Our history

A family breeding farm in brief

Two decades of operation

In 2005, Andrzej Poterek launched a small chinchilla breeding farm in Sosnowiec. It was founded on the belief that the quality of the animals speaks for itself and that honest breeding work attracts more than loud promises. Twenty years of activity have strengthened the position of one of the largest and best recognized chinchilla breeding farms in the country and in successive European and non-European markets.

This page documents the next stage in the brand's life from a communications perspective, while the genealogy of successive litters and breeding pairs is a process built over years at tables covered with pedigrees, notes from trial pairings, and daily observation of behavior at the breeding cages.

Beginnings in Sosnowiec

2005 to 2010

It all started with the first pair and a passion that quickly became the professional rhythm of the day. Andrzej Poterek, the founder, set one absolute priority: genetic quality over short-term gain, with no shortcuts and no compromise for weaker individuals.

In the early years, growth was slow and systematic, like any project planned for decades. Animals were paired only after thorough analysis, lines were built in stages, and we judged each new litter more strictly than the last. Sosnowiec, a city with an industrial tradition, became the anchor for a breeding farm that promises only what it can actually deliver.

Building genetic lines

2010 to 2015

During this period, Apophis went beyond classic Standard and developed rare color mutations. Violet, Blue Diamond, Homo Beige, and Pink White required years of work with genes and a deep understanding of inheritance. In parallel, angora and curly lines emerged — types with a different coat texture and a different set of breeding requirements.

Royal Persian Angora, with fur reaching up to six centimeters in length, became one of the recognizable specialties. You can find these types in the Chinchilla varieties catalog.

In 2015 came the natural next step: the first exports beyond Poland's borders. Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic recognized the quality of the breeding farm immediately. Details of the procedures are available under worldwide export.

Show debuts

2016 to 2020

2016 was a turning point: for the first time, the animals appeared at professional breeding shows in Poland. Judges assess coat, color, and conformation, and Apophis collections quickly began taking podium places. A growing number of titles in Standard and Mutation and successive special awards became a visible trend over the following seasons.

In 2020 came the debut at the Czech Chinchilla Show and Saarland Chinchilla Schau. Meeting breeders from across Europe confirmed the class that had been known for years within the farm. The list of successes is available under shows.

Konrad Poterek takes over the breeding farm

Generational change

Every family story requires passing on responsibility. Konrad Poterek, the founder's son, took over the herd not merely to continue it at the same scale, but to drive the next leap in development: Asian markets, a presence on social media, regular show rings in the EU, and a brand understood as a synonym for quality.

Under his direction, new partners appeared, along with new destination countries and new show titles. The quality principle remained identical; what changed above all was the scale of operations. Today Chinchilla Poland Apophis runs two facilities with more than a thousand individuals in many varieties and colors, exports to three continents, and regularly appears at the largest competitions of the season.

Three continents

2020 to 2026

Europe was the first stage of export, but since 2020 we have regularly served customers in the United States and Asia, including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Each transaction is a chain: CITES documentation when the authorities require it, veterinary certificates, export certificates, selection of airline routes, and IATA-certified carriers.

We refined the process over many seasons so that fulfilling an order from Seoul or Dortmund carries the same certainty of execution. The current description is available under worldwide export.