Short food chain - interview with Tiberiu Cazacioc in Rural Romania

România Rurală
Reţeaua Naţională de Dezvoltare Rurală
Numărul 3 Anul II, Septembrie 2014
RĂDĂCINI DE ŢARĂ EUROPEANĂ
Rural Romania
NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Issue 14 Year II, January 2015
NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT NETWORK
Rural Romania
Tiberiu Cazacioc,
expert in short food chains:
„We need alternative markets administrated by
the small farmers united in cooperatives”
Vegetable basket that is
provided to your door
BioFarmland:
A Swiss family does bio agriculture in Arad
European support for a state of
the art clinic from Timis
„Ferma Bună” from Constanța,
modern quail raising centre

Rural Romania – No. 14
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NSU, Department of Publications, January 2015
ISSN 2393 – 123X
ISSN-L 2393 – 123X
© NRDN, 2015
The reproduction of the texts of this publication is authorized provided that the source is mentioned.
Printed in Romania.
Copyright for photographs: Tiberiu Cazacioc, Liviu Brădean, Asociaţia pentru Susţinerea Agriculturii Ţărănești,
Asociaţia React, Ibolya Jozefina, provinciacrisana.blogratuit.ro,Victoria Mihaela Buligoanea, Willy Schuster,
Direcţia Silvică Bistriţa-Năsăud, Kurt Hielscher, Horia Fenechiu, Gheorghe Magopăţ, Marius Ţirban, Răzvan
Rusu, Ferma Bună, Centrul Medical MARIAM, Slobozia Moară Natural, GAL Mărginimea Sibiului, GAL Ţinutul
Argeșului de Mijloc

Contents
EDITORIAL ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
INTERVIEW
Tiberiu Cazacioc: „ We need alternative markets administrated by the small farmers united in cooperatives”.................................................4
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
LoMiS – a Swiss example of support for the short food chains ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
A family from Dracea commune is the leader of the vegetable market from Teleorman County ............................................................................. 10
„Anotimpuri la borcan” (“Seasons in a jar”), a project of React Association: the peasant women are trained to obtain income
from conserving fruits and vegetables ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
„Legume Fericite” (“Happy vegetables”) – the passionate entrepreneur and the educated consumer................................................................ 14
Willy Schuster, from Mosna, Sibiu County, demonstrates that the rural farm is an example of sustainable economic activity ......... 16
Sleighs and carriages from Bistrita ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
ASAT (Association for Supporting Rural Agriculture) solidarity partnerships, an alternative form of food supply scheme ................20
The calendar of our villages ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Crisana – the home of the giant artisans......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
PEOPLE
The hills of Martanus – jam and syrup with the taste of childhood memories ................................................................................................................................ 28
Gheorghe Magopat from Marginea, the „magician” of black ceramics ........................................................................................................................................................ 30
The Swiss farmers from Firiteaz, Arad County, and BioFarmland products......................................................................................................................................... 32
Business with medicinal plants in Bihor: naturopath Marius Tirban prepares teas, tinctures, syrups and ointments for
various diseases .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 34
The jam of Razvan – from a hobby in a small countryside house to a successful business................................................................................................ 36
EXPERIENCES
My farm:
Made in Romania: „Ferma Buna”, the most modern farm from Romania where quails are raised and slaughtered....................... 38
My business:
MARIAM Medical Centre from Pischia, Timis County: a state of the art clinic for the patients from rural area ............................... 40
My community:
Many hands make light work! The vegetables of a group of producers from Dambovita County are sold in supermarkets.................... 42
UPDATED LEADER
Marginimea Sibiului Local Action Group – 98.40% of contracted non-reimbursable funds ....................................................................................... 44
Tinutul Argesul de Mijloc Local Action Group– 46 contracted projects ................................................................................................................................................. 46
NEWS OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT.......................................................................................... 48
INTRODUCTION OF THE NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT NETWORK MEMBERS ........................................................ 50

The benefits of local
products and short
food chains
We begin the new year with an advice:
let us cherish more the local products
and start building more and more
short food chains. In this issue of the
magazine, Tiberiu Cazacioc from
Radu Anton Roman Initiative Group
Association and Slow Food
Movement in Romania speaks about
their benefits and also about the way
in which they can be created. In sum,
the short food chains mean fresher
products and lower prices by
eliminating the intermediaries and
reducing the transport costs.
