Interview with Nina Stan, co-founder of Frigmania, a Romanian company specialized in modular systems and refrigeration solutions. A story about courage, innovation, and authentic entrepreneurship: from her early experiences in the industrial refrigeration field to the development of modular factories that are transforming the food industry.
Nina Stan is the co-founder of Frigmania, a company specialized in modular systems and refrigeration solutions. Under this umbrella, Frigmania develops and delivers modular cold storage spaces (rooms and refrigerated containers), highly customizable special containers, and modular factories, complete industrial solutions designed primarily for the food industry, focusing on small and medium capacities.
C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career, what were the key moments that defined you?
Nina Stan: Looking back, my professional path began in a context very different from today. As a young graduate, I had no choice when I entered the workforce, I received an assignment, as was customary then, at the dairy products factory in Brașov, as a refrigeration engineer. Fortunately, it was a field close to what I had studied, but the reality of the factory was completely unknown to me.
I remember very clearly the moment when my boss asked me to place an order with a supplier, and I understood almost nothing of what he had told me. I did not know what an order meant, I did not know what a supplier was. It was my first direct contact with the real world of production and business. The good part is that I adapted quickly and learned everything there was to learn.
After a few years, the need for change arose. I had become bored with the routine and the opportunity came to take over the management of a research and development office. It was a very beneficial period for my professional development, in which I could experiment, think of new projects, and broaden my perspective.
As is characteristic of me, at some point I felt again that I had to move forward. I joined a company whose main activity was refrigeration installations. Practically, I returned to my basic profession, but in a much more applied way. Over ten very beautiful years followed, full of challenges and intensive practical learning.
When the company I worked for began to function inadequately, I realized something essential: if I want things to be done the way I believe is correct, I cannot rely only on someone else’s system. That is how the decision to start on my own came about.
In 2014, together with my partner, Doru Polosan, we started what today is the Frigmania brand, with an online store of products and components for refrigeration installations. It was the moment when my professional path became definitively linked to entrepreneurship and the idea of building something of our own, from scratch.
Today, Frigmania has evolved far beyond the component area and operates as a “Modular Systems” platform: we develop modular cold storage spaces (rooms and refrigerated containers), special containers for atypical or highly technical applications, and modular factories, that is, complete industrial solutions for producers who need flexible, scalable, and efficient units.
C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your career so far and how did you overcome it?
Nina Stan: If I were to talk about the most difficult moment, I would say that it is not necessarily in the past, but rather in the period we are living now, at Frigmania. I cannot honestly say that I have overcome it, we are still in the middle of it.
Recently, many difficult situations have accumulated: cash flow pressure, financing challenges, productivity issues, and above all, the effort to develop and launch new products. This year we produced certain types of products for the first time, in collaboration with a partner from Italy. The experience was valuable, but also complicated. I admit that we were too little attentive to the negotiation of the collaboration, and this is now reflected in the way our finances and organization are affected.
I do not have a round story of the type “it was hard, but I passed with flying colors”. We are still in the process of adjustment, learning, and reorganization.
What I can say, however, is that this difficult period forces us to be more rigorous: to be more attentive to contracts, to how we choose partners, how we organize productivity, and how we evaluate risks before embarking in a new direction.
Even though it is hard, we remain optimistic. We have new products with potential, we have solid technical experience, and we are willing to learn from our own mistakes. Perhaps that is actually the key: to recognize the difficult moment without victimizing yourself, and to continue looking for solutions together with the people you started the journey with.
C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?
Nina Stan: Yes, I believe that in any professional path there is a “red thread” that guides you, even if sometimes you do not see it clearly at the moment. For us, this red thread has always been the desire to do things that others do not do: to identify unmet needs in our field, in refrigeration installations and modularity, and to provide concrete solutions where the market does not yet have answers.
We were not interested in being just another player “among others”, but to build missing products and concepts, to bring something new in the way refrigeration and modular solutions are designed, promoted, and delivered.
If you manage to do this consistently, recognition as an expert or a reference in the field comes, eventually, almost naturally. In our case, we had confirmation in a very direct way: we saw market operators who faithfully copied both the products we developed and the way we promoted them or brought them to market.
It may not be the most comfortable form of validation, but it is, without a doubt, one of the clearest: it means you have managed to create something relevant enough to become a model for others. And that confirms that our red thread, being where no one is yet, makes sense and is worth following, regardless of obstacles.
C&B: How did you look at the beginning of the journey and how do you feel you have transformed to the present?
Nina Stan: At the beginning of the journey, I was like many entrepreneurs at their first project: very optimistic and very confident. When we launched the online store for refrigeration components, the fact that no other similar store existed in the market made us believe that “we were breaking new ground”. It seemed obvious that, having this free niche, things would flow by themselves.
