Success Stories

Victoria Bakery with the commercial name Veranj is an open confection of two friends – Vera and Angela in Christmas, Criuleni raion – whose name and the basis of the mark. They set up the company at the beginning of 2020, even though the pandemic closed all accommodation and food service activities and people in their houses.

However, women have not left the bottom hands and continued working in confectionery, and shortly the number of employees has increased to 30. Women have specialised in the production of tortures and fats, with their offer now amounting to 32 types of torture and 12 types of roats, plus those made on command.

A year later, the two entrepreneurs received a grant amounting to approximately lei 140 thousand for the procurement of new machinery under the Women’s Business Programme run by the SME Development Organisation, currently the Organisation for the Development of Entrepreneurship (ODA). Between 2018 and 2022 the programme was co-financed by the European Union.

‘With the money received from the European Union we procured an Italian mixer, which has allowed us to expand production and attract more people. We also used the grant to develop a website. https://veranj.mda Facebook page and a Instagram page that helps us promote and sell our production“” says Vera Julidova, one of the two foundationals.

Under the Women’s Business Programme, beneficiary entrepreneurs are helping to develop investment projects, are trained in business management, marketing and sales, and receive non-repayable funding of up to RON 165 thousand to increase business competitiveness.

‘As a result of ODA and European Union funding, we managed to increase production volume and become more known in social networks. With the help of purchased equipment we launched new products – Easter products’, specifies the entrepreneur.

Today, the company employs 70 people and the foundings are satisfied with the first three years of activity, in which, according to the statistics, a large proportion of start-ups are bankrupt. Angela Tcaci and Vera Julidova have, on the contrary, major plans for the future and would like to access new support from ODA, in particular that would help them procure energy saving equipment, which is particularly relevant today, as for alternatives to natural gas and electricity.

The Women’s Business Programme was launched in 2018 and co-financed by the European Union with EUR 1.85 million through Pthe rouble ‘support to SMEs in rural areas’. In total, 284 entrepreneurs benefited from the European Union’s financial support between 2018 and 2020, creating 474 new jobs.