Cakes from Veliko Gradiste in demand all around Europe - Eskom starts production of cooking chocolate and announces employment of 50 new workers

After operating in Veliko Gradiste for seven years, it has already become the largest factory in the Balkans and the fourth largest plant in Europe. Its product is considered the culmination of the art of cooking. Production in Serbia started in mid-19th century, while Serbs learned the recipe from Czechs and Hungarians. Today, the factory Eskom exports 25 kinds of that product to France, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania. In 2011, this sweet product will also be available in the markets of Italy, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Macedonia. Its majesty - cake!

Veliko Gradiste-based Eskom has 120 employees, while another 50 people should get jobs in that cake factory in 2011.

As Eskom Director Sasa Pajkic announced for eKapija, the plan for 2011 includes an investment of 100 million dinars in automation of production, expansion of capacities, and renewal of motor pool.

- We will start assembling a contemporary line for production of cooking chocolate named Eskolada in mid-January. The first products will be offered to the market in April, while the capacity of the line is 180 tons on monthly basis. Part of the production will be intended for our market, while the rest will be exported - says Pajkic.

(Sasa Pajkic receieves ProBusiness Leader award)

How did everything start?

- We had two food stores where we used to sell cakes made by a manufacturer that is now out of business. I came to an idea to make cakes by myself and that is how I started production with only two female workers who were making cakes and a technologist. At that time, I did not even dream of reaching the current level – Pajkic remembers.

He says that Eskom changes recipes for cakes twice a year. They usually stop producing those in the lowest demand and start thinking about new sweets.

The interlocutor of eKapija points out that Eskom has no competition because it constantly invests in new technologies.

- There are several smaller manufacturers and each of them has a certain share of the market. Since we constantly invest in improvement of our production, we are always two steps ahead of our competition. In 2010, in addition to investing in automation, we also had a warehouse of 2,400 square meters built on 2 ha of land, as well as another cold storage plant, and we procured 30 new vehicles and employed 36 people - says Pajkic.

Eskom is the laureate of the award 2010 ProBusiness Leader in the category of the most successful entrepreneur, which is granted by ProCredit Bank.

S.O.