About us

Who we are

Based in Poland, Unitop today is a leading producer for sesame snacks and halva in Europe. Besides, the company is known as trusted exporter of other confectionary products in the Middle East.

Our history

In April of 1945, engineers, J. Serwaczyk and T. Tarasiewicz, founded a company that produced artificial honey under the name, Zakłady Przemysłowe Optima (Optima Industrial Plants). Even though we no longer produce honey, the plant at ul. A. Struga 61, now operates under Unitop and the “sweet” story continues.
1945
In April of 1945, engineers, J. Serwaczyk and T. Tarasiewicz, founded a company that produced artificial honey under the name, Zakłady Przemysłowe Optima (Optima Industrial Plants). The plant was located at ul. A. Struga 61 in the building of former Kindermann textile factory.
The company becomes the property of the State Treasury – Państwowe Zakłady Przemysłowe Optima.

1946

1950

Optima takes over smaller confectionary factories in Łódź. The company benefits from additional investments and expansion of machinery park. The range of confectionary products is expanding.
Constant growth through the machinery modernization.

1954 – 1958

1958

Start of export production for Great Britain, Western Germany, France, USA, Canada, The USSR: halva, sesame snacks, cream fudge, candies, dragees, drops.

Optima opens Halva Tasting Hall in the center of Łódź. The first of its kind in Poland.

1959

1971

Launch of Sesame Snaps® in Canada. Today, the brand is the market leader in Canada.
In December 1990, Optima joins the Agros Holding group. This is an important milestone in the company’s development that brought significant sales growth in the domestic and foreign markets. In 1993, the state-owned Optima was privatized. Agros Holding becomes the major stakeholder. Company name changes to Z.P.C. Optima Sp. z o. o. (limited liability company).

1990 – 1993

1994 – 1995

In 1994, Optima transforms into a joint-stock company. The next year it takes the name of the main shareholder and becomes Z.P.C. Agros-Optima S.A. Further investment and expansion takes place.
The company is bought by a private owner.

2002

2004

Next company name change to Z.P.C. Unitop-Optima S.A.
In January 2018, Unitop-Optima and Agros Trading Confectionary become part of the Bounty Brands Group. With the merger finalization in July 2018, the company adopts the name Unitop Sp z o.o. (limited liability company). As a result of further transformations in the company, mBank becomes the major shareholder in the company in 2019. Our sweet story continues!

2018 – 2019

Quality & tradition since 1945

Since 1945, the air at the very heart of Łódź has been filled with the tempting smell of sweetness coming from our factory. Since then the company is known for its commitment to tradition and high quality products.
We owe the high quality of all of our products to our strict guidelines governing the raw materials we use, the high standards we hold our final products to, and the expertise of our dedicated confectioners, many of whom have worked here for decades. As a result, we have been granted IFS Food safety and quality certification at the higher level as well as Kosher and Bio certifications.
For us, it comes down to the quality of the sesame seed. The seeds we select are held to a higher standard than generally accepted in the industry, which means that even a single stone found in a delivery consisting of several tons of seeds, warrants rejection of that delivery.

When it comes to making our signature sesame snacks, we give a priority to African sesame seed, which is renowned for its unique, sweet flavor and high quality. Further setting our sesame snacks apart from the rest, is the fact that we roast our seeds prior to production, which enhances both the taste and the crunchiness of the final product, but is not common practice among other producers.

The size of seeds is also an important factor in the outcome of our sesame snacks. The bigger the seed, the crispier the snap, so we make it a priority to choose the biggest, fullest seeds we can find, which gives our snaps their characteristic, “CRUNCH!”

Likewise, the sesame seeds that form the paste or tahini that we use for our halva, go through the same rigorous selection process, with additional attention paid to the color of the seeds. Even a few dark seeds can adversely affect the product. The texture of the tahini is equally as important as color so we source ours from experts in Turkey, who are renowned producers of world-class tahini. When you choose Unitop halva, know that you are choosing one that is made according to the highest standards of quality and taste in the industry.
We invite you to our factory tour – check yourself how our handmade halva and sesame snaps are made in the very heart of Łódź! Watch the video.

Certificates

Download the IFS certificate

Download Kosher certificate

Download BIO certificate

Global presence

With over 75 years of experience, Unitop is known up until today for its care for tradition and quality that resulted in trusted cooperation with the biggest retail chains in Poland and abroad. For years the company brings its delicious and nutritious snacks to more than 40 countries around the globe and consistently builds its position in key markets such as Canada, USA, Australia, Saudi Arabia and many more around Europe and the Middle East.
Contact our Export Sales Department to discuss business development opportunities in your market.

Export Sales Department

Phone: +48 42 208 52 52
export@unitop.com.pl

Our brands

Amki® Snacks is a brand offering delicious and crunchy sesame snacks that are healthier alternative to traditional sweets. Amki brand was created in Poland in 2006. Few years after, the brand was sold already in few different markets in Europe and in the USA. Brand name has tasty and pleasurable connotations (who was not saying ‘am’ during feeding in the childhood?!). At the same time, the word is a close shortcut from polish ‘sezamki’ that means ‘sesame snacks’. In Poland the brand was recognized in several industry and consumer contests.

www.amkisnacks.com

See the results of the plebiscite Perły Rynku 2020

See the results of the plebiscite Perły Rynku 2020

See the results of the plebiscite Najlepszy Produkt 2020

Sesame Snaps® is a heritage brand of Unitop, with a leading position in the Canadian market. The brand has enjoyed strong consumer trust and popularity since its introduction in the 1970s. Sesame Snaps® is valued for its high quality products with exceptional taste and as such, has become a trend-setter and quality benchmark for the category in Canada.
In 2022 the brand earned prestigious awards by Canada’s largest communications organizations for its integrated marketing-communications campaign “15 Minutes of Me Time”.
www.sesamesnaps.ca
Sezme Sesame Snaps brand is rather known in the countries of the Middle East.

Unitop’s Luxury Cream Fudge/  حلاوة بقرة has developed a cult following since its registration in 1966, and is particularly popular in Saudi Arabia where the brand and the product are considered a flagship commodity in its category.

https://www.instagram.com/halawabagara/

Unitop halva is hand-kneaded according to traditional methods that accounts for its exceptional taste and characteristic fibrous consistency. The brand is known mostly in Poland.

Social responsibility

As one of the largest producers of halva and sesame snacks in Europe, we adhere to the principles of environmental protection. The packaging for of all our product lines is recyclable, which is extremely important to us. We also eliminated palm oil from our production process, as its extraction is so damaging to the global environment.

We strive to support the community immediately surrounding our factory in Łódź, As such, we regularly deliver our snacks to local children’s homes and children’s welfare foundations. We also support local health enthusiasts and regularly donate our products to various local events and initiatives promoting active lifestyle.