range of raw materials expanded, and today we press oils from more than 21 different seeds, while our product portfolio has become extremely diverse and innovative. The essence of our zero-waste production is that we utilize every part of the raw materials and all by-products generated during production.
Staying with our first raw material, the grape (grape + oil = GRAPOILA), the pomace first goes through a separation process, and the seeds coming out of the drying process are cold-pressed in our plant in Püspökladány to produce valuable oil.
Gentle Cold Pressing
Cold pressing is the gentlest way to produce vegetable oils. Unlike refined oil production, this process uses only mechanical pressing, meaning no chemicals or heat treatment are applied. Cold-pressed oils fully preserve the valuable nutrients, flavor, and color of the original seeds. They are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, and antioxidant compounds.
The thick, seed-rich material that settles at the bottom of the oil becomes a cosmetic ingredient, while the press cake coming out of the press is ground into grape seed flour.
The antioxidant-rich dried grape skins are also used as food products. The remaining plant parts that cannot be used (stems, seed residues, pellets, etc.) are used as compost, soil additives, or as fuel for our own biomass boiler, which provides heating for the seed dryer and the production facility.
In our cosmetics plant in Szerencs, we also produce natural cosmetics from grape seed oil and other skin-nourishing oils (such as soaps and lip balms).
Upcycling as a Core Philosophy
Over the past 15 years, we have discovered many upcycling raw materials. Pumpkin seeds arrive from baby food manufacturers, rosehip seeds and raspberry seeds from syrup and jam producers, paprika seeds from spice manufacturers, and apricot kernels from fruit processors — all saved from being discarded.
A similar circular product chain is built around all our raw materials. In the case of walnut, almond, hazelnut, hemp seed and others — due to their outstanding taste — the oil pressing by-product becomes not a cosmetic ingredient but a 100% natural seed butter, which can be turned into delicious spreads or dessert creams.
Our product developments are all aimed at utilizing the by-products and end-products of oil production in as many ways as possible, so that we can produce delicious and healthy foods, natural cosmetics, and animal feed supplements with minimal environmental impact. All our innovations — FROT (Fruits and Oils Together), seed flour vegan “chocolates”, sunflower flour crackers, and plant-based drinks — were inspired by this philosophy.
Sustainability in Everyday Operations
In addition to upcycling raw materials, chemical-free processes, and zero-waste production, we also choose sustainable solutions in packaging and in our daily operations (solar panels, biomass boiler, reusable industrial textiles, electric vehicle fleet).
Most of our products are sold in recyclable glass bottles. Our soaps are packaged in compostable paper infused with carnauba wax, and our lip balms come in biodegradable FSC-certified paper tubes. For deliveries, we use recycled boxes and filling materials.
We also operate selective waste collection in our plants and offices, and in our Budapest headquarters we compost kitchen waste in our permaculture garden.
Permaculture Office Garden
In 2019, our office moved to District 22 of Budapest, to a former abandoned plant breeding station. A year later, we started permaculture farming on the land around the building. The garden provides chemical-free vegetables for our employees, seasonal ingredients for Grapoila recipe development, and serves as a recreational and educational space.
The garden is also an educational base where we organize open days, workshops, and training programs for all age groups to show that even in an urban environment, people can connect to the cycle of nature. Here it becomes clear that every process is connected: what one system discards becomes a valuable resource for another. If we design our systems this way — both in the garden and in everyday life — waste becomes a resource and part of a circular system.
We Are Proud Of What We Have Achieved
We are proud of what we have achieved over the past 15 years: the growing community of Grapoila customers, the enthusiasm of visitors to our garden, the many national and international awards we have received, our 25 Great Taste stars, and the fact that our products have been used multiple times in Hungary’s “Cake of the Year” award-winning cakes (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024).
However, our most important mission is to set an example for other food manufacturers through our sustainable operations — and we consider our greatest success to be inspiring others.
OUR AWARDS
- Environmental Innovation Award – 34th Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize (2026)
- GreenTech Award – Sustainability Champion Award (SME category, 2025)
- Sustainable Food Awards – Harrer & Grapoila vegan seed flour white “chocolates” (Finalist, 2024)
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2023)
- Green Innovation and Green Economy Excellence Award – 2nd place (2023)
- Green Business Award – 3rd place (2023)
- Environmental Protection Award – Business Category (2022)
- Sustainable Future Award – Best Female Leader (2022)
- Greengage Educational Projects Award – Category Winner (2022)
- European Sustainability Hero – Brussels (2021)
- Best Female Entrepreneur Award (2021)
- Symbol of Sustainability Award – Paper tube lip balms (2020)
- ITA Silver Qualification – Rosehip Seed Oil (2020)
- OMÉK Grand Prize – Mustard Sauce (2019)
- Green Innovation Grand Prize (2016)