The short food chains have an
extremely important role, especially
for the small farmers, but also for us,
the buyers. In the new 2014-2020
programming period, one of the
measured financed under the
National Rural Development
Programme refers exactly to the
creation of short food chains based on
cooperation between farmers. Tiberiu
Cazacioc considers that, for this
purpose, we need alternative roving
markets administrated by the small
farmers, and also by laws which to
support the acquisitions of food
through short food chains.
Examples of small producers who
have created direct connections with
the buyers are presented in the
magazine: Razvan Rusu produces
various assortments of jam at Idicel
Padure, Mures County, and sells them
in a small store from Cluj-Napoca;
Willy Schuster, the pioneer of bio
agriculture in Romania, and other
small farmers from Sibiu County have
set the ground of BioCoop cooperative
through which they market their
products; Victoria Mihaela
Buligoanea from Dambovita County
sells vegetables on a website and
invites buyers to come, if they want,
to pick the desired vegetables.
We are inviting you to also meet other
worthy people: Mircea Bujor,
vegetable gardener from Teleorman
County, has set-up a small tomato
sauce factory in order to turn to good
account the unsold tomatoes, while
the Hani family from Switzerland
ventured to start a new life in Arad
County in order to do ecological
agriculture.
Among the presented subjects there
are also a few projects which have
benefited from non-reimbursable
support during the previous
programming period, 2007-2013.
With the received European funds,
“Ferma Buna” from Constanta
County has become the most modern
farm from Romania where quails are
raised and slaughtered.
Another initiative supported based on
the National Rural Development
Programme was the establishment of
a modern clinic in Pischia Commune,
Timis County; MARIAM Medical
Centre provides medical care in
various specialties, including some
specialties which are rarely
encountered in rural area, like
physiokinetotherapy and dentistry.
This month, we make a stop in
Crisana to meet people who animate
the places and their trades.
Afterwards, we stop in Suceava
County, at Gheorghe Magopat, a
potter from Marginea, to discover the
secrets of black ceramics. The potter
is pleased: two of his children work
with him and they also want to pass
this trade to his grandchildren!
Viviana Vasile, Team Leader of
„Set-up and Support of the National
Rural Development Network” project
Editorial
3

4
You have been involved for many
years in promoting the small
farm. Which do you think are the
complaints of the small farmers?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: We have to look at
their activity as a production cycle in
which the distribution chain has an
important role. The European Union
has identified this production and
marketing segment as being critical,
but on which it can be intervened.
Within CAP terms and spirit, the local
market is what is missing from the
urban Europe dominated by retail. And
we must not believe that by supporting
the local market new permanent urban
markets should be financed, because,
sooner or later, they also shall be
monopolized, but alternative markets
controlled by the small farmers. It is no
coincidence that the supply chain and
the local market are regarded by the
European Union as short forms in
which there should not be more than
one intermediary between the small
farmer and consumer and very short
time should have passed from picking
until commercialization. A short supply
chain offers local varieties from local
sources from the small farmers around
the cities, which are fresh not because
they are sprayed with pesticides, but
because they were picked recently.
Therefore, do you think that the
short supply chain is the most
important problem?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: I hope that our
discussion shall trigger the interest of
the public policy makers, but also of the
small farmers and consumers. It is
important to understand that, without
adding marketing activities to the short
supply chain, we can fail in attempting
to instil loyalty in consumers. We often
forget that we must have a familiar and
friendly relationship with consumers.
Often, when going to the market, you
cannot have a discussion with the
people selling fruits and vegetables
because, first of all, they are trying to
convince you to buy and not to tell you
the story of the garlic, parsley or
parsnip. And if you chat with them,
many of the so-called peasants are
nervous and hurried. Marketing means
telling stories, but on real grounds.
