Katarzyna Stępień transitions from corporate career to milling in Poland

Katarzyna Stępień has transitioned from a corporate career at companies including Colgate, Coty, and GSK to reactivate a defunct mill in the Suwałki region of Poland.

The facility had been closed for approximately two years following the death of one of its previous owners during the pandemic. While the Stępień family initially purchased the property to serve as grain storage and silos, they ultimately decided to restore flour production.

Reactivating the mill proved challenging, as the family acquired the physical assets rather than an operational business. The process required cleaning the facility, performing repairs, hiring staff, and establishing a new client base from scratch, including personally delivering flour samples to bakers.