Svetlana is a housewife who earns a lot of money: She now has a plan to conquer entire Serbia, but she can't do it alone! (PHOTO)
The demand for home-made syrups, juices, sweets and homemade liqueurs is so high that around two-thirds of the housewives could do this and each of them would have customers. There are more and more buyers in big cities of Serbia, and foreigners can't get enough of our products.
Svetlana Jovanovic told that to Telegraf, she comes from the village of Gornja Trnava in the municipality of Topola, which is known for growers and exporters of fruits. Svetlana and her husband Dragan have 15 hectares under fruits. She is a famous housewife in the area, she is making around 10 sorts of homemade liqueur, syrups and juices, and the compote and sweets.
- Out of 32 houses in our area, housewives in 25 of them could do the same as me and to have enough room on the market for everybody, in fact, we couldn't keep up with the demand. Sumadija is getting all planted, there are no more places to pick up blackthorn or blackberry, everything has been cleared and processed. We in Topola are famous fruit growers.
- But, we the housewives should join up, because we are not educated enough in that direction, someone should guide us, we should protect the geographic origin. Also, we need the help of the state, to expand the production and to improve it. And just us, alone, housewives, could make a business of big proportions - explains Svetlana Jovanovic.
She says that there are most buyers in Belgrade and Nis, and some of the regular customers order large amounts of juices, sweets, compotes, liqueurs and wines, several times a year. She has buyers from abroad, all the way to Australia. And the foreigners can't get enough of the goods like this from Serbia, Svetlana said.
- Old sweets made from plums, quice, blackberry, figs, are constantly in demand. Small amounts of squeezed fruits could be seen in my liqueurs, and it is clear right away that it no industrial production. Only good old fruits, sugar and wine brandy. Syrups and juices are made without preservatives.
- I stick to the traditional production, I make like my grandma used to make it. They criticise me because I don't have recipes written down, and I don't have them because my measures are one blue pot and a lot of other this and that. Like my grandma used to make it. And that is more on demand - Svetlana said.
If she could sell her products abroad, this woman would show the amount of demand, the potential for this production and how many people can find a job like this.
Svetlana and her husband Dragan grow apples, peaches, plums, apricots, pears, grapes, strawberries, raspberries. They export a good part of it, and the rest of the fruit which is not sold is being processed, which is more profitable, but more demanding. Dragan is making wines from fruit, and he already sold them but also brandies made from plum, quince, apricot, pear, and some wine brandy for Svetlana's liqueurs.
The family has one of the largest households in the area because they have been doing agriculture for four generations, and fruit growing for three. Jovanovic family started doing only fruit growing at the end.
Their son Milos is continuing with their traditions, with his work and innovations in production.
(Telegraf.co.uk / Marija Raca)
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