Albanian food processor makes first exports to U.S.

TIRANA, June 6 – Sejega is one of Albania’s leading fruit and vegetable processors offering a selection of more than 50 products. It is best known in Albania for its fruit compote and jams, particularly the cherry “qershi” compote and fig “fiq” jam, as well as for an assortment of pickled vegetables and marinated roasted peppers used in traditional Albanian side dishes. In 2010, USAID helped send Sejega to the Fancy Food Show in New York where the company met a number of potential buyers. Upon returning to Albania, Sejega exported its first container of fig jam, roasted peppers, and vegetable spread with farmers’ cheese “f쳧es뢠to a U.S.-based fine foods import company, Fast-Pack Trading, Inc. “A few years ago it was hard to believe that we would be able to reach the US market, but thanks to USAID’s support, our business with the US-based companies is growing slowly but steadily,” explained Sejega’s owner, Mr. Genci Mita. “USAID opened our eyes and made us to see the world much more differently than we had imagined. I was lucky to utilize the fantastic resources of the USAID’s assistance at exactly the right moment.” The company has set its sights high, aiming to not only expand its already considerable domestic market share, but also to carve out a market internationally. To reach this goal, the company sought USAID’s support to meet international quality standards, improve marketing and sales strategies, and ensure that personnel are highly trained. “Our main objective is to teach agribusinesses that want to be competitive in the global marketplace, like Sejega, the importance of increasing productivity and ensuring high quality, all while finding ways to lower costs,” said David Anderson, the Director of USAID’s Albania Agriculture Competitiveness program.”The project has demonstrated that by following good agricultural/manufacturing practices, Albanian companies can increase sales and develop long-term, sustainable trade relationships abroad.” USAID’s agriculture program also provided technical assistance to Sejega’s network of farmers to help them identify the best product varieties for processing, growing techniques, and support better handling of fresh fruits and vegetables during the harvest and post-harvest periods. “Albanian food processing companies, such as Sejega, Sidney, Amarildo, and many others, are growing and improving on a daily basis,” explained Anderson. “More and more they perceive the need to work together נparticularly with the farmers their products rely on — and only through fair competition and a lot of efforts towards meeting the needs of their customers will they become real competitors in the market.” Since 2007, USAID project assistance has resulted in $12.9 million of sales for project clients, of which 37 percent of sales are directed to export.