The primary production of SUPERIOR company is vegetable seeds. Mainly seeds of hybrids of tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and cucumbers. The most famous product of the SUPERIOR is the Ivory Pepper seed, which is the company’s ID card. The company further produces Elephant’s Ear tomato and hybrid tomatoes Marathon F1, Hurricane F1, and Casanova F1. Over the last 10 years we have also been producing virus-free blueberry planting material. Dr. Ivo Djinovic noticed that there were no varieties on the market in the late 1980s that suit producers. Through listening tothe producers’ demands, new hybrids emerged. This type of information is still a driver of innovation and improvement of existing products in the SUPERIOR. We are most proud of the quality of our product (recognised in many markets) and of the products’ features that satisfy customers (the shape and taste of the fruit). We visit regularly our customers, from Uzbekistan to BiH, adapting our product to their requirements. We cover the markets in the Balkans – BG, RO, BIH, CG, MK, AL. Also we place our seed in the markets TR, RF, EG, UZ, KZ, GE, UK.
Year of establishment:
1993
Location:
Velika Plana
Founder and owner:
Ivo Djinovic & Nebojsa Djinovic
Business information
| 2021 | 2015 | 2010 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time employees | 52 | 47 | 23 | 7 |
| Turnover (EUR) | 1.7 m | 1.5 m | 963,000 | 494,000 |
| Export (EUR) | 496,000 | 487,000 | 58,100 | 800 |
PRODUCTS/SERVICES
COMPANY DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL STORY
Prof. Djinovic established the SUPERIOR in 1993 and the first product the company launched was tomato Casanova F1. His goal was to use his experience to create better tastier and more resistant vegetable hybrids. In 1996 the seed of the Elephant’s Ear paprika was introduced to the market. It was an instant success and has not ceased to be popular on the domestic and foreign markets since. In 2000 prof. Djinovic’s sons, Goran and Nebojsa, joined the company introducing a new approach to business. As a result the company’s network of subcontractors is expanding, machines for finishing and packaging are being bought, and own production is being launched. The quality of seeds, packaging, storage and access to seeds are SUPERIOR’s priority. A commercial network and a network of sellers were formed, so that the Serbian market gained new dimension. These endeavours were transferred first to Bulgaria and then to Romania, and in concentric circles, cooperation expanded as far as Uzbekistan. Visiting agricultural fairs and B2B meetings organized by PKS, were the company’s ticket to the world of big seed producers, and a small company from Serbia found its place. The next leap in business was the launch of our In Vitro Laboratory, which produces virus-free blueberry planting material. A nursery for the production of seedlings was made. All this had to be supported by bank loans.
CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Over three decades of business SUPERIOR has promoted socially inclusive sustainable economic growth (Goal 8) and decent employment for all. Our company has been expanding its business and the number of staff as it required better and more professional staff and jobs. It is important to say that the company is making efforts and employing a significant number of young people, women, as well as people with disabilities (Goal 8). We have invested in employee training by hiring instructors from companies in our field as well as from the finance industry (Goal 4). We have invested in the production of energy from renewable sources by installing solar panels for water heating and biomass plants, for heating the hall and administrative building (Goal 7). We separate plastic in the form of bottles and cups as well as plastic irrigation hoses and we recycle them. We collect cans that we donate to the children of Karadjordje Elementary School for their activities (Goal 12). The company management includes 4 men and 6 women. 4 women and 2 men are in charge of our sales, while direct production is carried out by as many as 28 women and 8 men. SUPERIOR is a mostly women’s company and we are proud of that (Goal 5). SUPERIOR operates in a province where the outflow of labor and youth is a common occurrence. However in the last 20 years young people have found a foothold there. This trend can be witnessed in thelocal primary school Karadjordje attended by children born in marriages of our workers (Goal 10). We have repaired the network of local field roads and we are promoting agriculture through campaigns where we donate seedlings and seeds, thus turning children toward nature and ecology.
