Mahir Salkanović realizes his business vision in his hometown.
The region of Maglaj used to be far and away famous for the production of prunes, apples and pears. There was no house that didn’t have a dryer with a row of boxes in which fruit was dried for personal use as well as for further sale. The old dryers are no longer there, but that’s why there are young people who want to ensure their existence in the environment where they grew up and were educated. Among them is Maglajlija Mahir Salkanović (25), a graduate in economics, for whom it was never an option to leave Bosnia and Herzegovina in search of a better life somewhere in the west. He decided to use the acquired knowledge and skills to start his own business and decided that it would be fruit and vegetable processing.
Bought a domestically produced dehydrator from incentive funds
As the Municipality of Maglaj annually awards incentives within the Start up project for starting small businesses, Mahir also applied for this project. He created a business plan and was among the five selected for the allocation of funds. At the end of 2023, he signed a contract, and already in March he officially started production in the company he named “Eko-Pak MS”. He placed the production on the ground floor of his late grandfather Salih’s house. “I had the will to have my own story, to stay above all in my city, my country. I thought about what could be new on the market, so I estimated that with the production of healthy food, i.e. the processing of fruits and vegetables, you can’t go wrong because it is in demand and appreciated. I believe that every young person who has an idea for a business should try to put it into practice, start something of their own, so that they don’t go outside to look for a better life, that we stay here and build our country,” Mahir told us at the beginning of the conversation.
As he emphasizes, everything is still in the initial stage, but step by step OB is moving forward. “The business is developing, and my primary activity is drying fruits and vegetables. The offer is primarily apple chips, a very healthy snack, dried without any additives and 100% natural. It is something new in this field and the first of our products. Our products include dried kiwi, as well as dehydrated lemons and oranges, which are primarily intended for decoration of dishes in restaurants, for example for fruit salads. The newest product is a dry raspberry. During the season, we produced several types of juice – mint, a combination of zingy, orange, lemon, lovage juice and raspberry juice. These are 100% natural juices and we only made them to order. This is how they are marketed to interested customers and their shelf life is two to three days, because they are made without any preservatives. We also produced berry jam”.
In negotiations with local fruit growers
The drying process, explains Mahir, is not the same for every fruit. Apple for chips dries from 10 to 12 hours, raspberry a little longer, while a similar time is needed for kiwi, orange and lemon. All dried fruits are first packed in special bags intended for this production, and then in zip bags in which they are marketed to interested customers.
“Technology has advanced and in this area, there are no more old dryers. Specifically, the dehydrator I have can fit 9 to 10 coffins in one phase, and its capacity is 150 to 200 kilograms. The temperature is adjusted depending on the fruit, from 50 to 60 degrees C, and the temperature can be lower if necessary,” explains Salkanović. This summer, everyone claims, fruit has been born, as it has not been for a long time. These days, Mahir is in talks with local orchard owners because he wants to know the origin of the fruit he uses in processing. “When it comes to juices, we have already produced five to seven items, there are also several types of dried fruit, so we are already thinking about a new offer, possibly dried pears and plums. True, plums are quite complicated to dry, so we’ll see. We are planning to dry some types of vegetables, also from local producers, and we will enrich the assortment with new types of juices,” announced our interlocutor. According to Mahir, the prices are quite decent. Thus, 40 grams of apple chips cost 2.50 KM, 50 grams of orange 6 KM, lemon of the same weight is 7.50 KM, kiwi 3.50 KM, 10 grams of dehydrated raspberries is 1.50 KM, and all juices are 3 KM for 0.33 l.
As it is still at the beginning, it markets its products exclusively through social networks, interested parties come forward, and Mahir distributes throughout the entire Magla region. “It is still only retail, and we are in negotiations with local stores. As I am at the beginning, I am satisfied. With this production, I manage to earn a salary for myself and, of course, pay off my obligations to the state. I am trying to improve production, and as time goes on and demand grows, it is certain that this will require the purchase of new equipment, and maybe there will be a need for new workers, who knows?”, said Mahir.
On his journey, his parents Senada and Vahid, as well as his closest relatives, neighbors and friends, were his biggest supporters.
“There are a lot of positive reactions, believe me, which makes me especially happy. They saw that it was something new on the market, and their support is the wind behind me so that this story of mine lasts as long as possible and is successful,” Mahir Salkanović, owner of the company “Eko-Pak MS”, told us.
Written by: Nejra Bradarić
This story was written thanks to the generous support of the American people through the “Local Works” program of the United States Agency for International Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina (USAID). The content of the story is solely the responsibility of the author and the “Network for Building Peace”. The views expressed in the story do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
