Bakina Tajna ajvar conquers Japan - Foodland expects EUR 6 million exports in 2013

The secret to the success of Bakina Tajna in faraway Japan and exotic Australia will be revealed to you the moment you taste any product under this brand. Jars filled with the finest delicacies that charmed gourmands in Serbia a long time ago are now exported from Mount Kopaonik to as many as 25 countries worldwide.

The Foodland company plans to increase the value of exports this year by 50 percent to EUR 6 million, Director Vaso Lekic has said recently. This growth and export product portfolio expansion are made possible with the opening of a new EUR 3.5 million factory in Igros near Brus in October 2012.

The company`s annual fruit and vegetable processing capacity grew from 2,800 to 6,100 tonnes in that way, and the plan is to boost that capacity to 10,000 tonnes in the near future. With the construction of a new factory, the entire production process is now carried out at one place. Thanks to the long-time experience of technologists, the production process is also innovated to satisfy the needs of increasingly demanding consumers worldwide.

The Foodland organic food factory was shortlisted for this year`s Investment of the Year Award - Aurea 2013.

Constant growth of exports

Foodland is the largest manufacturer of healthy and organic food in Serbia: ajvar, marmalades, jams, juices... At this factory, food is prepared according to traditional recipes using domestic ingredients picked and prepared by hand and mainly supplied from the ecologically clean region of Kopaonik and nearby areas Vlasina and Golija.

(Natasa Bojanic and eKapija CEO Zdravko Loncar)

Foodland Marketing Director Natasa Bojanic says to eKapija that the company last year exported 30 percent of the production, adding that they expect exports to account for 40 percent of the production in 2013.

- The most important thing is that exports grow continuously, so we believe that the ratio of the percentage of production sold in Serbia to the percentage of production sold abroad will be 50:50 next year - says our intelrocutor.

She stresses that the company will also focus on conquering new markets in the future, explaining that each country must be approached in a different manner.

Natasa Bojanic has revealed to us which of the famous Serbian delicacies is best-selling in the Far East.

- The Japanese buy ajvar the most and eat it with rice.

Foodland now has 180 employees, but it is very significant that the company also hires over 200 seasonal workers every year. They work with local collaborators, thus helping the development of rural community.

Our interlocutor has confirmed that the company plans to grow organic fruits and vegetables on its own fields in the future because the "food segment is an ever-growing industry."

Foodland reported a turnover of EUR 11.2 million last year, while the plan for this year is to increase it to EUR 13 million

Brands

Foodland's strongest brand is Bakina Tajna, while its sub-brand - Organica, is due to be launched in April. Organica is a range of healthy, organic, traditional food prepared using autochthonous sorts from Serbia.

Its other brand is Amfisa, which includes Mediterranean specialties.

Foodland's most important export markets are Russia, Australia, Japan and the USA.

2013 Aurea

- It was a great honor for us to compete for such prestigious award like Aurea. The events like this one show how creative business in Serbia is and how many ideas there are. Each of us has a potential for progress, but it only needs to be found – says Natasa Bojanic.

M.S.