04/2015
MIA Organic (Made In Albania) was launched in April 2015. The business idea came out of the experience abroad of three Albanian friends, Anisa, Eniada and Altin, who were finishing their Master studies in Milan. Remembering the flavours of natural products and home-made food in their childhood, they realised that they could not find these tastes in Italy and not any more in Albania either. So, they decided to start an organic farming business and to sell their products to Albanian consumers.
Contact details
E-mail : info@mail.al
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/miaorganicalbania/
Website : http://www.mia.al
Tirana, Albania
Stakeholders
∙ 30 farmers from the Tirana Metropolitan Area and the rest of Albania who promote and sell their products through MIA’s marketing channels
∙ Consumers from Tirana and the entire country who buy fresh and safe food from MIA
Objectives
∙ Bringing the best natural and organic Albanian products to the consumer
∙ Producing healthy, fresh and safe food products
∙ Maintaining the highest standards of quality through permanent commitment to a sustainable eco-system of traditional agriculture for humans, animals, plants and environment
∙ Selecting farmers meeting MIA standards, improving their practices and guaranteeing them a fair price
Legal framework & Budget
MIA is a private business. The number of employees varies depending on the season. Usually there are 1 to 2 workers at the shop and 10 to 13 at the farm. MIA also provides a full-time job to the 3 founders. The main source of financing of MIA is owners’ own funds.Activities
MIA main activities are organic farming and the sale of organic food produced by other Albanian farmers. MIA Farm has an integrated irrigation and drainage system. All fields are divided and reachable by alleys. So, the area is pleasant and also used for recreational activities. Employees working at the farm are professional farmers. MIA produces vegetables, herbs, liquors, milk and dairy products, meats and eggs, and some processed vegetables. MIA also developed a network of small organic farmers in Albania who sell their products through MIA’s marketing channels. MIA has 2 main marketing channels: its shop near the centre of Tirana and its online sales platform. Consumers can discover their products on their website and make an order. MIA organic makes the delivery at home.>Innovation & Outcomes
One of the main innovative aspects of MIA is that these 3 young graduates at the same time produce, promote and sell traditional organic food from Albania. Through their supply network, they also help small organic farmers selling their products. Finally, their marketing approach, based on physical and virtual marketing channels, is very modern and effective. MIA is also very active on Facebook and Instagram. Its visual identity is very trendy.30
Main obstacles & Next steps
The main difficulty at the beginning was to find products and farmers meeting MIA’s standards of quality. Anisa, Eniada and Altin travelled all around Albania and contacted 130 farmers. They signed contracts with 30 of them. Another obstacle was to earn consumers’ trust. Thanks to its effective communication, MIA is now a well-established brand in Albania. Now, the main difficulty lies in the business relation with partner farmers, especially regarding deliveries, timing and product quality.More on :
http://www.mia.al
