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Kupujmo Goriško (‘Let us Buy Produced in Goriška’)

let us buy from goriska.jpg

Name / Title

“Let us Buy Produced in Goriška” (Kupujmo Goriško)

Case Study Region

Goriška (SI)


Geographical coverage

 

Upper Primorska Region (municipalities: Nova Gorica, Šempeter-Vrtojba, Renče-Vogrsko, Miren-Kostanjevica, Brda, Kanal) and Vipavska Valley

Type

Business; project; partnership

 

Main activity / focus

 

Informing local population and entrepreneurs, producing, marketing, storing, labelling, purchasing and selling seasonally and locally produced foods (vegetable, fruit, dairy product etc.). Complete network of business-purchase-logistic centres for local food products.

Target beneficiaries / market

The area of Goriška region, other parts of Western Slovenia, towards Ljubljana (national capital).

 

Year established

 

Spring 2010-2012

At the beginning of January 2011 the initiative is at the initial stage (i. e. in November 2011 the project was presented to the public via extremely successful workshop.

 

Current Funding source(s)

LEADER Initiative, LAG for promotion of local products (60.000 €). Afterwards, the repurchase centres (0,5 million € in total) will be set-up from EU financial means for Development of regions and private investors (up to 15 %).


Participants

– RDA of Northern Primorska,
– ERA from Velenje (wholesale merchant, already present in Goodcenter in Ajdovščina),
– LAG,
– individual private investors (already 3-4 bigger individual entrepreneurs),
– micro local firms in food-processing,
– farms with registered supplementary activity on farm,
– experts (Agriculture Advisory Service in Nova Gorica),
– Society of Olive Growers from Goriška Brda,
– Tourist Association of Nova Gorica,
– heterogeneous groups of individuals and NGOs (at initial workshop),
– also supported by all municipalities involved,
– the initiative is to be supported by Regional council (February 2011).

Website

http://www.rra-sp.si (the topic is under construction)

 

Description

 

This initiative was set-up in spring 2010 under the influence of successful similar initiative (alternative food networks, AFN) at Pomurska region (“Diši po Pomurju” /“It smells like Pomurje”). The background consists of several important reasons:

  1. the area has a strong tradition in fruit and vegetable production (peach, pear, cherry, apples, apricots, salad, chicory, olives, mushrooms, herbs etc.) and other foods as well (juice, vinegar, sweets, appetisers, cheese, honey) being strongly endangered by international fruit and vegetable import – especially from nearby Italy;
  2. there are excellent physical geography conditions for fruit and vegetable production in the area (sub-Mediterranean climate, fertile flysch soil, flat area) as well as human geography characteristics (tradition, skills, recognizable trade marks, food-processing industry, market – Slovenian and Italian, basic infrastructure for storage);
  3. Sloveniahas reached the lowest self-sustained food-security stage (less than 40 %),
  4. raising consciousness that consuming local and seasonal food has many positive impacts on health, lower transportation cost, less climate impacts, impulse for local economy, local identity,
  5. individual initiative and wish to upgrade (overcome) the nowadays prevailing image of the region (“as just a wine-growing region”);
  6. modest opportunities for small producers to enter big market food chains (amount of product, marketing system, logistics, price);
  7. non-existing and non-functioning organized system of repurchase;
  8. huge potentials (also in horticulture, deco plants, herbs, dairy products);
  9. positive image of the region and recognizable trade marks.

A small and active group of local producers and food-processors will provide static and mobile purchase network focusing solely on huge variety of locally produced foods that should be stored (if necessary for short period of time) and sold via recognizable trade mark to predominately local population.

This quite familiar and frequently used initiative in rural areas could be a good practice example.  

 

Contact details

 

Ms. Sanja Filipovska: sanja.filipovska@rra-sp.si

Mr. Črtomir Špacapan: crtomir.spacapan@rra-sp.si

RRA Severne Primorske, Mednarodni mejni prehod 6, Vrtojba, 5290 Šempeter pri Gorici, SI-Slovenija