"Bilje Borča" started export to America – herbal syrups, teas and drops worth 250,000 USD

Company for medicinal herbs production and processing "Bilje Borča" started export of products to the market of the United States of America, Canada and Mexico yesterday (June 22, 2009).

The owner of the Belgrade-based company, Radisav Bušić, said that company "Bilje Borča" had signed the ten-year contract with US company "Sava USA" from New York, which anticipates annual export of herbal syrups, teas and drops worth, at least, 250,000 USD.

- The first container that will be delivered to the US market is worth 92,000 USD, and it includes the company’s whole product portfolio – he said to the press.

By the end of this year, as Bušić explained, export of another three to four containers worth between 80,000 and 120,000 USD, depending on the goods, is in the pipeline.

As he added, two containers should be exported every month starting next year. Part of the export, that is, chamomile and menthe teas, will be included in the offer of hotel chain "Hyatt regency" in USA.

Bušić expressed expectation that the sale of goods to USA, Canada and Mexico would increase the company’s export at 65% of overall production.

Last year’s export represented 30% of production, that is, about 500,000 EUR.

Bušić said that export to the US market had come as the consequence of 2.5 years of research, and that "Bilje Borča" obtained the license from US Food and Drugs Agency in October 2008.

The Minister of Trade and Services of Serbia, Slobodan Milosavljević, estimated that that export represented the beginning of new export of top quality Serbian products to the market of USA.

According to his words, the example of company "Bilje Borča" shows that even a small company, which is strictly specialized in sale of one type of products, can meet very strict US standards.

- The wish of the Government of Serbia is that that trend be followed by other manufacturers of food, first of all, fresh fruit and frozen fruit, juices, brandies and wine – Milosavljević pointed out.

The President of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, Miloš Bugarin, said that the value of foreign-trade exchange between USA and Serbia amounted to about 560m USD, 68m USD of which was the value of Serbia’s export.

Bugarin expressed expectation that the company’s annual export would reach the value of 1.25m EUR.

The meeting was also attended by Tomika Konditi, the Trade Attaché of US Embassy to Serbia,.