Our Story
A Family Firm With A Long-Term Outlook
Under the fundamental belief that the creation of a prosperous business environment is the best instrument for solving a nation's social, environmental, and economic problems, Latvian-American entrepreneur Visvaldis Dzenis founded Kokpārstrāde 98 in 1998—just 7 years after Latvia's independence was recognized by the Soviet Union.
With forests encompassing close to 50% of Latvia’s landmass, Visvaldis had recognized an opportunity to help Latvia sustainably convert its abundance of natural resources into valuable economic assets. He sought out a motivated local man with the same passion for business growth as himself, his cousin Gunārs Dzenis, and together, they set out to create an impactful business.
Since those humble beginnings, our family firm has grown into Latvia's largest producer of wooden mouldings & decorative interior finishings. We have committed to maintaining a long-term business outlook, to preserving strong ties with the local community, and to offering secure jobs for our team of approximately 200 dedicated employees.
By making targeted investments that have predominantly been internally financed, Kokpārstrāde 98 has since positioned itself at the forefront of industry trends. Crucial to our success has been our inspired and motivated team: we take great pride in our work, and we continue to find new ways to add value to our products & services so that our customers, in turn, can add lasting value to their homes. We have been able to build long-term relationships with customers and business partners based on this constant commitment to improvement.
Our company’s success has not gone unnoticed: we have hosted, and received praise and accolades from, notable figures such as Prime Minister of Latvia, Laimdota Straujuma, and United States Ambassador to Latvia, Mark Pekala, just to name a few.
As an agile company, we look forward to the opportunities, and challenges, that lie ahead.
— Mark Pekala
Former United States Ambassador to Latvia, and current Dean at the Foreign Service Institute.
