Entrepreneur Dorina Baciu started an artisanal cheese business together with her husband and now the Baciu family’s cheeses are popular in national restaurants and wineries. The woman said that in order to make their products known, the entrepreneurs must take part in fairs and exhibitions. Dorina Baciu’s success story was presented in a public debate centering on the EU4Business Initiative.

Dorina Baciu noted that the idea of starting a cheese making business appeared when she was working in Italy. When back home, the Baciu family set up a mini-artisanal cheese factory in Sadaclia village of Basarabeasca district. Given the ban on the export of dairy products to the European Union, their cheese is destined for the domestic market.

“This is a type of artisanal business that does is not even regulated by the legislation. We are a very small factory. We do not produce industrially, but we produce 90% manually. We do not deliver cheese to supermarkets. We work with restaurants and wineries. We participate in various fairs, exhibitions. We have many customers in Romania and other countries. But we don’t send them cheese. They buy it when they come to Moldova and find us at fairs. Everyone is impressed by our products as the maturity of our cheeses is of 30 days to 50 months. Everything is natural. We work more with the hospitality industry and wineries because this is not a product that is consumed every day. It is an exclusive, high-quality product,” said Dorina Baciu.

The entrepreneur noted that promoting a high-quality product is the best way to increase sales, and participation in fairs and exhibitions is essential in this regard.

“During the first two years, we took part in all the fairs. We offered gifts, gave cheese to friends for free so that we could become known. I think that for an entrepreneur this is important. When you come with a new product in the market, you must not be afraid to promote your product. The world needs to know the product in order to consume it. I know it’s stressful, but otherwise it can’t be done,” related Dorina Baciu.

The Baciu family’s business in Sadaclia is part of the OviCaprin Cimișlia -Basarabeasca cluster. The cluster was launched with the support of foreign partners and aims to develop the livestock sector through training and exchange of experience.

“The OviCaprin Cimișlia -Basarabeasca Livestock Cluster is a project designed with the support of UNDP and Switzerland, whose priority is to develop the livestock sector. I was elected co-president and I share all my experience in the field of milk processing. A series of businesses joined forces. Dairy products cannot be exported to the European Union. There is still a long way to go. That’s why we divided our roles. Some deal with the raw material, others with sheep breeding, waste collection. This cluster is extremely welcome because it forms and develops us. We staged various visits, training seminars. I saw such an association in Italy as well,” explained entrepreneur Dorina Baciu.

The public debate entitled “EU4Business Initiative, contributions to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Republic of Moldova” was the eighth installment of the project “Benefits of the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the EU for people, community and country”. The project is supported by Soros Foundation Moldova.