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Silvija Manders
Episode · #52

TRAVELBIZ Silvija Manders

Guest Silvija MandersHosted by Vlado ŠestanMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

Silvija Manders runs an ice cream shop in Bruges, a city often called the 'Venice of the North.' Her shop serves up to five thousand customers a day, with lines stretching down the street, and has been recognized as the best ice cream in Belgium. Yet, the business wasn’t born from market research or a grand strategy. Manders, originally from Croatia, raised in Vienna, and having met her husband in Italy, decided to make ice cream simply because her husband loved it and buying a liter every day was too expensive. This conversation explores the unexpected path to building a beloved local institution in a major tourist hub. Manders shares how she introduced a new kind of ice cream to Belgium, ignored local skepticism, and built a brand known for its quality, freshness, and accessibility. You'll hear why a product's true value isn't just in its taste, but in its ability to bring together people from all walks of life, from schoolchildren to millionaires, over a simple, affordable pleasure.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Silvija Manders started making ice cream simply because her husband ate a liter a day while they were in Italy, and buying it was too expensive. The most enduring businesses often begin not from a market gap or a grand plan, but from a personal need or frustration you decide to solve for yourself.
02
When Manders first introduced Italian-style ice cream to Bruges, locals told her it wouldn't work because 'people don't know it; they won't like it.' The most valuable market feedback isn't always what people say they want, but the conviction you hold when they tell you it won't work.
03
Manders didn't choose Bruges for its tourist millions; she chose it because her 'accidental market research' (asking locals where to find good ice cream) revealed a gap. Don't chase the largest market; find the place where your specific offering is genuinely missing, and the crowd will eventually find you.
04
Manders defines what's 'special' about her ice cream by saying it 'isn't special,' but rather that it's always fresh, made daily starting at 4 or 5 AM. In a saturated market, your differentiating factor isn't always a novel concept, but often an uncompromising commitment to the basics done consistently well.
05
Selling up to five thousand scoops a day at a modest price of 1.50 Euros per scoop is Manders' philosophy: 'We want good quality, and for everyone to be able to afford it.' High volume through accessible pricing can build a more resilient and beloved business than targeting a premium niche, especially when your aim is to serve everyone.
06
Manders describes her shop as a place where 'a millionaire sits next to a truck driver, next to a transvestite,' all sharing ice cream. The true mark of a universally appealing product isn't its market segment, but its ability to create a shared, unpretentious experience that dissolves social boundaries.
07
Manders is regularly approached with offers to buy her shop or expand, but she consistently says no, explaining, 'I don't have a price. Not yet. It doesn't interest me yet.' Knowing when to decline offers for rapid expansion or acquisition is as crucial as knowing how to grow, preserving the core identity and joy of the business.
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