Here in Montenegro, between mountains and the sea, a dining table is unimaginable without prosciutto. The Vujović family nurtures the tradition of making premium Montenegrin prosciutto in Humci, near Cetinje.
When you step into their prosciutto factory, the first thing that you will notice is the perfect mixture of tradition and modernity.
The family business started with a small facility and the production of smoked prosciutto, while today they produce up to 30,000 pieces of prosciutto annually. Over time, the side job grew into a family business, explains owner Boris Vujović, while the ten workersemployed at MiAnjacarefully prepare and process the products.
Thanks to the support of the European Union through the IPARD programme, the business of this hard-working family has been modernised.
“To improve our production, we have created a line for cutting and packaging the products, as well as the chamber for aging prosciutto. Significant energy savings were achieved through IPARD, and we also acquired solar panels for hot water and heat pumps,” emphasises Boris.
IPARD support for development is particularly significant for small producers, given that machinery is quite expensive, he adds.
Their family business has outgrown local boundaries and become synonymous with quality in dried meat products. MiAnja’s products are characterised by a distinctive aroma, mild salinity, and a fine fibrous meat structure. They were among the first in Montenegro to adopt globally accepted smoke-free meat drying techniques, becoming pioneers in their industry. IPARD support has greatly aided them in their endeavor.
“What you see behind us is one of the first facilities operating under controlled conditions. The prosciutto matures in the best conditions: temperature and air humidity are controlled. As a result, they have the best conditions throughout the year,” claims Boris.
Carefully selected meat, together with traditional recipes, manual processing, and a long-lasting drying process, give the prosciutto its characteristic taste and aroma that captivates everyone’s palate.
However, because of the labour shortage issue, production must be automatised. That’s why the Vujović family has started the construction of a new facility and, through a new IPARD call, plans to acquire a salting line and a deboning line. These additions would make production easier and they require less skilled labourers.
Courage, knowledge, love, and dedication ─ those are the secrets of their success, and the numerous awards and gold medals for quality and excellence prove that. With the IPARD support, this family continues to write its success story – a story about Ivana, Boris, Mija, Anja, and Aleksa. A story of family strength, love, and a quarter-century-long tradition.
