Albanian exports and innovation in agroprocessing: “Alegria” success story in Made in Albania
Many of the Albanian products "Made in Albania" have increased tenfold in recent years, thanks to the development of local companies that have become national pride, as a result of family dedication, but also government support schemes for entrepreneurship, agriculture and agro-processing.
This combination of private initiative with supportive policies has produced concrete success stories in the Albanian economy, one of which is the dried fruit production company "Alegria" in Gjirokastra.
Prime Minister Rama, who visited Gjirokastra today, was at the "Alegria" company, where he was closely acquainted with the latest investments, new technology and traditional agro-processed products that are now exported to international markets such as the USA, Canada, England and Belgium.
Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro, who accompanied the Prime Minister on this visit, praised the company's transformation as an inspiring success story:
"This company is called "Alegria" and what you see here is actually the newest construction. It started with a very small thing and today it has conquered the market with traditional products that they agro-process and with dried fruits which, with the new technologies they have introduced, have also made all the Albanian hotel equipment with small packages that are very much in demand today. Tourism on the one hand created a new opportunity for the boys to invest and expand their offer so they also make new technological purchases and innovation. I am also very glad that just a year ago this was not the case when we were together here but you know the story better." - explained Kumbaro.
For his part, the company owner emphasized that the rapid growth of recent years would not have been possible without institutional support and strategic investments:
"Thanks to your support, it was really possible for us to raise it because normally the steps we are taking these last three years for us as a company were very big and we needed to expand. We brought two innovations within the last three years. A unique packaging format that is not in the regional market called "canpet" that we pack dried fruits in plastic pots with easy open and we are the only region in the entire Balkans, this type of packaging format does not exist And finally, last year we made an investment in a caramelized popcorn production line that is still for the Albanian market, no one has it. We have started its production six months ago and the expectations from the market are very good but the base is always here, in traditional products. We produce jufka, we produce petka, we produce rroshnicat, we produce trahana. That over there is a fully automatic popcorn production line, which we produce while here we have a semi-automatic packaging line in canpets. This "It's the hazelnut of the country, it's from Gjirokastra, from the villages opposite. This is from our farmers," explained the company manager regarding some products.
The company counts over 4,000 clients across the country and is widely present in the hospitality sector, while its products – including local hazelnuts and traditional fig bread – are increasingly gaining ground in international markets.
The success of “Alegria” is clear evidence of how tradition, innovation and proper support can combine to create competitive products in the global market, turning “Made in Albania” into an increasingly sought-after and trusted brand.
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