Blueberries from Serbia are enjoying increasing popularity, says a berry exporter. Last season was successful for them, and the challenges that Covid provided forced them to improve their operation. The company now wants to launch a zero-residue project.
Dejan Stajić, owner and founder of Serbian berry exporter Berry4U, states they had a successful blueberry season last year: “We were very satisfied about the previous blueberry season. We put a lot of effort to make the last season more than successful. All situations about Covid-19 made us stronger, because we had to work harder, put more effort to find harvest workers, transportation workers and had a lot more paperwork to deal with. We learned a lot and continued fighting for the best results. Demand for Serbian blueberries is above our expectations. Our quality and time of harvest are putting Serbian blueberries at the top of the list.”
The markets that Berry4U exported their blueberries to have expanded over the last year, Stajić says. “Last year our blueberries found their way to Dubai via Germany, the Netherlands, England and Austria. We are now working hard to ensure our product is marketed in France and Scandinavia. I firmly believe we will succeed in these markets as well.”
The next step for Berry4U is to provide a product that is free of pesticide residues. “In our development strategy and trend monitoring through innovation, we plan to launch a zero-residue project, where we would certify a certain part of the plantation ‘zero residue’, so without pesticide residues. It is an increasingly popular type of production and the demand for products that are free of pesticide residues, and thus guaranteeing health safety, is higher.”
Stajić has a positive outlook on the future of Serbian berries in general, based on his experience with their foreign partners: “We have high expectations for our fruits. Not only for the blueberries, but for all of the berry fruits we grow and sell worldwide. We achieved the best quality for our products thanks to a lot of dedication and hard work. Serbia is a country with a lot of fertile, quality land. It turned out that blueberries, like other berry fruits, thrive on our soil and we see our potential there. The demand for blueberries from Serbia is growing every year, as our foreign associates know by now that our brand stands for quality.”
28/04/2022