Obviously, reality quickly showed us that this was not at all the case. Our field is very specialized, and in the area of refrigeration installations, you cannot sell “just products” without a very strong consultancy component behind it. For years, we explained to each client what they needed, what type of component suited them, what size, in what combination with other elements, so that a functional and correctly sized assembly resulted.
At some point, we realized that in the form we were operating then, we could not make money. Just selling components, explaining everything from scratch each time, was not a sustainable model. We then tried to also do works in the field, with teams, employees, and construction sites. It was a period in which things went well, it was “okay”, but it did not bring the type of satisfaction we were looking for.
If at the beginning we were much more enthusiastic than lucid, today we are much more grounded in reality. We look at business differently: we analyze more carefully which products are worth developing, what type of clients we want to serve, what collaborations we accept and what we do not. We moved from the idea “to be the first to do something online” to the idea “to build solutions that solve real needs in Romania”.
In short, at the beginning we looked like entrepreneurs convinced that a good idea was enough. Today, we see ourselves more as mature practitioners who know that an idea must be supported by structure, healthy work models, and realistic decisions.
C&B: If we met your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Nina Stan: I believe the team and collaborators would describe me, first of all, as a trustworthy person. Those who work with me know that if I said something, it happens, maybe not always at the ideal pace, but always with seriousness and commitment. I am a person of my word.
They would probably also see me as someone who “can do anything” and tries to solve everything for them. Many times, I am, in a way, “the mother” of the team: the one to whom all problems, technical or human, are brought, the one they come to when it seems there are no solutions. It is not always easy to play this role, but I believe it came naturally from my way of being, involved, protective, and attentive to people.
At the same time, I am aware that I am perceived as demanding. I am not the type to say “it will do”. I expect seriousness, rigor, and responsibility because I know how much quality matters in any field.
In short, I think they would say that I am a person you can rely on, who takes on the hard work and does not avoid responsibility, neither for projects nor for people.
C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?
Nina Stan: Looking back, I realize that my professional path was not marked by a single “big decision”, but by several turning point decisions. Leaving the factory, taking on a research and development role, joining a company specialized in refrigeration installations, then the step into entrepreneurship, and finally building the Frigmania brand, all of these changed the direction each time.
I cannot say, however, that one was “the most important” or that I can declare for sure that the decisions were good. The truth is that we can never know this completely. If I had not made a certain decision, I cannot know what would have happened instead.
What I can say is that each major decision came from a combination of context, constructive dissatisfaction, and a desire to be closer to the way I feel things should be done. Each step, whether towards more stability or, on the contrary, more risk, changed my trajectory and brought me to where I am today.
Perhaps, more important than the decision itself, was the fact that I assumed it fully and chose to build something based on it, instead of staying stuck in the question “what if…”.
C&B: How did you build your leadership style or the way you make decisions? Was it a natural process or learned?
Nina Stan: I believe leadership style is built step by step, but it starts from something that exists within you from the beginning. I am convinced that there must be a “seed” of leadership in you from birth. If you do not have this seed, if you do not have that inner tendency to assume, to step forward, you risk always remaining in the place where others have pushed you.
At the same time, this seed is not enough. My style was formed over time, through a lot of practice and many real situations, not from theory. I learned from my own decisions, from mistakes made, from moments when I said “yes” too quickly or, on the contrary, hesitated too long. I also read, observed other leaders, but the most important formative factor was direct field experience.
A very important element of my style is that I like to be the first to show how it is done. I do not ask the team or collaborators to do anything I myself am not willing to do. I go into details, I literally get my hands on the work, I explain, draw, test. I work very hard to understand things well and do them as well as possible. This also gives me the authority to demand high standards from others because they know I am speaking from practice, not theory.
So, if I were to summarize, I would say that my leadership style is a combination of a native instinct to assume responsibility and continuous learning from reality, coupled with the desire to always be the first to get involved and show concretely how it is done.
C&B: What do you think differentiates Frigmania or your professional approach from the rest of the industry?
Nina Stan: I would summarize the difference in three simple points:
We think in assemblies, not in “pieces”
Frigmania does not just sell isolated products, but complete concepts of modular systems. When we work on a project, we look at the whole: space, flow, temperatures, volume, type of product, mode of use. Whether we talk about a cold room, a container, a technical space, or a small modular factory, our interest is that everything functions logically and efficiently, not just ticking off a list of equipment.
A clear solution structure, Modular Systems, the technological umbrella under which we design all solutions
Modular Factories: complete industrial solutions for those who need production lines or flexible processing units
Modular Cold Storage Spaces: rooms and refrigerated containers, which are the basis of many projects
Special Containers: the part where we customize, adapt, and bring things into the high technical area
This structure helps us not to sell “randomly”, but to understand where each project fits and how it can grow over time.
