Family Business Lauded as Serbia’s Micro-Enterprise of the Year
The idyllic scenery surrounding the river Pčinja where the town of Trgovište is situated provides far more than just beautiful views. The Stošić family has long known that the plants of the forest yield many sought-after natural products. Several years ago, the family formed a company to get some of these products to market. Just recently, the company was recognized by ProCredit Bank and the Economic Journalists of Serbia as the best micro-enterprise in Serbia.
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| Sorting through freshly-picked mushrooms at Kleka |
But the family always knew they were on to a good thing. As Aleksandar Stošić explains, “The Kleka Company was founded with the aim of taking advantage of the best nature can offer, namely unpolluted forest fruits and medicinal and aromatic herbs. We owe a lot to the natural resources and the pristine, healthy environment.”
But the road to success has not been an easy one. Without the proper equipment to prepare their valuable pickings for market, the Kleka was dependent on large companies to do that for them. This drained their profits and, in the end, the Stošićs weren’t satisfied with the quality of the processing.
To take the company’s future into their own hands, the family decided to invest. “First, we built a drying house, because high-quality forest foods are perishable and must be dried properly. Then we decided to expand our business,” says Stošić. But even the drying house and the cooling chamber didn’t allow the family to develop as fully as they’d hoped.
The family heard about USAID’s Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA) project. They attended seminars and made a business plan which included the addition of new processing equipment. After receiving a grant based on their plan and their personal investment, Kleka doubled production within a year. The increased production both necessitated and allowed them to hire four additional permanent workers and 30 more seasonal laborers, which further enhanced productivity.
“Our family has huge plans for the future. Our biggest wish is to expand our organic products line, so that everyone can enjoy nature’s benefits. Then we would be in a position to hire even more people!” Stošić says.
Since 2001, USAID’s work on local development has realized over 5,000 projects in cooperation with communities and companies to help improve livelihoods for people throughout Serbia.
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