The story of Marlenka honey cakes is closely linked to the life story of Gevorg Avetisjan, who came from Armenia to the Czech Republic in 1995. In 2003, Gevorg Avetisjan and his sister founded the Czech company MARLENKA International s.r.o. in Frýdek-Místek, producing MARLENKA®️ honey cakes according to an ancient Armenian family recipe. The cake was named MARLENKA in honor of the owner’s mother and daughter.

Initially, the company had just one employee. Two years later, in 2005, a second production facility was opened, increasing the number of employees to 85 and resulting in an annual production of 250,000 cakes. By the end of 2008, the company was operating with 186 employees and an annual production of more than one million cakes. MARLENKA®️ products began to be exported to neighboring countries, including Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and others.

In 2009, a new 4,000 m² production hall was completed, featuring a fully automated production line that took two years to develop specifically for the production of MARLENKA®️ honey cakes and is the only one of its kind in the world. It produces 1,000 cakes per hour. The product range gradually expanded to include other family recipes, such as Napoleon cakes and honey balls. By 2014, MARLENKA®️ products were being exported to more than 35 countries worldwide. At the same time, a new Visitor Center was opened to the public, which in 2021 was expanded to include the first original MARLENKA shop, where only company products are available, including 40 proprietary products and 10 licensed ones.

Today, the company produces over nine million products annually and exports to 53 countries worldwide. Marlenka also makes high-quality decorated cakes and custom cakes, including one made for Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday, and a birthday cake for the Czech presidential couple. A motorcycle-shaped cake was made for Petr Pavel, and a black cat-shaped cake for the First Lady.

In 2023, the company bought the former Lemberger textile factory in Frýdek-Místek, which it plans to preserve and renovate to expand its production capacity. This must be operational within three years to meet the growing demand. A Marlenka museum and a stylish café will be established on the site, and the surrounding land will be revitalized. Last year, the company also received significant awards, including first place in the Firm of the Year 2023 in the Moravian-Silesian Region and the Most Economically Successful Company of the Year 2023 in the Moravian-Silesian Region. In 2022, Gevorg Avetisjan, the founder of Marlenka, received a Medal of Merit, First Class, for his contributions to the state in the economic field.

Currently, the company's distribution warehouse is preparing the first nine pallets of Marlenka cakes, which are expected to arrive in Armenia at the beginning of May. The first products will be available in Armenia in May.

The collaboration between Marlenka and the Armenian distributor was established with the active assistance of the Czech Embassy in Yerevan, which co-organized a mission of Armenian entrepreneurs from the Mantashyan Business Club to the Czech Republic at the end of February this year, during which the supply of Marlenka honey cakes to Armenia was arranged.

The story of an Armenian native and prominent Czech entrepreneur thus symbolically enters a new phase, and Marlenka returns to Armenia.

Michaela Jeřábková, Deputy Ambassador