(By Hysni Recica)
People
around here might not know that “Bonita” in Spanish means pretty, and that’s
not a bad way of referring to bottled water. We’re talking about the locally
produced natural water “Bonita.
Though you
can find dozens of brands of bottled water in the shops and cafes, “Bonita” is
the only local company bottling natural water.
Before the
war, Agim Dushi, the owner of “Bonita” bottled water, located in Lypjan, had a
plastic manufacturing company, which afterwards was completely destroyed during
the conflict. It was hard for Agim to
start from scratch, but Agim didn’t give up.
Agim
Dushi: I developed the idea right after the
war since there are no such factories in Kosovo, and considering market needs
and the import of water from neighboring countries, we thought that such a
factory would be beneficial for the Kosovo market.
We took a trip to Lypjan
and visited the factory to see for ourselves whole process that happens before
“Bonita” reaches your table. It’s amazing to see how a mere small tube like
piece of plastic takes shape into a bottle, a useful knowledge that Agim
carried his days from before the war.
Every step is completely
automated; from the cleaning of the bottles to the filling, labeling, packing, even
the stamping of the bottling date.
Xhevdet
Kumnova: This is the plastic tube out of
which we make a bottle of 1.5 litres. Hygiene of staff and equipment is of
utmost important, and we are very careful about it.
Choosing
the right location was far easier than securing funds. The high quality of
water in the area was tested back in 1976 when “Coca Cola” company licensed a
factory in town. The two water sources are around 50 m far from each other. Agim, seemed to be on the right track. He
drafted his project and asked for help.
And that
help arrived in the form of The British Department for International
Development, DFID who offered Agim a grant of 680.000 DM and besides Agim’s own
investment of 800.000 DM, he also took a loan for 2.150.000 DM from a German
Bank. So a total figure of almost 4 million DM was invested in “Bonita”
Agim
stresses that Bonita is natural pure water since it comes from nature and adds
Agim
Dushi: we also have carbonated natural
water, people here use the term mineral water for carbonated water, we add CO2
to the same water we get from nature. While mineral water, the term we often
use, is natural water which is rich in minerals. Our water with the contents it
has falls in the category of mineral water, but to get this title we needed to
wait one year for the water to get tested in each season of the year, and
afterwards get this category. It takes one year and we were desperate to start
the factory, and had to call it natural water. I hope to achieve this in the
future.
The
factory has a fully equipped lab and does the analysis of water every two
hours. Apart from this, they have a contract signed with the Institute for
Public Health of Kosovo. Dr. Selvete Krasniqi, is the deputy Director of the
institute. Selvete explains how Bonita goes through weekly analysis to
establish the quality of the produce.
Selvete
Krasniqi: Our team goes once a week to Bonita,
and they (Bonita) too bring water samples during the week. It means that “Bonita”
cannot reach the consumer without prior undergoing quality analysis in our
institute. With responsibility I say that we have Bonita under rigorous
control, and apart from us, KFOR too does the analysis.
Bonita is currently producing 2000 bottles per hour, 48.000 bottles a day;
all of this in two daily shifts. Last summer, when there was a peak demand, the
factory managed to produce up to 54. 000 bottles, more than 70.000 litters
and KFOR, mainly German KFOR is getting
from 30 to 40 % of their production.
ATMOS: An employee singing
The happy
guy singing is one of 43 operators employed in Bonita. The staff make between
220E and 800 E per month depending on their position. Agim hopes to increase
salaries 20 % during this year. Something that Kosovo employees are not used
to. Gursel Sadiku has been working here since April last year.
Gursel
Sadiku: I check electric equipment, I can
tell the equipment is new, there are not many interventions. We are happy with
the job, and to tell you the truth with the salary, too. We pay taxes we are
supposed to pay, we have job insurance.
Hysni: Sofie, how long have you been working here?
Sofie: one year and two months. I take care of labels.
Hysni: Can you tell us is it a secret how much you make?
Sofie: laughing.
Hysni: Do you at least make more than two hundred.
Sofie: Yes.
Setting up
a business is not an easy thing, admits Agim; new enterprise, inexperienced
workers. But the main problem, he adds is the high tax rate for the imported
raw material.
Agim
Dushi: It burdens local producers in
comparison with our competitors from neighboring countries, for example Serbia,
and Macedonia, who pay only 1 % custom tax, while we as producers pay for
plastic tubes, for lids, and other raw material, pay 11 % custom tax, plus 15 %
VAT. This is an anomaly that happens only here, but we hope the Assembly will
soon approve the law on importing raw material and equipment, that would
practically facilitate the work of local producers.
For
the moment “Bonita” is covering only the Kosovan market. Due to enormous taxes,
explains Agim, Bonita was not able to reachto Montenegro, and Macedonia yet.
They hope “Bonita” will soon cross borders and challenge world companies. Dr.
Selvete Krasniqi does not hesitate to recommend it.
Selvete Krasniqi: Bonita is the best, when it comes to laboratory
results. When it comes to mineral contents, we do not deal with this. We say
that Bonita so far is good and it meets the criteria. If something is wrong we
have our press office and issue a statement.
“Bonita”
is presently in negotiations with an international soft drink company, and they
want the name of it to be a surprise. Meanwhile lets quench our thirst with
Bonita and stay tuned for more.