What should small farmers do in
order to add value to their
products for marketing?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: We need courage,
sharpness and vision in order to put
together the pieces of a fruit and
vegetable production operation which
was affected by the change of the
market conditions from Romania. I am
not insisting on the multiple causes, but
only on some of them. The small
Romanian farmers cannot fight and
they must not fight with the retail
demand of providing in any season
fruits and vegetables. They do not
produce on constant basis, they do not
produce in large quantities, but they
provide variety and freshness. The
value of the Romanian fruits and
vegetables comes from seasonality and
this is the value for the housewives,
public food, restaurants, kindergartens,
hospitals and army. Seasonality can be
used in selling cycles in order to draw
attention on the fact that the products
are Romanian and locally cultivated.
The urban inhabitants, especially the
young ones, who are out of touch with
Interview
Tiberiu Cazacioc, from Radu Anton Roman Initiative Group
Association and Slow Food Movement in Romania:
„We need alternative markets administrated by small farmers
united in cooperatives”
Short food chain means fresher products and lower prices
by eliminating intermediaries and reducing transport costs.

5
the rural area, might think that the
Romanian tomatoes are available
anytime. Because, for example, the
French have invented various
education programs about seasonality.
Seasonality is an argument to tell
consumers that local varieties of fruits
and vegetables are provided to them.
We want Romanian tomatoes, we want
our varieties. Besides the fact that they
are specific and local, we must add the
value, which comes from telling that
the peppers, apples, pears, onions are
the result of the labour of peasants, who
are small farmers. Let the farmers,
peasants tell who cultivated, who
picked and who worked for them to
grow. In a city market from today’s
Romania it is suspect for someone to
ask for the certificate of producer in
order to see for himself who are he
buying from: from a small vegetable
gardener or from an intermediary of an
intermediary. The consumers must be
voluntarily told the story of the fruits
and vegetables, but also visible and
honest information on who, what and
how did he produce. If you are an
honest vegetable gardener who works
hard at his small farm and obtains
healthy and tasty products, why would
you avoid being honest with
consumers?
According to the sheet of Measure 16 of
the National Rural Development
Programme called “Cooperation”:
“…the connections between the agri-
food and touristic sectors can be
developed by providing local food
products.” This is one of the keys,
providing fruits and vegetables in the
local agri-tourism. What is simpler to
understand than the fact that the
tourist shall benefit by tasty food
prepared from local vegetables? And
not with tomato sauce from the store.
The short food chain might locally
include elements from the local
economy and agriculture. Just think
about the Austrian model, where tens
of thousands of rural lodgings use the
local resources. It is a model supported
by the local Austrian authorities by
applying the flexibility allowed by EC
for the food security package.
May we say that this concept, of
the short food chains, is a new
one?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: Yes and no. The
short food chain concept is called
“short food circuit” in Anglo-Saxon
area and “court circuit” in francophone
area. In Romania, we are talking about
short food chains. The European Union
translates them by short supply chains,
which are called in (EU) Regulation No.
1305/2013. By the way, in this
document, one of the three very
important regulations at the level of the
European Union, for the application of
the Common Agricultural Policy, the
collocation appears 25 times. In the
past regulations, this was not even
mentioned. The short supply chain is a
masked form of support for the local
economy from an EU member state. It
has always existed, but it was let to
resist or to die. It is time to resuscitate
the short supply chains and the local
markets.
Do you think that resuscitation is
possible? How can it take place?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: As compared to
the previous financing cycle for
agriculture and development, during
2014-2020 period, under Measure 16
“Cooperation”, activities regarding the
short supply chain and local markets
are financed. This was accomplished
after a long journey, but we must
mobilize ourselves in order to use the
money. “Must” is also the word used by
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development in the sheet of Measure
16: “Marketing food products obtained
at local level through short supply
chains and on the local markets must
become an important component of the
agri-food sector from Romania. For
most of the small farmers, direct sale of
fresh products could represent an
important source of income.”
Who can obtain this financing
which is so necessary?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: I, together with
the Institute of Social Economy,
CATAR Federation (Romanian Rural
Association Confederation) and others,
say that the solution is the cooperative.
The outlet and marketing cooperatives
ensure equal treatment between
partners. I think that those who avoid
talking about the cooperative are doing
a great disfavour to the small farmers.
It is unjustifiably claimed that the small
farmers reject cooperation, only to keep
them separated from the retail, being
the victims of the market games,
without having representation.
