ILF Scholars Network Bulletins

Dr George Ujvary,
CEO, Olga’s Fine Foods
Lean Japan Tour, Shinka Management, 2014
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, University of Adelaide, 2014

In the Ujvary household, like many homes across Australia, the dining table serves as more than a place to eat – it’s where life unfolds.

“The family table is central to family dynamics,” George says. It’s almost like the corporate boardroom, where families share their ideas, their dreams, their life plans.”

For nearly five decades, Olga’s Fine Foods has been part of this intimate equation, bringing families together through food. Named after George’s mother, Olga, the company’s iconic beef chevapchichis began at their Hindley St restaurant in the 1970s. When take-home demand outpaced dining in, the family pivoted to manufacturing. From humble beginnings at the Central Markets, they now supply supermarkets nationwide from their Welland facility.

With a Master’s in Gastronomy, George finds food an essential cultural connector.

“There are many ways you can share culture – through music, through language, through customs and through food. I’m half Hungarian and half Estonian. I don’t speak those languages, but I can cook both cuisines to share my heritage.”

Since becoming CEO in 2006, George has guided the company through half a century of generational shifts and changing market conditions – all the while maintaining its core values.