Meet 4 Inspirational Startups Who Share the EU4Innovation Boost by jarpin2008

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Meet 4 Inspirational Startups who Share the EU4Innovation Boost PRESS TRIP COVERED BY: Rudina HOXHA & Jose PINTO from TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE www.jphospitality.eu On July 2021, the EU Delegation to Albania launched its new campaign: Europe Is Here! The campaign re-emphasized the fact that EU is already present everywhere in Albania, every day improving the life of Albanians. The European Union gives 100 million Euro to Albania every year to bring Albania closer to the values and standards of the European Union, making it the largest donor in the country. In this context of this campaign, a group of Albanian journalists had an on-site visit in a number of businesses in the North of Albania, supported by the EU Delegation to Albania. During this visit, conducted on November 25, 2021, the media was accompanied by Mr. Hubert Perr, Head of Cooperation at EU Delegation to Albania. The four businesses, visited by the media, represent success stories due to the original ideas they are based on and the sustainable and tangible results they produce for the people contributing to their daily lives. The visit started with Alpine Bees, a family-owned business, whose CEO and Founder, Rinaldo Gjolaj, introduced the visitors to the

premises where the honey and its by-products are produced and processed at a high quality by following the most innovative and traditional methods. “A family and provincial tradition was the first initiator for me to deal with bees and honey, and turn it into a business where I make money. My relatives and family have kept bees for generations, but what pushed me to head into this business was after my dad bought 2 bees in 2016 and got 70 kg of honey,” said Gjolaj. 1

He started Alpine Bees from the scratch, out of his passion. “But now I have more than 120 bee hives,” he said.

licensing procedures to export and increase capacity to respond to the European market,” Gjolaj told to the media.

Alpine Bees includes 2 bee parks, in Malësi e Madhe and in Dukagjin. It produces many types of honey such as multiflower, chestnut, sage or thyme honey. Also Alpine bees is distinguished for producing Royal Jelly and Propolis as products with the most extraordinary health values. Alpine Bees is one of the winners of EU Challenge Fund. “Thanks to the support from the EU Challenge Fund, we are now dealing with the necessary certification and

“We will create an authentic brand in the refinement of products and by-products from the bees of the Albanian Alps. The innovation in our idea stands in including modern technology in monitoring and manufacturing and also inserting inputs to guarantee 100% organic products”, the young entrepreneur said, while he encourages all the Albanian youngsters to transform their dreams and passions into reality to increase their businesses.

Artisans of Vau Dejës “Here mentality rules but with the support of my family, my husband and my two sons, I made it. I helped even the other women to follow my suit,” Zyberaj told to the media. She conducts courses on embroidery, handloom and tailoring. The silk thread is key in her work and that of her employees. They raise silk worms with love and passion. Our trip continued with a stop at Artizanët e Vau Dejës (Artisans of Vau Dejës), a startup based in Vau Dejes, led by Mrs. Meliha Zyberaj. She deals with the production and use of silk as well as with the training of the young girls in mastering this craft.

CONTACT US Artizanët e Vau Dejës Email: qendistari.zyberaj@hotmail.com Tel: +355 (0)68 2804582 Location: Vau Dejës Facebook: Meliha Zyberaj

As showing the premises of her enterprise, Mrs. Zyberaj made us all witnessed the process of silk thread extraction from the silk worm. She is a great example that the women always make it. This is the motto that leads her daily work.

Instagram: Meliha Zyberaj

VISITING SALVIA NORD Start-up supported by GO2

The Farm Salvia Nord is one of the pioneers and promoters of the cultivation of the aromatic medicinal herbs in Malësia e Madhe (North of Albania) thanks to the dedicated work of Mr. Agim Ramaj and his family members who are engaged in this activity. For more than 10 years, he has collected seeds, has experimented and created the hybrid variant by crossing the subspecies of the autochthonous sage of Shkodra, which he called and patented “Salvia Nord”. It is considered as the best in Europe and beyond. “Now this enterprise, consisting of 10 farms specialized in the production of aromatic medicinal plants, exercises its own activity with local cultivars (about 1 ha) and in the cultivation of sage in 7 ha, lavender in 1 ha and seedlings of over 10 species of aromatic plants. Through the cooperation and tireless work of farmers in this area, for more than a decade, from 20 ha, in Malësi e Madhe are cultivat-

ed about 5000 ha aromatic medicinal herbs such as sage, lavender, , rosemary, etc. Since the inception of GO2Innovation, Salvia Nord Farm has had a professional collaboration taking on a range of services. They are trained in the design and creation of various Farm spaces according to the requirements of visitors. They also are trained in offering guides. Farm members have received culinary training, where they have learned to prepare food and beverages with aromatic and medical herbs that they cultivate, which depending on the season, are offered to visitors. Salvia Nord has also been trained and certified with the HACCP certification for food safety. For a more professional provision of these services, the staff has also participated in trainings on service quality and customer relationship.