Romania deserves to have thousands of
distribution cooperatives, because only
in this way their negotiation power in
the relationship with the local
authorities, raw material providers and
other entities is huge. This is how I
think we should use the provisions of
the future measure 16 “Cooperation”: to
unite our forces, to establish
cooperatives for distribution and
marketing and to submit projects for
short supply chains, for local markets.
Let small farmers take over the power
through cooperatives.
How come the European
policymakers considered this
concept, this approach?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: I would like to
bring to attention the fact that the short
supply chain was nor included by
accident in the mentioned European
regulation and we must be proud of
that. First of all, to tell it straight, the
Romanian and Bulgarian people, have
more peasant blood than others. The
new member states from 2007,
Romania and Bulgaria, but also Poland,
which has been a member state since
2004, have brought an important
dowry and wealth: millions of small
and medium-sized farms as
contribution to rural agriculture and
development and to European rural
environment. Far from being a burden,
this wonderful rural space which is
criticized, minimized and ridiculed by
many, has important values for which
we love it: immaterial patrimony,
traditions, clean environment,
biodiversity, tasty food with local
characteristics. Secondly, the short

6
supply chains have been considered as
of 2011 in CAP reform as a response to
this new rural dimension. The General
Directorate for Agriculture has
organized debates in all years prior to
2014 with regard to key concepts, like
the one about the semi-subsistence
farms or the one about the short supply
chains. In addition to the effort of the
General Directorate for Agriculture, it
must be said that several organizations
from Romania involved in the rural
development movement has supported
and militated for short supply chains.
I would dare to say that the team of the
Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, which
included many Romanian people,
proposed to the member states new
intervention concepts in the great CAP
reform. And new we must take
advantage of this, in a good sense. The
short supply chains, the short food
chains are especially created not for the
large agri-industrial farms, but for the
modern retail. They are created for the
organizations of vegetable gardeners
and cooperatives, who were missing
financing in order to set-up a market, a
short supply chain.
How do you see the urban market
in this logic of the short chain?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: Within the last 25
years, the former city markets from the
communist regime, which were
depressing and almost empty in the late
’80s, were revitalized and filled with
fruits, vegetables, flowers and utility
and consumption objects. But, in time,
they have lost the rural imprint, they
have become something else. The have
consolidated themselves, they were
provided with roof, doors, air
conditioning, store hours, market
manager and they are administrated by
the local councils. Currently, they are
practically stores, with employees who
sell behind the counter and who are
often person who have nothing to do
with agriculture. But, we have to admit
that they comply with a demand of the
public. The same we have to admit that
they are almost similar to the retail
offers, and we may even say that, from
a point of view, the modern commerce
offers some fruit and vegetable
assortments at much lower prices. We
are facing a paradox: the urban market
is close to home, but without peasants
and, sometimes, with more expensive
offers.
Intense fights have been taken place for
several years and especially within the
last two years around the city markets,
especially for allowing the access to
small producers. At public policy level,
various approaches have been tested in
order to provide the access of small
vegetable gardeners on the markets.
New regulations were adopted, but, the
same as the old ones which were not
applied, the current ones do not seem
to be more successful. The markets
continue to be blocked and ankylosed,
their management does not apply the
regulations regarding the certificates of
producer or the allocation of a market
share.
Why do you think that the market
cannot be penetrated?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: Because the
current urban markets are
subordinated to the local councils. They
consist in local counsellors, who are
politicians. We would expect for them
to respond to the ascertained critics of

7
the central authorities and press related
to the access of the small vegetable
gardeners on the markets. This is not
happening. We may presume that the
current method of operation does not
bother the local counsellors. Then, it
must be said that, if the hen makes
golden eggs, in our case, the urban
market, which is a 24/7 money making
machine for the local administration,
why would anyone put to the trouble of
making room for the peasants?
What do you think it should be
done in order to support this
meeting between producers and
consumers?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: If the urban
market is important as a piece of the
short supply chain, one solution would
be the creation of alternative markets.
