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Family business with wine made from blackberries. How they developed the berry plantation spread over five hectares

A family from the town of Ţicleni in Gorje produces a unique wine in Romania, made from blackberries. The Burtea family owns a blackberry and raspberry plantation, which covers five hectares. The soul of the business is Ionel Burtea, aged 21, a student at the Academy of Economic Sciences in Bucharest.

The business idea took shape in 2015, when an area of one hectare was planted with blackberries and raspberries, which have now reached maturity. The decision to cultivate these plants was taken by the whole family, after it was found that most of the forest fruits on the market in Romania are imported.   The business began to bear fruit even after the first year, when the production reached two tons. Blackberries and raspberries ended up being sold in a hypermarket in Gorj. This year, the Burtea family aims for the fruits to exceed the borders of the county. "We cultivated a hectare cultivated with blackberries and raspberries that were procured from the Pitesti-Mărăcineni Research - Development Institute for Pomicultură. We try to work without any treatment because they can adapt to the harsh conditions. The investment for one hectare came to approximately 20,000 euros. We noticed that there is a niche in the field of berries, because the market is poorly developed in Romania, which imports 70-80% of berries forest. We wanted to go to the blackberry and raspberry side because there are very small plantations in Romania. The whole family decided to go to the blackberry and raspberry side," says Ionel Burtea.    All earnings were reinvested Last year, all earnings were reinvested in the expansion of the plantation. Thus, currently, the area cultivated with blackberries and raspberries covers five hectares. "We ended up taking out 15,000 cuttings, which were planted on a four-hectare plot of land", explains Marian Burtea, Ionel's father, who specialized in the cultivation of forest fruits.    Ionel has big plans and wants to become the largest blackberry producer in Romania. He also set up a stage at the end of the plantation for holding events, and in the future he wants to establish an agro-pension.    Contract with an important retailer Last year, the Burtea family managed to conclude a contract with a large retailer, so that the blackberries from the Ţicleni plantation reached the shelves of a hypermarket in Târgu Jiu. The production achieved in 2016 was approximately two tons.

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