Albanian Filigree Atelier (Albania) start-up is to establish a successful social enterprise for the production of products with filigree, which will support local economic development of Melgushe rural areas, by increasing skills and employment opportunities of young women and girls that are unemployed and with no proper education, but are willing to work on handcraft filigree products. At the same time, we want to reserve and transmit this tradition with innovative techniques, models and products.
Rinora Handmade (Albania) is a start-up launching two different kind of products, handmade soaps and natural luffa sponges. Being located in a village blessed with soil, water and climate and producing olive oil and aromatic plants, we are getting these raw materials and creating added value products. Our products will be launched in supermarkets and pharmacies firstly in Tirana and then all over Albania. Having products that are unique and of daily use we are expecting to have sales at 300 products / day by the end of the first year. By being a production business and having access to local sourced ingredients, also producing luffa sponges ourselves in our farm, we have more control in cost structure and as a result our profit margins are higher.
Kroi i Mjaltit (Albania) is a highly required natural product. The product is tested and can be returned. Free distribution throughout Albania. Products can be ordered online. We offer beekeeping tourist activity.
Alermed DOO (Bosnia & Herzegovina) aims to improve health through certified Allersan products for people with allergies and eczema. Also, these products are recommended for healthy sleep in general. Alermed doo has just started online sales and so far we have sold 25 products with the margin of 47%. Target market at this phase is the Adriatic region and the market size is EUR 11 mil when it is about end users. Also, there is a huge potential to sell to hotels (B2C). There is 200,000 acommodation units in the region that Alermed can serve with its products offering them allergy free rooms certificate. Alermed doo hire hard to employ categories of women over 45. Planning to hire up to 5 workers in the second year. Alermed cooperate with domestic suppliers of recycled package material.
Hot House DOO (Bosnia & Herzegovina) involves the Production of high quality heating pellets from cardboard and paper waste. Paper pellet is new product on the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is used for heating in households, farms, artisans and industry. It has big market potential. People had installed pellet stoves and then price boom happened. After this, people are looking for cheaper or alternative pellets.
Solar Powered Bench Digital (Bosnia & Herzegovina) Signage Sarajevo is a company based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, present in the market with it‘s brands Bizon.media and Benchvertising.com. Bench digital signage through web platform Benchvertising.com helps vendors (key partners) communicate to citizens directly and in time.
Green School Days (Greece) is an educational “hands on” program that addressed to children, parents and teachers, it lasts 3 months and includes 15 open and closed activities at the school and the wider neighborhood. The program is under the aegis of the Municipality of Thessaloniki which provides us with material and technical equipment, technical support and communication services. We have also secured our cooperation with six agencies (communication sponsor, nursery, private companies and initiatives), which embrace our vision.
Mediterranean Cleanup (Greece) project aspires to implement a wide-scale cleanup of marine plastic in the Mediterranean Sea ecosystem by utilizing a network of fishermen and integrate the collected waste into the circular economy. The project aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 4,8,12,13 and 14.
Barn Owl Project (Greece) objective is to increase and stabilize the population of emblematic nocturnal raptor Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in the agroecosystems of central Greece in selected heavily affected rodent-pest areas, through the optimum spatial positioning of artificial nest boxes: Control through Barn owl predation the pest-rodents population explosions that destroy crops, create a huge economic problem, and carry zoo-pathogens dangerous for human health. Create added-value agricultural products through the decrease in application of toxic rodenticides which lead to secondary poisoning and biodiversity loss, which will be substituted by Barn owl predation. Create agricultural rodenticide-free zones with natural rodent pest-control.
Green Bike Delivery and Rental Service (Kosovo) aims to establish first delivery service and to help the local entrepreneurs to sell their products to the costumers who will get the products they need in their home. During Covid-19 pandemic local farmers and local producers faced a lot of problems to sell their products. In current situation green markets were closed, restaurants too, and there is no delivery service that people can use in Gracanica and surrounded area. For delivery we are planning to use only bicycles, or electro bicycles for bigger distance or hilly areas which we can’t reach by normal bike. Our idea will be also sustainable after the crisis with Covid-19. In this moment, our deliverers will be adequately protected and equipped for current situation. Our service is important for the clients because they can get all the products they need for the same price as if they would go to the store. For the beginning our target group are inhabitants of Gracanica, but we are planning to cover more different areas in Kosovo.
Mountains a sustainable source (Kosovo) project will enable the collection of truffle mushrooms and add value to them by turning the mushrooms into food souvenirs from Kosovo. The project will not have a large turnover however the whole turnover will go to local communities making it a sustainable business. The truffles other than being collected they will be processed and sold as touristic souvenirs. However if the collection of the truffles will be larger than this market, they can be sold to local companies for export. This solves the issue of market which is the main one in any production. The project also has a very low operation cost enabling the business to be resilient and be able to overtake any crises. The project has also the possibility to be multi-plicated.
F3D / Fight or Flight (Kosovo) with the 3D printed collection, the brand aims the international market by attracting investors or companies that intend to develop such products for sale. This will create new collaboration opportunities, enabling generation of incomes for the ongoing line of products. The innovative fashion market is in the development stage and is expected to grow over the next decade, where the demand for digitally developed products as well as sustainable products according to technological alternatives will be increasing. Thus, Kosovo can be positioned in the global mark using local staff and providing opportunities to practice artistic, design and technological skills i this field.