In order to be successful, these markets
must distinguish itself from the others
by several elements: to be markets of
producers, meaning to be
administrated by them, to have a rarity,
occasion character. Therefore, the
roving markets must be mobile for two
days per week, in weekends. They will
be places where producers meet
consumers in especially dedicated
places. The vegetable gardeners will be
prepared to provide explanations with
regard to the modality of working with
vegetables, cultivating them, the
varieties, the difficulties, the diversity
of assortments. The fruit and vegetable
market will be a place of friendship.
Another important characteristic,
seasonality, meaning that we must
inform again the townspeople when
Romanian fruits and vegetables are
available on the market. The fresh
fruits and vegetables are those which
are freshly picked and not those
sprayed in order to last. The market
should be part of the short chain: only
the producers should sell or at the most
the first line of intermediaries, but they
can be sellers employed by the
cooperatives of vegetable gardeners.
Last but not least, it is necessary for the
labels and posters from these roving
markets to transmit that they are
markets of producers and not to
promise lower prices, but freshness,
taste, local varieties, even not so good
looking fruits and vegetables. You
might laugh, but in the West,
campaigns are made for ugly fruits and
vegetables. Because they are not
accepted into supermarkets. Why
should a tomato be Scarlett Johansson
of tomatoes?
How can the development of
these short chains be supported?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: I repeat as many
times as I can and I have tried to bring
into the attention of the Minister of
Agriculture, through the agency of
Radu Anton Roman Initiative Group
and Slow Food Movement in Romania
the fact that one of the solutions for the
small farmers is the subtle regulation of
the short chain. France, which is a
member state, has a law regarding the
short chain before it had been included
in the regulations. Why? Because, by
adopting a law regarding the short food
chain, the possibility is created for it to
be used as preference in procurement
in public procurements for hospitals,
kindergartens, military units and
prisons. Why? The fruits and
vegetables which originate from nearby
the place of consumption generate less
pollution when transported and stored
and they have more vitamins, because
they are fresh. I even think that the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development can excellently cooperate
with the team from the French Ministry
of Agriculture. We have a lot to learn
from the French people about the way
in which they defend their small
farmers.
Are there short chains in
Romania? Can you give us some
examples?
Tiberiu Cazacioc: Of course,
especially because they exist right
before our eyes and they work. But, be
aware that shorter the chain, faster the
money and the working capital return
into the pocket of the small farmer, not
after 60 or 90 days. What forms of
short chain are possible? For example
the “Vegetable basket” of Andrei Barbu.
He brings vegetable into town, he
receives orders via the internet, he
cultivates old traditional and tasteful
species. He meets his public and
discuss with them. Andrei is the
representative of a team of young
people who returned to rural area
because they know and can return the
vegetables to town.
Another example is an organization
from Timisoara, CRIES (Centre of
Resources for Ethic and Solidary
Initiatives), which created ASAT,
Association for Saving Rural
Agriculture, offering to the small
farmers from several national cities the
“Green Basket” model. This is a
contract between a small farmer from
periurban area and several consumers
who pay in advance the vegetable
production.
The third example is the older project
of Marin Dumbrava, the “Bio basket”.
Bio because he is an operator certified
in ecological agriculture, he has his own
customers, he sells on the internet. At
Cluj-Napoca, CIVITAS Foundation has
helped and supported the
establishment of a cooperative of
vegetable gardeners called “Lunca
Somesului Mic Cooperative”.
Another example, roving buses, mobile
grocery stores, where there is no
market. We must be inventive. We
should not let others take the money,
we must be small fast and intelligent
farmers with good projects of short
supply chains united in cooperatives.
The potential for small farmers is huge.
All they need is to be willing to break
together the mental chains that keep
them hypnotized by the great magician
which is the modern commerce. If there
are projects and cooperatives, money is
not the issue, because it is provided
under the National Rural Development
Programme. Buy from Romania, buy
locally, season-based, good, cleanly
cultivated and correctly cherished! This
should be their message.

The farmers’ markets, the picnic
baskets and sustainability studies are
some of the ingredients of the local food
network from Sweden, awarded for its
results. It shows how EAFRD can be
successfully used to support the rural
entrepreneurs from the food sector.
For this purpose, European funds are
allocated to a community project for the
establishment of a rural food network.
