Rade Ljubojevic, founder and owner of Sirogojno Company – Japanese also buy sweaters made in Zlatibor

Rade Ljubojevic

This year, Sirogojno Company is planning huge investments as well as a breakthrough into the new world supermarket chains, Rade Ljubojevic, a founder and an owner of the company which deals with frozen and dry fruit production and sales and authentic Sirogojno Style sweaters sales, says for eKapija.

Zlatibor-based firm sells almost the entire production output outside our country’s borders.

- Since Sirogojno has a wide range of products, it requires large storage capacities. Therefore, this year we are investing about a million euros in a modern storage space which will occupy more than 3.000 square meters – Ljubojevic, which EY, a consulting-auditing company, selected for an entrepreneur of 2013 in Serbia says. He adds this job will end by June.

- Another important objective is to conquer new world supermarkets which are our target group.

- Last year was typical because we had ups on some markets and downs on some other, which were economic crisis consequence. Our advantage ist hat we have well-balanced business and if it doesn’t not work somewhere- it doesn’t work. To sum it up, 2013 was a very good year for our company, I think even among the best ones.

eKapija: What are financial results like? Which markets were the most successful ones?

- All indicators have gone up compared to the year before, ranging 8-10%. We generate a turnover of some EUR 13 mil and we export almost everything. We were the most successful in the countries of the north Europe – Sweden, Norway and Finland. Then, Japan was very good also. Last year we won the North America market and for us, it is also a growing market.

eKapija: Which products are most wanted among the customers?

- The largest stake in Sirogojno Company sales goes on frozen fruit then dry fruit and after then sweaters. However, if I tell you that the only product from the ex-Yu region which is sold today in the main street of the Japan capital – our sweater, then it is clear why all our products were very successful and in demand.

eKapija: You have recently announced entrance in the candies production?

- That’s right. This year, Sirogojno is planning to start chocolate candies. We will cover dry fruit with chocolate and thus we will offer interesting candies with blueberry, raspberry and cherry to our customers. Production will begin in the next couple of months and it will be a solid capacity for a start.

eKapija: Will you look for more employees?

- I am not sure whether we will hire new staff. We have many employees because selection and processing of frozen fruit require engagement of a lathe number of people which makes the process more expensive. But however, there are generation shifts so they change…We have a very young team which runs the company which is, in my opinion, very important.

FAMILY BUSINESS

Sirogojno Co is a family business, located in a Zlatibor village with the same name. It was founded by Rade Ljubojevic in 1992. After a couple of years, in 1998 more precisely, Ljubojevic decided to buy DP Sirogojno which was dealing with production of hand-made garments.

Sirogojno Company was gradually developing current cooperation model, including fruit and vegetable producers from the Zlatibor region. Today, company’s core activity is fresh fruit purchase, processing, freezing and placement. The company also exports frozen fruit and in 2010 we started with the dry fruit program.

(Photo: sirogojno-style.com)

Purchase, selection and packing is carried out in two production units – in Sirogojno (frozen fruit) and Rupeljevo (frozen fruit, frozen vegetable and dry fruit).

Sirogojno Company is known for its brand of hand-knitted sweaters and other wool products - Sirogojno Style.

The company is devoted to education of agricultural producers and promotion of agricultural production as well as social activities which promote environment and develop the community where Sirogojno does business. Rade Ljubojevic thinks it is the most important reason why he was selected an entrepreneur of the year.

M.S.