Korijen center for environmental education and publishing (Montenegro) is a platform for creating and publishing approachable, applicable and understandable environmental content online and in-person, in the form of books, lectures, courses and mentorship/work 1on1. Topics addressed are: Creating a sustainable lifestyle; Greening one’s business practices; Making environmental activism more effective. “Korijen” was created as a mediator between the imperative of holistic change towards sustainable living and the people from this language area (former Yugoslav region for now, with plans to have the content translated into Albanian language in the future). “ Korijen ” is the only eco education source in this language area that offers: Environmental books for the wider audience; Sustainability related lessons both online and in person, for greening one’s life both during and after work hours; Advice for laypeople, tailored for the culture and relevant topics in this part of the world; Promotion of “ecopreneurship” and sustainable self employment.
Happy Paws (Montenegro) involves launching commercial services based on the green economy, creating products from recycled materials, in order to finance activities for the care and treatment of abandoned and sick animals. The product that is created is a pet bed. It is a functional, customizable, authentic product made of recyclable materials. So far, the market has been researched, the necessary human resources have been provided, a promotion plan has been made and sales channels have been defined. In its work so far, HAPPY PAWS has achieved cooperation with five pet shops through other projects: Family pet, Tropico zoo, Pasiji pas, Pet shop paw, Pet zona. As well as veterinary clinics Mont vet and Royal vet. On the market you can find various cribs for dogs made at the factory and their price ranges from € 30 so on. Higher quality products from renowned manufacturers reach a price of over €100 per piece. Pet owners have been identified as the target market. Considering the activities through the NGO sector and cooperation with other NGOs with the same goals, members of the organization have direct contact with over 1000 dog owners.
Protection of the phenomenon of shieling in North Macedonia and promotion of traditional Maleshevo specialties (North Macedonia) endeavors aims to promote the tradition of the Maleshevo Region in North Macedonia through offering accommodation in 150 old years shieling-hut and guiding tours in the area of Tornichevac ( the place with the highest concentration of oxygen in North Macedonia) and unique gastro-opportunity for enjoying eco food prepared by the local people. The green concept envisions accommodation facilities in the untouched nature of the Maleshevo Mountains, in a traditional 150 years old shieling-hut, equipped with solar panels, water, and internet. The “shieling journey” will offer to the guests a walking and hiking tour from Berovo or Berovo Lake in the untouched nature and forest, up to the shieling –hut of Tornichevec, where they can enjoy the traditional cheese and “bulamach” and even they can attend the process of preparation of eco-food. In recent years, new and undiscovered places for rest and relaxation became a popular leisure interest for a lot of “nature lovers”, but also the demand for healthy food is growing, which makes the potential of the market very high. Our main target groups are millennials, people from 20 to 45 years old, hikers, families, people who want eco food, and traditional Macedonian products, diaspora, and expats. The eco food stores and supermarkets will be used as sales channels and the promotion will be done through travel blogs, social media, food fairs, referrals, booking websites, etc.
Friends of the Bees (North Macedonia) main objective is to promote and produce unique high quality and healthy bee products obtained by applying sustainable practices that have positive influence to the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources in the country, as a substitute for the common use of chemical treatments. The main economic concept of this green business idea is a production of natural honey under the brand HONEY EAST, which is high quality and safe product, obtained with special care for the health of the bee families through the application of biotechnical methods, which methods promote the non-use of chemicals. The association initially tested the sustainably produced honey, and small quantities of the product were sold at local markets and through direct sales, an informal channel, and rural tourist facilities. In addition, the association is working on the preparation of a certification mark that will further ensure the consumers sustainable way of honey production, which will contribute to a better market position of the “HONEY EAST”. There is a lot of mistrust at the honey market about the quality and origin of honey, to that end, the market potential for our products is big, as the trend of consumption of healthy and safe products is constantly increasing.
WISE Additive (North Macedonia) entails the development of innovative technological processes in the food and beverage industry that will bring added value to customers and have positive environmental impact. Specifically, through the proposed business idea - optimization of the initial product of multifunctional grape pomace additive and overcoming obstacles needed to reach commercialization phase. The proposed idea is about the development and sales of a multifunctional grape pomace additive, which will be produced by using the circular economy model. This process focuses on the extraction of three characteristics from grape pomace at the same time, with the final result being development of multifunctional additive that will have the role of antioxidants, dietary fiber, and natural food coloring ingredient. At the moment, food manufacturers use three different additives in order to incorporate these characteristics in their final product, while the WISE additive will represent a single product with three functionalities. The company is currently in pre-commercialization phase, being tested in operational environment. To enter the market successfully, the company will use the B2B strategy by targeting food manufacturers from confectionary, dairy, and bakery industries. WISE expects to obtain €36,000, by satisfying the current three potential customers that provided LOIs.
"Cyclo-garage" (Ciklo-garaža) - Mountain biking association "BicikLO" (Serbia) will be engaged in the creation of uniquely colored "single speed" bicycles, under the brand "Lucky Wolf Cycles", created from repaired old frames of road bicycles. These activities are accompanied by bicycle service and painting at the request of the user. Our wish is to increase the use of bicycles as an everyday form of transportation in urban areas through our activities. The activities of the association MBA "BicikLO" will follow these activities in terms of active promotion of bicycles as a daily mode of transport (promotional texts, shares of lighting distribution to cyclists, etc.)
Scented stars (Star Center) (Serbia) are an ecological product made by young people without parental care in order to provide themselves with adequate support in the process of independence and to draw the attention of the social community to their position. Fragrant stars are wooden forms soaked in essential oils, which will serve to freshen the air in the vehicle (or room)
City&Me (Just Start DOO Nis) (Serbia) main objective is to encourage activism and active participation of the citizens in the community through an intuitive mobile application. City&Me will enable citizens to communicate and participate in decision-making at the level of the local community, as well as encourage their activities in the field of recycling, cycling, and voting for local initiatives through rewards for activities that they carry out through the application.
