The Estonian company Alunaut is renowned for its high-quality aluminium boats, the majority of which are exported abroad. Among its clients are also the Dutch Defence Forces.

The company’s CEO, Mark Muru, says their main export markets currently include Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, although interest also comes from other countries. “From time to time, we also hear that there are potential clients in Sweden and Norway,” he noted. “Right now, we’re focusing primarily on Germany, as new opportunities have emerged for us to enter new market segments there.”

According to Muru, Alunaut’s expansion into foreign markets received a significant boost through participation in international fairs as part of the Estonian joint pavilion, supported by Enterprise Estonia (EIS).

“Taking part in the Hanseboot and Boot fairs within the joint stand gave us a gateway to new markets, bringing valuable contacts and orders. That’s also how we found our representatives in Germany,” said Muru.

This year, at the Boot fair in Düsseldorf, Alunaut participated entirely independently, without state support. “In my opinion, the joint stand serves well as a starting point for companies and helps find local partners, but to build a brand, more is definitely needed,” Muru believes.

He added, “We built a completely new demo boat specifically for the fair, which we left with our representatives for demo rides. Thanks to that, the fair yielded our best results ever, and we were even invited to take part in an innovation project in Germany.”

An “accidental” tender win that led to great success

“As most of our sales happen through public procurement, it was new and quite interesting to see that during Boot 2025, representatives responsible for public tenders from various European countries, as well as German federal states and municipalities, visited our stand. They came specifically to see Alunaut — to assess our work quality and, through conversations, our expertise,” said Muru.

The company had earlier signed a major export contract with the Dutch Defence Forces, which drew significant international attention. This autumn, the Dutch Navy officially took the new boats into service. “Before that big contract, there was actually a smaller one we won — I could say, by accident,” Muru recalled with a laugh.

“But through that first contract, we proved ourselves, and later we won a really large deal for our niche market. At first, I didn’t think much of the victory, but once the tender results and winner were published online, my inbox was flooded with congratulations — from all over the world, even from Australia and Canada, as well as from competitors across Europe. That’s when I realised how important it really was. It’s likely a great reference for future public tenders too,” Muru added.

EIS partnership helps Alunaut navigate global markets

Muru stated that EIS has been a crucial partner in the company’s export journey. “Trade fair support and joint stands have been the most crucial elements so far,” he noted, suggesting a few ways to strengthen cooperation further. “As an export catalyst, I see opportunities to support product development up to the completion of a fair prototype. Producing marketing materials is also very costly, and often professional-level brochures, websites, photos, and videos remain undone simply due to a lack of funds. EIS could also help companies in this area.”

“The example of Alunaut confirms that a well-thought-out trade fair strategy, consistent market focus, and well-used subsidies can help an Estonian company reach a new level of export – a market where reliability, quality, and trust are valued,” said Andres Kikas, Director of Export Development at EIS.

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