The idea of the project came from the
food producers from Svartådalen
(where LEADER methodologies proved
their efficacy in encouraging the locals
to relate with each other and to discuss
ideas about how they can collaborate in
order to develop the potential of the
area).
The project called LoMiS (Local Food in
Svartådalen) was supported by the
district municipality and received
EAFRD funds of approximately EUR
120,000. Also, financial contributions
were received from the World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) for the execution of the
project, which was administrated both
as an environment initiative (facilitating
ecological agricultural systems,
reducing the need of transportation and
promoting sustainable development)
and as a local food network.
Coordinated evolutions
LoMiS has adequately capitalized the
funds, using them to support a series of
smaller subprojects in the area. A part
of the allocated funds covered activities
meant to increase the demand of the
local consumers for the local food.
For example, the kitchen installations
were reintroduced and extended in
schools and retirement homes in this
area from the centre of Sweden, for the
use of rural communities. The new
modernized kitchens facilitate on site
preparation and serving of local food,
replacing the consumption of imported
frozen products.
The demand for local fresh products has
increased after a program of
informative events and outdoor cooking
shows. Their organization was a
modality to increase the awareness of
the locals, students and business
community with regard to the use of
local food products and to stimulate the
appetite for tastes from own rural space.
The same popularity had the training
courses in fields like organic
agricultural production systems and
small scale slaughter houses, whose
efficacy reflected in the increase of the
local organic food range available for
consumption in Svartådalen.
A factor which has contributed to the
success and to the multiple results of
EAFRD was the mobilization of a
project coordinator exclusively
dedicated to it. Thus, coordinator Lisa
Hallin was able to allocate the time
necessary for the supervision,
stimulation and directing of the
different components of the project.
Hallin underlined the importance of the
involvement of the local enterprises into
the project in order to increase the
demand and supply of local food
products. “In order to facilitate the
marketing of the products, we have
created a network of producers with
the help of which it will be easier for the
stores and restaurants to contact
them”, explained Hallin. “Few of the
participating producers had been
collaborating before the initiation of
the project, while others joined them
during the project. (…) These rural
businesses comprise a wide range of
enterprises, from those who offer
picnic baskets filled with local products
to those who sell directly to customers
products prepared with beef or deer
meet from the animals raised in their
holdings.”
The partners involved in this project
were conscious that they must embrace
a long term perspective based on a
gradual approach for the stimulation of
the consumption of local products on
the whole territory. The increase of
supply of local products available at
rural markets and in other retail outlets
was identified as a crucial step, and
LoMiS met this objective.
Lisa Hallin is excited to say that “the
members of the group of producers set-
up through our project are frequently
marketing products in the markets
from Sala and also from other
localities, like Färnbomarken, Skultuna
and Sätrabrunn. A new deli store, also
selling local products, shall be opened
soon at Sala, and increasingly more
producers from our project are
investing in their own agri-food
marketing services. Most of the recent
evolutions are due to the works initially
carried out by LoMiS, and we are now
witnessing a series of secondary effects
of the project.”
The next steps
The following scope of LoMiS network
is to explore the available options for
the determination of the way in which
the local producers can win more public
procurement contracts for food supply.
“In the food they eat, our children and
elderly should benefit by healthy
ingredients from the area they live in”,
says Hallin. A series of studies were
made in order to clearly identify the
measures which can be taken for the
harmonization and consolidation of
ecological, social and economic effects
of the local food production.
The objective is to find a balance which
to favour the enterprises, not to
decrease food production, to protect the
rural area and to provide LoMiS
territory with a “green” ecological
legitimacy. Among the
recommendations of the study, a special
8
Rural development
LoMiS
A Swedish example of support provided to short
food chains

9
interest is shown with regard to the
suggestion of encouraging the food
producers from rural area to obtain a
certification compliant with the
international quality standards for a
sustainable development. The effects at
territorial level of LoMiS program were
acknowledged by the National Rural
Network of Sweden in 2009 and
awarded with the most important
award in “Countryside Projects”
category.
Material translated and adapted,
published in the publication of the
European Rural Development Network
„The European Agricultural Fund for
Rural Development – Examples of
Food projects”, 2011.

