When someone visits our store or lands on the Manimal website today, they see a complete brand.

A logo.
A visual identity.
A webshop.
A community.

But it wasn't always like this.

When we took over the business, we knew one thing for sure: we didn't want to build just another barefoot shoe store.

We wanted to create something that truly reflected what we believe in. A place that wouldn't simply sell products, but would represent a way of thinking about movement, health, and life.

That's why we decided to rebuild everything from the ground up.

Countless ideas, endless conversations, late nights, and months of planning slowly came together to create what you know today as Manimal.

Our logo was born.
Our visual identity took shape.
Our colors found their meaning.

And then we started building our webshop.

Completely on our own.

To be honest, we had no idea how.

We didn't have a development team, an agency, or years of e-commerce experience behind us.

What we did have was curiosity, determination, and a willingness to learn.

We spent countless hours talking to Shopify support, reading forums, watching tutorials, testing ideas, making mistakes, and improving every little detail.

Because we quickly realized that in a webshop, every small detail matters.

The position of a button.
A single photograph.
A line of text.
One extra click.

Most visitors never notice these things, but they are the building blocks of everything we've created.

The First Big Surprise

One of our shipping partners sent us an email about an e-commerce competition.

A professional jury would evaluate each webshop and provide detailed feedback.

Norbi simply said:

"Let's enter."

There was only a small entry fee.

Honestly?

We didn't expect to win anything.

For us, the real value was the opportunity to receive professional feedback that could help us improve.

As the gala approached, we learned more about the competition and the number of participants.

We decided to attend.

To meet people.
To learn.
To get inspired.

Nothing more.

Then, during the awards ceremony, they called our name.

We had been awarded 3rd place in our category at the Hungarian "Webshop of the Year" competition.

Honestly...

At first, we thought we had misunderstood.

We looked at each other, laughed, and for a few seconds neither of us could quite believe what had just happened.

It wasn't just about receiving an award.

It was about knowing that someone outside our company had recognized all the work, passion, and attention to detail we had poured into building Manimal.

After the competition, we received a comprehensive professional evaluation of our webshop.

To this day, we regularly return to those recommendations and continue improving based on the feedback we received.

The Second Story Was Even More Unexpected

The Visa Shop of the Month Award was completely different.

We didn't apply.

We simply kept doing what we always do.

Later, we discovered that mystery shoppers had visited both our store and our webshop.

They evaluated everything.

The atmosphere.
The customer service.
The store itself.
The webshop.
Our branding.
Our social media presence.

Every single detail.

We had no idea they were there.

Months later, we received a phone call.

They congratulated us and told us that Manimal had been selected as the nationwide winner of the Visa Shop of the Month for February 2026.

Honestly?

We didn't believe it.

Not until they called again to arrange the date for the award ceremony.

What Do These Awards Mean to Us?

Many people assume these are our greatest achievements.

We see them differently.

Awards don't make a shoe more comfortable.

They don't improve a conversation with a customer.

And they certainly don't make someone feel welcome the moment they walk through our door.

To us, these awards are simply confirmation that we're on the right path.

They remind us that our approach—putting people before products—is worth believing in.

Because we're not trying to collect awards.

We're trying to earn trust.

We want every person who visits us, whether online or in our showroom, to feel welcome.

To feel listened to.

To feel that they matter.

Our goal has never been to sell someone just another pair of shoes.

Our goal is to help them find the right pair for their feet, their lifestyle, and their journey toward more natural movement.

If that work occasionally receives recognition, we are incredibly grateful.

But the greatest reward will always be when someone comes back.

Or recommends us to a friend.

Or tells us that choosing barefoot footwear has changed the way they move.

That's why we built Manimal.

Not for the awards.

But for the people.