EU4AGRI shares the story from SrpskaInfo about the Rakić family from Bijeljina.

What came first: the chicken or the egg? If you ask the Rakić family from Batković near Bijeljina, it all started with a small agricultural pharmacy and a general store. And now, they have both chickens and eggs—hundreds of thousands of them.

It all began back in 1995 when Radinka and Savo Rakić—she an agronomy engineer, he an economics graduate—opened the shop and pharmacy in their village.

Today, their family business, run together with their son Jovan and daughter Dragana, operates a farm with 300,000 laying hens, producing 200,000 eggs daily, along with animal feed production supported by five silos with an 8,000-ton capacity, and even a homemade pasta production line. Of course, this success didn’t happen overnight—very few family businesses have achieved such growth in less than 30 years. So, what’s their secret? The answer is complex but can be summed up in a few key words: dedication, knowledge, planning, initiative… and projects.

Just in 2023, the Rakić family successfully participated in three EU4AGRI and EU4Business projects. And their engagement in various European, international, and domestic projects started long before and continues today.

Over the past eight years, they have received support worth 1.3 million BAM from the EU and other funding sources through various projects.

But, as young economist Jovan Rakić, deputy director of “Rakić d.o.o.,” emphasizes, it’s not just about the money:

“These projects push us to plan responsibly—to make promises first to ourselves and then to our supporters—that we will expand and improve our production. But we also have to think about how we will sell what we produce. The key is to invest in healthy businesses so that, with the help of projects, they can accelerate their development.”

Of course, that’s easier said than done. A company needs to strategize, draft strong project proposals, meet strict requirements, compete with tough competition, and then successfully implement everything.

“People often misunderstand the process, thinking it’s just about getting money to buy something for themselves. It doesn’t work like that. You have to consider the goal of the endeavor and ensure that not only your business but also the broader community benefits from the project,” Jovan explains.

His sister and colleague, Dragana Rakić Ristić, recalls that the beginning was anything but easy. Their journey in international projects hit a stumbling block at the very first step. But they didn’t give up.

“In 2016, we applied for the ‘Farma1’ project and didn’t make it. But instead of discouraging us, it made us determined to learn from our mistakes. We decided to take training in project writing, and in the end, we succeeded. When our first EU-funded project was approved, we were overjoyed,” says Dragana.

To be fair, even that first failed attempt wasn’t a total loss—they made it to the final round, competing against applicants from across Europe.

Dragana and Jovan both graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Belgrade—she specialized in accounting, while he focused on economic analysis and development. Naturally, they have taken on different roles in the family business: Dragana handles accounting, while Jovan develops new projects and products.

However, the main figure in this story remains their father and company director, Savo Rakić, while Radinka keeps an eye on everything.

“In a family business, there are no fixed roles. There are no ‘bosses’ here—when needed, we all do everything, from cleaning to managing,” says Radinka Rakić.

Savo, busy installing a new pasta production machine imported from Italy, is asked whether all this hard work is worth it and what the company’s profits look like. His response is simple and doesn’t involve numbers:

“Of course, there is profit—but we reinvest everything,” says Savo Rakić.

And once again, the conversation shifts to projects, which support such a business approach.

The Rakić family is especially proud of the EU projects they participated in last year:

✅ EU4BusinessRecovery supported their project for the digitalization of primary agricultural production, awarding them 298,499 BAM for the purchase of an egg-sorting machine.

✅ EU4AGRI-Recovery funded their circular economy initiative, granting 93,600 BAM for the purchase of grain cooling equipment.

✅ EU4AGRI’s support measure for introducing standards and certification in agri-food production provided 10,272 BAM.

Their journey proves that success comes from continuous learning, innovation, and investment—not just in their business but also in the wider community. 🚀