How passion for health turned into a production zone of blueberries in Kosovo, and a place for people to get seasonal employment.
Kosovo’s Favorable Conditions for Growing Blueberries
Kosovo is known for its agricultural industry due to the great climate conditions which result to the qualitative production of fruits and vegetables. Despite the favorable agricultural cultivation conditions that Kosovo is exposed to, it also has plenty of land where such operations can develop. Growing blueberries in Kosovo has caught the attention of more than 20 cultivators around the country. The warm summers have given Kosovo the upper hand over the European countries in early harvesting of blueberries, thus making the cultivation of blueberries in Kosovo even more attractive with potential to financial opportunities.
Galaberry Farm Producing Blueberries in Kosovo
Passion for health was the main drive for ‘Galaberry’ farm which became part of the agricultural wonders in Kosovo a few years back. Galaberry developed a plantation of growing blueberries in Kosovo in the beautiful mountains of Artana which is located in Prishtina district of Kosovo. What makes this place stand out is that there are no heavy industries in this area, thus avoiding the release of toxic gases into the air which could damage the growing process of blueberries. Our blueberries plantation and cultivation process is 100% natural and we use the best fertilizer for blueberries to make sure that the blueberries have a healthy growth. We also don’t use any chemicals to jeopardize the growing progress of our blueberries. Currently we cultivate two types of blueberries one of each is ‘duke’ which is the top favorite among the American society.
Operating for more than three years in the production of blueberries in Kosovo we are very happy with the outcomes. Our hard work and effort pays off, and every mid-summer when we harvest our blueberries, they look well and taste delicious which is what we look forward to every year. The health benefits of the blueberry super fruit overcome every struggle we face along the process, and every investment we need to undergo in order to maintain the high quality, and keep up and running the great performance of our farm. Until now we had success distributing our blueberries locally to individuals, and different market supply chains. However, we are looking for opportunities to expand also into exporting our blueberries to the international market, and find a distribution route to Europe.
Distribution Opportunities for Blueberries in Kosovo
Due to differences in climate conditions between Kosovo and the European countries which operate in production of blueberries the harvesting of blueberries in Kosovo is done one month earlier. This gives the market of blueberries in Kosovo an advantage in sales opportunities in the European market. While we as Galaberry currently sell locally, a few of the blueberry production zones around the country are exporting their blueberries to Europe. Netherlands has shown interest in the production zone of blueberries in Kosovo, since they resell them to other countries in Europe.
Employment Opportunities in Production of Blueberries in Kosovo
Despite the dripping sweat of the hard work, the love of the end product when the blueberries are ready to harvest, and the delicious taste which extends beyond human and ends up in dogs eating blueberries, with the development of our farm we are happy to open new job positions for the summer season. Knowing that the unemployment rate in Kosovo is high we love to see people working with joy during the harvesting period of our blueberries. Additionally, the village where our farm is located is a rural area and some of the people who live there are totally unemployed and get some small social help from the state. We love to see their excitement and smiley faces whenever we invite them to work. While we pay them a fixed daily wage they also earn extra money per kilogram collected, so they can end up with a doubled average wage that people earn working in the country of Kosovo.
The Blues that Make you Feel Good
Galaberry