Thanks to innovative packaging technology, "House of Nature" from Sarajevo is the only one in the region that produces preservative-free juices in PET packaging. The purchase of part of the equipment for this type of production was assisted by the C2C fund with a grant of 53.780,43 BAM, while the total value of the project was 166.245,55 BAM.

“HOT FILL PET packaging enables pasteurization of juice at high temperatures, just like glass packaging. We have been processing fruits and vegetables for 10 years and we make squeezed juices which we pack in glass bottles, and now in a special type of PET packaging. If it were not for the support of the C2C fund, we would certainly still be waiting for the realization of this project, because we would not be able to realize such an investment from our funds. The support is even more important if we keep in mind that it was provided to us during the pandemic, which had a bad effect on the business of all economic entities in BiH. If you had not helped us and recognized us as a partner, I am sure that someone in the region would have started working on this project and now we would get these products from imports, which is disastrous for the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina," said Ahmet Sejdic, company director.

However, Corona disrupted the plans to a certain extent because it appeared just at the time when a stronger promotional campaign was about to start.

"The pandemic has prevented a direct presentation and tasting in order for potential customers to get acquainted with our products. Unfortunately, this is not fully possible even today. In our case, digital marketing is not enough, but we are still satisfied because the demand is growing, slower than expected, but it is still growing ", adds Sejdić.

Before the pandemic, the company had more exports, mainly to Switzerland, Qatar, Serbia and Croatia, but it all stopped because of the lockdown measures that those countries introduced. Only exports to Croatia, which is on the rise, were not interrupted. The company currently employs 8 workers and despite the pandemic, they have not reduced the number of employees. The plan is to increase the volume of work, new investments in equipment and capacity expansion, as well as additional employment.

"If the pandemic does not further disrupt us, we intend to hire one or two more workers by the end of the year. With the expansion of production, the need for raw materials increases, so the number of subcontractors is increasing, which is an additional benefit for the whole community", says Sejdić.