How Lithuania’s Skonis ir Kvapas built a 30-year taste-and-scent powerhouse of quality and trust

For three decades, Skonis ir Kvapas (Aroma and Flavour) has grown from a niche retailer into one of Lithuania’s most recognizable specialty brands, offering tea, coffee, confections, including home-made sweets, accessories, gifts, and much more.

 “Our mission has always been to offer products with meaning – real taste, real scent, and genuine value. We don’t try to appeal to all. Our customer comes to us when they start to care, when they begin to notice differences, value quality, and seek authenticity. We are relevant to those who look for comfort, quality, and the good things in life,” Skonis ir Kvapas Owner and Head of Trade Dovile Grigalaviciene told The Baltic Times Magazine.
 

How did the Skonis ir Kvapas story begin 30 years ago?
First came the name – Skonis ir Kvapas. It became the initial spark from which the whole idea later developed. The second impulse arose from the desire to offer something that seemed quite exotic in Lithuania at the time – goods from faraway colonies: coffee, tea, spices, and distinctive tobacco products.
Our goal was not cheap, everyday items, but things that carried culture, history, and tradition. We wanted to introduce consumption cultures in which every sip or scent has meaning. That required knowledge, so we began searching for teachers and masters who could show us what an authentic, genuine product is – and teach us how to recognize it.
That’s how it all began – with a name, curiosity, and a desire to learn.

What were your first products? How has your assortment expanded over the past 30 years?
The very first product that Skonis ir Kvapas imported was pipes. At that time, the community of pipe smokers in Lithuania was very small, and there was practically no quality tobacco or pipes available – only standard Amfora tobacco sold in kiosks. Nevertheless, this niche choice became our starting point.
Soon our assortment expanded to include tea, coffee, tobacco, and cigars – products that had their own stories, traditions, and cultures. To Western suppliers, we seemed like exotic partners from a far corner of Eastern Europe, but through persistence and enthusiasm, we managed to convince them to collaborate.
Today, Skonis ir Kvapas offers a wide selection of tobacco products and accessories, high-quality coffee and tea, our own handmade sweets, confections from other countries, as well as products that create a cozy home atmosphere.
We constantly follow global trends: our shelves feature popular products like matcha, and sometimes we even become innovators by introducing items the market hasn’t seen yet – for example, Hojicha tea.
There was a time when consumers rushed toward everything fast and disposable, neglecting quality. Some of our products are also adapted for quick consumption. Still, we strive to help our customers slow down and savor moments of pleasure. It’s encouraging that more people are turning back to slower living and well-being.
When considering new products, we follow our guiding philosophy: to collect and creatively present the world’s cultures – discoverable through taste and scent – to those who seek comfort, quality, and the good things in life.

What were the biggest challenges in the beginning and now?
The greatest challenge is not to stop – to grow with the market and remain relevant. Over three decades, there have been many moments when we felt tempted to pause, look back, and say, “We’ve done enough.” But in business, stopping often means stagnation.
The key is to maintain curiosity, observe how the world and consumers change, and have the courage to change with them. Ideas that were highly relevant at first can lose appeal over time – and then you must decide to evolve.
We realized this ourselves when we decided to close the Skonis ir Kvapas Coffee and Tea House on Trakų Street in Vilnius. For many years, it was a beloved spot, but eventually, it became clear that the format no longer met the needs of the modern consumer. Interestingly, we’re now hearing that people would love such a place again – and if it returns, it will be a new kind of coffee and tea house, suited to today’s pace and expectations.
Knowing when to leave, when to return, and when to adapt – that’s what keeps us alive, interesting, and needed.

What has contributed most to the company’s success and longevity?
Throughout its existence, Skonis ir Kvapas has stayed true to strong values that still form the foundation of our work. We never chased quick results or short-term success – instead, we’ve always sought long-term, consistent solutions based on quality, respect, and trust.
We’ve never assumed we know everything, so we constantly seek new knowledge and insights. Often, we learn from our customers – their experiences, observations, and expectations help us improve. This reciprocal relationship allows for a meaningful dialogue between us, the sellers, and our clients. Listening to the other side helps us remain relevant.
From the beginning, Skonis ir Kvapas has been a data-driven business. Our decisions have never relied solely on intuition – even before the digital boom, we had one of the first intranet and business accounting systems. We measure, analyze, and evaluate – sometimes perhaps too meticulously – but this enables us to make thoughtful, consistent, long-term decisions.
We don’t chase short-lived trends or quick profit; instead, we build trust – which has grown with our customers for three decades.

What principles have guided you all these years?
From the very beginning, we defined that we don’t want to reach everyone – we don’t try to appeal to all. Our customer comes to us when they start to care, when they begin to notice differences, value quality, and seek authenticity. We are relevant to those who look for comfort, quality, and the good things in life.
It’s very important to us that when a customer returns for the second or third time, they find the same high quality they experienced the first time. This principle is not easy to maintain – prices rise every year, and products in general become simpler – but we make every effort, and that has helped us build a large base of loyal customers who grew up with Skonis ir Kvapas, and now their children are growing up with it too.
Another principle we follow is no plastic inside or out. Of course, some packaging still uses plastic to preserve product quality for longer, but our products themselves contain no artificial ingredients.
Our philosophy: only natural ingredients, real taste, real scent. All our sweets are handmade, using real butter and real flour.

Do you have customers who’ve been with you for almost 30 years? How many of your clients are individuals vs. businesses? And how many employees have been with you since the beginning?
Sales to business partners and to individual customers are quite balanced. We’re seeing growth in our retail network.
Skonis ir Kvapas is, first and foremost, people – those who speak to customers on our behalf. These salespeople have formed long-term relationships with customers, and now three generations of families visit our stores.
As for employees, about 30–35 percent of our staff have been with us for over 15 years. We even have parents, children, and grandchildren working within the company. We’re proud to have created an ecosystem that focuses on people and relationships.
Traditional things tied to culture and heritage endure – they pass from generation to generation. We’ve noticed that younger people are increasingly able to distinguish authenticity and are interested in history, culture, and depth. That’s why we remain relevant not only to older generations. Longevity comes only with truly high-quality products.

How many physical stores do you have, and where?
We always wanted Skonis ir Kvapas to have homes – places where people could not only buy but also experience our products. We wanted these to be spaces where visitors could connect with the brand through all senses: seeing, tasting, touching, and smelling.
Currently, we have 44 stores across Lithuania, and by 2026 we plan to grow even further to be more accessible to our customers.
Over the years, some locations have become dedicated tobacco or coffee-tea shops, but we’re united by one mission: to bring together the world’s tastes and scents in one place – where tradition, culture, and the pleasure of slower living meet.
Nowadays, many customers visit our physical stores after browsing skonis-kvapas.lt, often searching for specific products they saw online. Still, they value personal contact, expert advice, and the chance to touch, smell, and taste – which is exactly what our mission is about: experience and connection.

How do you see Skonis ir Kvapas 10 years from now?
The company will live as long as people continue to seek beauty, taste, and scent. We hope to be more modern, dynamic, and innovative.
Generations change – in society and within our company – but we’ll strive to ensure that our values and attitude toward work remain. We’ll continue offering the market high-quality, authentic products that bring a sense of comfort and pleasure.