Olga, a talented brand often has a deep story behind it—can you tell us yours?
When many people ask how Pranamat came into being, they expect a beautiful fairy tale. But in reality, the story is simple, but sincere.
The idea was born in 2008, in the midst of the global financial crisis. My future husband, Denis Grigorenko, and I were working in banks at the time and were about to get married. We both felt that we wanted to leave the financial sector, which was clearly struggling at the time, and create something really close to a man.
Denis and his friends once discussed what kind of product could really help people take care of their health—and so the idea of a massage applicator emerged. Our grandmothers had such things, but they were made of the most primitive “prickly” materials. It seemed that if we created a high-quality, beautiful and environmentally friendly product, it would be in demand and bring people benefits.
I think Denis’s personal history—his very warm relationship with his grandmother—also played an important role in this. These memories gave the idea even more meaning.
Pranamat was a very unprofitable business for the first three years. What helped it not to quit? After all, three years is enough time for a family startup to have time to become disillusioned.
At the beginning of the journey, Denis and I were only investors. But after a couple of years, when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, it was completely taken over by us. And there was essentially no choice left—everything had to be “rewired” and rethought from scratch.
One of the most important decisions was to move the business online. Without it, we simply could not have moved on.
I sometimes joke that in those crucial moments we were saved by our youth and stubbornness—we had a lot of energy, a resilient spirit and a habit of not giving up. And, of course, it was a shame to give up: the product was very good. And we also had great support from the team. We were very small at the time—only about ten people—but everyone believed that we would succeed.
Today there are already two teams working for Pranamat—sales and marketing—and together we are about 60 people.
They say it’s all about—I mean the miracle of improved health—the lotuses. How did you come up with them?
“The lotus, as the main massage element, took a long time to develop. Initially we were attracted to the lotus shape because of its symbolism: the flower as a symbol of purity, strength and transformation through overcoming difficulties. We worked on it for the whole first year and the shape has not changed since then. It became our business card, a kind of DNA of the product.
“Technically”, like any “child”, the lotus was born in agony—but in good agony. We had to find the right plastic, think about the shape, and then adapt it to ergonomics and production. We even researched separately what the “sharpness” of the petals should be. We did this together with Riga Technical University (RTU) as part of a separate project.
Since Pranamat primarily helps with back problems, we conducted clinical trials to confirm that the product really does improve well-being. We even got the status of a medical device. But later we realised that Pranamat is not just about the back. It’s about much more than that.
What is it about? Or rather, what else is it about other than back health?
The main thing that Pranamat helps is not even so much the back, but a general feeling of well-being and a real improvement in the quality of life. This applies to mental health as well: the mat helps you de-stress, reboot. You sleep more soundly afterwards, recover better—and generally feel better.
We often get feedback along the lines of, “With the mat, I have more time for myself. To stop, to listen to myself, to take care of my condition.” And this is probably much more important than just getting rid of back pain.
Your production facility is located in Riga. But you could have chosen a cheaper option—for example, you could have moved it to China. Why did you stay here?
When new employees come to us, they are often surprised: “Do you really have a production facility in Riga?” In Europe, this is almost unimaginable. Many people think that we, like many brands, order everything from China. But we are proud of the fact that we produce everything ourselves, with our own hands, using our own technologies. And at the same time, everything is organised in an environmentally friendly way.
Everything related to the product, we do in-house. Because, frankly speaking, China cannot guarantee even close to the same quality. Five years ago, we had a telling experience: a Chinese company wrote that it could reproduce our product. Moreover, they registered a patent for the “lotus”—our own massage element. We managed to defend our rights and fight off the patent. But when their sample arrived, it became clear that it was nowhere near what we produce ourselves.
Did you aim for the international market right away? How did it happen that Pranamat from Latvia feels like a global brand?
From the very beginning we wanted to make a product for the global market, but at the same time it is important for us to say that we are from Latvia. A few years ago we realised that many people in Latvia know what Pranamat is, but they don’t know that it was created here. When we realised this, we started to talk more about the origin of the brand and emphasise our roots.
The fact that Pranamat is perceived as a global brand is largely a credit to our strong online strategy. And this is entirely my husband’s initiative. He has been saying from the very beginning: it is important not to just “go online” as thousands of companies do, but to build a networked brand that lives online as an ecosystem. This is a completely different approach.
Denis has always believed that any business should be scalable. Just opening one café or shop is not enough to make a real contribution to the world. And I’ve been very lucky indeed to have a partner. He is a visionary who thinks about both business and people at the same time.
But it is impossible to promote in different markets in the same way. How do you deal with the issue of localisation?
Yes, the markets are very different. Even within Europe, each country has its own character. France, for example, is quite different from the Czech Republic. We talk about the same product everywhere, but we do it in different ways. In each country we have our own local representative. In the Czech Republic, for example, we have a person working with us who intuitively understands how to speak to the audience in their language—both literally and culturally. This is very important.
But with America, it’s much more complicated. It’s a huge market—300 million people—but we can’t approach it yet. Simply because we don’t fully understand how the average American woman lives. Even if we try, it’s hard to put ourselves in her shoes. We just have a different reality, a different perception. So I think we have yet to master the subtleties of the American market!
We know that Pranamat not only actively talks about self-care, but also participates in social initiatives. Can you tell us about them?
We do pay a lot of attention to social responsibility. For example, in 2022 we supported the charity auction of the Italian foundation La Casa di Matteo by donating specially designed products. All proceeds were used to help those in need.
Another important initiative for us is our participation in the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. We published a post on Instagram emphasising the importance of early detection of this disease and the need for community support.
Do you participate in similar projects in Latvia?
In terms of local projects, we have been cooperating with the State Blood Donation Centre since 2020. Our joint campaign in 2022 helped to attract 2,315 donors. In addition to financial support, we actively involve our employees in this process.
Also in 2022, we supported the activities of the Paralympic Committee, participated in the Stirnu buks marathon and donated massage kits to a nursing home in Šiauliai, which are used by physiotherapists for motor skills training for the elderly.
For us, these are not one-off actions, but part of a systematic approach. We believe that a brand can and should contribute to solving social issues through its capabilities.
Do you have any tips on how to take care of yourself and your health in the urban rhythm?
I think that in the city it is especially important to find moments of silence—to give yourself time and space where you can just be, not to run anywhere, not to think about anything. Pranamat has become such a tool for me.
And for those who already have it and use it, for example, to relieve tension or pain, I would advise you to try to take the next step: don’t take your phone with you, don’t read while lying on the mat. Just allow yourself to stop. Maybe meditate. Or just lie in silence. Such pauses are especially valuable for those who live in an urban rhythm. It is in them that a sense of self returns.
