By Stasha Igrutinovic
Nestled among lush green hillsides and rocky gorges, where the dramatic landscape plunges down towards a narrow stretch of the Adriatic, small pockets of family-owned agricultural holdings dot the farmland of Montenegro. The newest addition to the country’s agricultural scene is Naše Voće – Montenegrin for ‘our fruit’ – a sprawling 44-hectar apple orchard lined with 125,000 saplings lying 800m above sea level, nestled amidst the country’s green heartland of Župa Nikšićka.
This growing agribusiness is the latest venture of brothers Miloš and Milan Golubović, owners of Veletex Group, which has operated for the past 30 years across additional sectors including horticulture, hotels and food distribution.
In just five years, Veletex Group transformed the ailing orchard business into Montenegro’s largest apple producer.
Alongside deploying the latest farming techniques, the group’s drive towards productivity and competitiveness has received backing from the EBRD and the European Union (EU) to further strengthen his homegrown brand.
Believing in agriculture
In 2017, the two brothers acquired a near‑bankrupt farming cooperative.
“People thought we were crazy back then,” Miloš recalls. “In our area, agriculture is mostly seen as a means of survival, not a viable business opportunity. We wanted to change its perception.”
Montenegro’s favourable climate might suggest a more prominent role for agriculture, yet the country remains a net importer of food, as Miloš reminds us.
“We’re a small country,” he says. “We simply do not have the land area to compete with larger markets. But that shouldn’t prevent local agribusinesses from investing, innovating and competing with international imports to meet domestic demand.”
