Producers mull ways to make Serbian brandy "global brand"

BELGRADE Serbia-produced brandy - traditionally made from plums, but also other fruit - has great potential as an export item, brandy makers have said. However, a meeting of the Brandy Manufacturers Group also noted that success abroad will depend on the branding and design associated with the product. Producers mull ways to make Serbian brandy "global brand" Developing the Serbian brandy (rakija) brand will take "a lot of time and money", it was also heard on Thursday in Belgrade. Aleksandar Grbovic, who spoke on behalf of the Pancevo-based OKEJ company, said that this brand should be based on "tradition, quality, and value". But he noted that at present, most brandy producers in Serbia do not have "an adequate business model", and advised that they pick fruit farmers, packaging equipment makers, designers and state institutions as their "key partners". In order to reach foreign markets, brandy producers must work together, form associations, engage in social responsibility campaigns, focus on image and sales, Grbovic said, noting that brandy carried with it a negative image - "which should change". Serbia's resources when it comes to fruit farming are "incredible, but are not put to use", Grbovic remarked, and argued that improved brandy production would also mean more money for farmers, better quality for consumers - and hard currency exports income for the state. Dejan Vukelic of the Comma design studio told the gathering that the German Design Council found in a survey that 81.8 percent of business people believed that design was the key to conquering new markets. A shopper is willing to give each product "three seconds of their time", which speaks to the importance of design, he continued, but stressed that quality still plays the most important role - "because there is no packaging that will succeed in selling a bad product more than once". Brandy Manufacturers Group President Dragan Djuric also spoke at the meeting to say that brandy must be "repositioned in the consciousness" of consumers both at home and abroad. Brands are developed over hundreds of years and take the financial means "that we don't have", he noted, and mentioned Scottish whisky labels as an example. For this reason, Djuric believes that producers and the state must become "inter-dependent". Finally, the meeting announced that preparations for the 4th Festival of Serbian Brandies were under way, and that the event will be organized in Belgrade on October 5 and 6. A display of brandy and other farming products in traditional, rural dishes (file) Beta

Producers mull ways to make Serbian brandy "global brand"

Developing the Serbian brandy (rakija) brand will take "a lot of time and money", it was also heard on Thursday in Belgrade.

Aleksandar Grbović, who spoke on behalf of the Pančevo-based OKEJ company, said that this brand should be based on "tradition, quality, and value".

But he noted that at present, most brandy producers in Serbia do not have "an adequate business model", and advised that they pick fruit farmers, packaging equipment makers, designers and state institutions as their "key partners".

In order to reach foreign markets, brandy producers must work together, form associations, engage in social responsibility campaigns, focus on image and sales, Grbović said, noting that brandy carried with it a negative image - "which should change".

Serbia's resources when it comes to fruit farming are "incredible, but are not put to use", Grbović remarked, and argued that improved brandy production would also mean more money for farmers, better quality for consumers - and hard currency exports income for the state.

Dejan Vukelić of the Comma design studio told the gathering that the German Design Council found in a survey that 81.8 percent of business people believed that design was the key to conquering new markets.

A shopper is willing to give each product "three seconds of their time", which speaks to the importance of design, he continued, but stressed that quality still plays the most important role - "because there is no packaging that will succeed in selling a bad product more than once".

Brandy Manufacturers Group President Dragan Đurić also spoke at the meeting to say that brandy must be "repositioned in the consciousness" of consumers both at home and abroad.

Brands are developed over hundreds of years and take the financial means "that we don't have", he noted, and mentioned Scottish whisky labels as an example. For this reason, Đurić believes that producers and the state must become "inter-dependent".

Finally, the meeting announced that preparations for the 4th Festival of Serbian Brandies were under way, and that the event will be organized in Belgrade on October 5 and 6.