Very high personal involvement
We do not manage from a distance. We are directly involved in projects, solutions, and technical discussions. My style is to be the first to get involved and show how it is done, not just “coordinate from behind”. I believe people feel this and trust that we do not propose anything we would not be willing to do ourselves.
The fact that, over time, I have seen products and promotional methods in the market copied almost identically from what we did confirms to me that our approach is distinct, visible enough to become a reference.
C&B: What does an ordinary day look like for you now and what moments of the day give you the most satisfaction?
Nina Stan: My day usually starts at 7:00 with a coffee and a first round of checks: emails, messages, social networks, reactions to what I communicated, things that need adjustment or require a quick response. This is the moment when I align my day with what happened “overnight” around us, clients, collaborators, partners.
Around 9:00 I arrive at the office and enter the operational part: I check the projects in progress, where there are blockages, what steps need to be taken next, who needs clarification or support. This is the more technical and pragmatic part of the day, where I try to ensure that things do not remain suspended and that everything we started moves forward.
I usually reserve afternoons for projects that are only mine, those in which I need more quiet, strategic thinking, and space to create. This is actually the most beautiful part of the day for me: moments when I can let my imagination run free, sketch new products, think concepts, and connect ideas.
A workday almost never ends before 19:00. Entrepreneurship does not have a “from-to” schedule, and in my case, the line between “work” and “life” is very thin. I work a lot, but I assume it, because most of my energy goes into things I feel have meaning and a future.
C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do and how do you apply them day by day?
Nina Stan: For me, values are not something you put nicely in a presentation and then forget. They are visible, or not, in the way you work every day.
At the center of what I do are a few very clear principles:
Honesty and integrity: towards clients, collaborators, and the team. If something is not realistic or I do not believe it will work, I prefer to say so, even if it sometimes means losing in the short term.
Keeping your word: for me, “I said” means “I committed”. Even if it sometimes means extra effort or longer hours, I try not to leave promises in the air.
Seriousness, in both big and small matters. From a timely email to a complex project, I try to treat each thing with the same attention.
Well-done work and quality: I do not believe in “it will do”, especially in our field, where a poorly thought or rushed solution usually costs dearly later.
Assuming decisions: I do not like to blame the context, others, or “the market”. When I make a decision, I assume its consequences, good or less good, and try to learn from each.
Respect for money and clients: I know how hard money is earned, ours and the clients’. That is why I try to recommend what is truly necessary, not just what “could be sold”.
Day by day, all of this translates into very concrete things: how I answer the phone, how I explain a project, the type of collaborations I accept or refuse, and how I take responsibility for both the good and the hard parts of entrepreneurship.
C&B: How did the idea to start Frigmania and give it this name come about?
Nina Stan: The idea to start this business came, first of all, from dissatisfaction: the fact that things were not done the way we felt they should be done. After many years spent in the field, both my partner, Doru Polosan, and I concluded that if we want to work correctly, professionally, and in the logic we believe in, we have to assume this ourselves.
Thus, in 2014, we decided together to start an online store of components for refrigeration installations, in a very niche area, almost uncovered at the time.
At some point, we needed a name for the online store. We looked for several options, played with ideas, but Frigmania was the expression that seemed most suitable to us at that moment. It was clearly related to cold and, at the same time, had something memorable, something that suggested passion for this field.
We did not know then how much it would catch on, but over time we observed that the name began to be recognized in the field. People knew us “from Frigmania”, the name circulated, and that made us take it even more seriously. We kept it, registered it, and assumed it as “our face”, the identity under which we present and take responsibility for all our projects today.
Under the Frigmania name, we now develop a whole range of solutions: from modular cold storage spaces and special containers to modular factories, small industrial units designed for producers who need flexible solutions, with controlled investments and rapid commissioning. Those who want to see our projects and application examples can find more information on www.frigmania.ro.
C&B: If you were to give a message to people who want to follow your example, what would it be?
Nina Stan: If I were to give a message to those who are thinking of following a path similar to mine, I would not promise anything “motivational”. I would say, very simply, that entrepreneurship is not for everyone and does not resemble the romantic image on social media.
I like to say, jokingly, but with much truth in it: the entrepreneur works when he wants to: he chooses which 12 hours out of 24 he works.
About money, I would say this very directly:
if you enter entrepreneurship only “for money”, there is a high chance you will be disappointed. Money usually comes much later than you imagined and only if, in the meantime:
- you have built something that truly helps someone
- you have kept your word
- you have delivered quality, not compromises
If, however, you feel you want to build something of your own, are willing to assume decisions, and learn from mistakes, then it is worth trying. I cannot promise anyone it will be easy, but I can say it is a path in which you get to know yourself very well, both as a professional and as a person.
Through experience, perseverance, and innovation, Nina Stan and the Frigmania team demonstrate that Romanian entrepreneurship can build modern, flexible, and sustainable refrigeration solutions, tailored to the real needs of the food industry and local production.
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