November 29 (SeeNews) - Swiss-controlled Bosnian food processing company Vitaminka is to launch exports to the European Union now that it has obtained the required quality certificates, Bosnian media reported on Thursday.
With the acquisition of the ISO 9001:2000 and HASAP certificate, Vitaminka has got the opportunity to launch exports to the EU, daily newspaper Dnevni Avaz quoted Vitaminka’s director, Zarko Mikic, as saying.
He added Vitaminka’s products had previously been on foreign markets, in small retail shops owned by Bosnians abroad, but from now on they could be offered in big retail chains. Mikic also said Vitaminka was currently introducing the ISO 14000 ecological standard.
Company officials were unavailable for comment on Thursday.
Vitaminka produces canned fruits and vegetables and fruit juices. It is based in Banja Luka, the administrative centre of the Serb Republic, which together with the Muslim-Croat Federation forms war-divided Bosnia.
Vitaminka had a net profit of 13,552 marka ($10,200/6,900 euro) for the first half of 2007, down from 16,386 marka in the same period last year. Its assets were worth 78.6 million marka at the end of September, up from 74.1 million marka at the end of 2006.
The company has said it plans to raise sales by 30% to 22,000 tonnes this year.
Swiss Kreis-Industriehandel AG owns 76.64% of Vitaminka. The remaining shares are owned by state pension funds (6.58%), restitution funds (3.28%), private investment funds and individuals.
(1 euro = 1.95583 Bosnian marka)