ABOUT ME

It all started when I bought a palette of trees "for trial" in Germany.

After completing my studies, I was looking for the right job for me. No work appealed to me as much as working in the forest. In Slovakia, I could not find any work in the forest, so I started working in a forest in Germany. I like being in the forest, which motivates me in my work. I spent most of the year in Germany. Every spring I went to Germany to plant the Christmas trees - fir trees. It is a hard work, but with a good group of colleagues - friends, it went much faster and was easier to accomplish. The work was fun and we were competing among friends who would plant more trees in a day. In the summer we were thinning the forest or mowing around the Christmas trees.

The most beautiful time of the year for me, as perhaps for most of you, is the holiday season. During the time before Christmas, there was always a lot to do in Germany. We went to the tree plantations to cut Christmas trees. We packed them into the pallets, which were loaded onto trucks that transported the trees for further sale to the customers. In the meantime, we tied the twigs of the Nordmann firs or the Nobilis firs together and formed bundles. The branches of trees on the plantation that were not sufficiently symmetrical and beautiful were exploited for this purpose. Before Christmas, many Christmas trees were cut – since they had originally planted for that purpose. And then in the spring, new trees were planted again.

This is the life cycle of natural Christmas trees.

I worked in Germany for 6 years. The work in Germany was interesting and I liked it. I spent more and most of my time in Germany and I rarely went to Slovakia. I was born in the Slovak Republic in the town of Hriňová. I grew up there and I like this town. Over time, I began to miss my town. I also have my family there and that's why I wanted to solve this situation. Then I came up with the idea that I could sell the Christmas trees in Hriňová. That's why I bought a pallet of Christmas trees and brought them to Slovakia. At first I did not intend to profit, I only wanted to spend some time in Hriňová.  When selling, I met many of my friends, my acquaintances and also my family members. The Christmas trees were sold quickly and a few days before Christmas, I had no more left. The sale of Christmas trees seemed like a good idea.  I decided to plant a few trees here in Slovakia as well. That's why I bought a plot in Hriňová in the spring, I fenced it and planted some trees. Every year I planted new ones again. It will take a while until these trees are suitable for sale.

The following year, I prepared better for the sale of trees. I bought more trees in Germany. I also had the idea to sell Christmas tree  through the internet. I created an e-shop, not under the trade name ABIESLAND, but I started selling them at www.vianocnestromceky.eu, and I was waiting to see if it will succeed. The selling of trees over the internet started slowly but certainly. The customers were very satisfied and these positive reviews motivated me to go on. Next year I did not sell trees only in Hriňová but I started expanding sales to other places. 

I changed my business name to ABIESLAND, changed the design of my e-shop and started to see my future in selling Christmas trees. A list of my sales locations can be found HERE. My Christmas trees can be bought in central, western and eastern Slovakia. I plan to expand my sales locations every year to be closer to my satisfied customers. Of course, the sale over the internet is still available. Currently the site is translated to German and English, as I have customers from other European Union countries.

My job is my hobby. 

What does my job require?

During the year, I always have to prepare well for the season. I also added new sales locations, and everything I need to sell trees, so that nothing surprises me during the season. In the summer, I always travel to the plantation in Germany and label the trees I like. I always like to walk around the plantation and pick the trees myself.

You can see how tree marking looks like in a short video:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF4yqzvX0qI

Working with natural Christmas trees is a job I enjoy. I hope I can do it as long as possible…

Finally, I would like to thank my customers, and I promise you that I will do my best so that you can always be happy with the trees from ABIESLAND.

MICHAL ŠULEK

Owner of the company ABIESLAND