GO2Innovation has supported the Salvia Nord Farm through marketing consulting, training on social media use and online marketing, as well as a professional photo album and a promotional spot featuring visitors while enjoying a day at the farm. As part of promoting the network of enterprises supported by the Innovation Center, Salvia Nord was also included in the “Secret Shkodra” tour with 12 media journalists from Albania and Kosovo.

Visitors can now enjoy the overall rural landscape of the area, at Farm Salvia Nord, with the fields planted with aromatic and medicinal herbs, between the Albanian Alps on one side, and Lake Shkodra on the other. They can walk through the colorful plots with aromatic and medicinal herbs, can smell the wonderful aromas of these herbs, can touch the flowers and leaves, can drink bio teas out of these plants, can relax near the plots taking extraordinary photos and videos, and can buy products and by-products out of the aromatic and medicinal herbs. #GO2Innovation remains a success story, dating back 7 years ago. The GO2 started its work with the tourism and agrobusiness enterprises in Shkodra, other municipalities of the Region and beyond, when the bike guides towards the rural destinations such as Drishti, Jubani, Shirqi, Baks-Rrjolli, Rrashkullaj and others started. It was thanks to these trips towards these villages, back then unknown as tourist destinations, which encouraged some of the locals to initiate small tourism enterprises. From networking to fundraising and certification, # GO2innovation, supported from the EU for Innovation project, funded by the European Union through the Challenge Fund, continues to provide an increasing number of businesses with the knowhow, psychological support and funding opportunities to create an environment conducive to the development of tourism enterprises and agribusiness in Shkodra Region and beyond.

Mesmerized by Eco Social Farm The Eco-social Farm is a small farm focusing in social impact by creating space for youth and people with low contracting capacities. “It started in 2014 at a snail’s pace but we managed to go through some steps which helped us to turn it into a development project,” Kastriot Faci, the director of the Farm told to the journalists. The idea of the farm came from the need to get the youngsters, the children and the disabled people integrated in the social life of the community and have a place where activities are offered to them in the nature. The Farm, he said, started with a small project from Partners Albania which brought the disabled people together cleaning the area from the plastics. “After that, our wish to continue with other projects as well as the interest of the donors in projects with a social impact besides the economic one increased,” Faci said, adding “We applied for other projects, paid internships, so people came to work daily in our farm. It was a daily job for them.”

The farm numbered 5 employers last May. Of them, 3 persons with low contracting capacities, Martin, one volunteer from Argentina, and Maria, a neigbour from Oblika area, Shkodra. The last two have concluded their work contracts by now. The Farm offers a series of services such as sheltering cyclists. They can sleep one night for free while they have to pay a fee or a donation (varying from 3 to 10 euros) for the following nights. They are mostly bike tourists. “By this experience we would like to learn what the foreign tourists like, so we can prepare ourselves for the future tourism,” Faci says. The Farm has actually 3 persons with low contracting capacities, one of them is Bledar who is a member of the Musical Band. He is supported by a project implemented by Caritas Shkoder and Caritas Mali I Zi (Montenegro) under “Shpresa” (Hope) project. He has a one work contract which expires by the end of January 2023. He 5

“Eco-social Farm” project is supported by EMBRACE project, implemented by Partners Albania for change and development and Project Ahead. EMBRACE project is financed by European Union, European Union delegation in Albania. This project was initially supported on the past by RDP, ACLI - IPSIA, Shkoder Region, Kiwanis Albanian Aid and now is supported by Partners Albania and Norwegian Aid and private funding. The farm is located 7 km away from center of Shkoder municipality. Its location allow people to hike on hills, hike in Tarabosh mountain and enjoy the beautiful and unique natural amphitheater “Ana e Malit”. It close to Rozafa castle, Shkodra Lake, rivers of Buna and Drini, Shega agro - tourism and other touristic attractions of north Albania.

is responsible for the raising of seedlings and the keeping of the area clean. Whereas the two other disabled persons are responsible for various duties at the farm. The Farm is often visited by pupils and students who come to learn more about the social impact and the environmental/natural impact of the Farm. “In the context of the environmental impact of the Farm, we have created three clubs – the first is “Taraboshi Shkoder Club”, created five years ago. I am one of the founders and one of the most regular members of this Club, consisted of people from various professions who like to be in the nature,” Faci explained to the media. The second club is “Taraboshi Junior” and the third is “Taraboshi Youth” which was created two years ago. These clubs aim to organize hiking, biking and other activities in the Farm and the areas around and beyond. “We

aim to change the attitude of people towards the nature. We aim to welcome more tourists with the coming of peak of tourism season, which will be translated into more incomes for the farm in the future,” he said. It was 1999 when Faci had the idea to create the Eco Social Farm following his trips abroad especially in Norway where social enterprises are high in number and in Kosovo after the war. “I was kind of inspired to create a place for the youngsters and the children to entertain themselves. With the support of some small projects and private boost, we have made it until now because the projects are not long term but short term. Normally the budget is limited, a combination of private budgets and donors,” Faci said praising the constant support of the donors, especially that of the EU which has been key to move on.