10
In the counties from the south,
agriculture is almost a way of life. But,
while most of the rural population is
involved in small agriculture, for own
consumption or for selling reduced
quantities of products at the market,
there are entrepreneurs who have set-
up true successful businesses. It is also
the case of Mircea Bujor from Dracea
commune, Teleorman County.
The family of Mircea Bujor have been
doing agriculture for more than 20
years. He got involved in the family
business when he was only 13-14 years
old. At that time, he put work before
education. Therefore, after graduating
from the elementary school, he helped
his parents with the field work, and he
graduated the high-school later,
attending the evening courses. Being
hard working people, they have
succeeded fast, and the business
flourished. If in the beginning the
family of Mircea Bujor worked on fields
leased from the city-hall, after a few
years, they bought the land.
In time, Mircea Bujor took over the
business. In 2000, he started buying
land, hectare by hectare. In 2011,
together with the 12 members of his
family, set-up a group of producers,
being assured that an association can
benefit by much more advantages than
an individual producer. Today, he
cultivates tomatoes in open field on 13
hectares and cucumbers on almost one
hectare, in nursery.
Successes and drawbacks –
normal ingredients of a business
Because, many times, part of the
merchandise remained unsold, in 2009,
Mircea Bujor set-up a tomato sauce
factory where his field tomatoes, about
which he proudly says that are the best,
are turned into tomato sauce.
„The field tomatoes are very different
from those grown in nursery. They are
sitting in the sun and have a different
taste and consistency. Because they are
not watery, they are best suitable for
tomato sauce. And our tomato sauce is
not only very tasty, but it is 100%
A family from Dracea commune is the
leader of the vegetable market from
Teleorman County

11
natural”, said Mircea Bujor.
The tomato sauce is called “Bujor” and
it is marketed in cafeterias and
wholesale stores from Alexandria.
But, the tastier the field tomatoes are,
the riskier their cultivation is: the
weather, which sometimes does not
support the agriculture, the pests and
sometimes even the thefts. But, Mircea
Bujor is not discouraged. He is 36 years
old and has extensive expertise in the
field. He fights bad weather, he protects
the cultures against pests and,
sometimes, he hires guardians when
harvesting is close.
In order to develop the business more
rapidly, the group members have tried
to access European funds, but the
projects were small and not compliant
with the eligibility conditions. They
hope that the new National Rural
Development Programme to open the
path towards such funding. They most
of all need money for irrigations on the
entire cultivated area and to ensure the
transport from the field to the storage
house.
Mircea Bujor – member in “Dor
de gust” (Taste nostalgia)
program.
If until 2014, Mircea Bujor and his
associates have been selling the
merchandise in markets, with a pretty
high risk that they cannot completely
sell it, now, they are a constant presence
in supermarkets. The opportunity came
with “Dor de gust” program, an
initiative of a group of vegetable
gardeners from Vidra, Izbiceni, Dracea,
Nuci, Lunguletu, Gheorghe Doja and
Mariuta. The program, initiated by the
Association for Vegetable Gardeners
with the support of PRODCOM
Interprofessional Fruit and Vegetable
Organization and the Centre of
Communication of the Farmers from
Romania, implemented with the
support of Agricover company, reunites
200 farmers from the south of
Romania, whose merchandise is
supplied daily in four supermarket
chains, at country level.
Mircea Bujor is partner in the group of
initiative and the main intermediary
from Teleorman County for the
collection and supply of vegetables. The
tomatoes and cucumbers which he
supply are sorted and packed with the
help of his three sons aged 15, 16 and 17.
It is not an easy job, because the
merchandise delivered in such stores
must be carefully selected and
calibrated, and it is packed according to
the demand of the beneficiaries, in
boxes on which the name of “Dor de
gust” program is inscribed.
And, still, in 2014, they also had some
problems because of the embargo
placed by Russia, where they should
have exported a part of the production
under “Dor de gust” program.
“The crisis from Russia affected the
business, because the entire
merchandise was returned to us, and
we also borne the transport, packaging
and sorting costs. But there are many
things that you have to deal with in
business. We move forward, because
we live from agriculture and this is
what we know best”, said Mircea Bujor.
The key for success – a united and
hardworking family
When facing problems, many back out.
Many businesses were closed because
not everything went smooth. The family
of Mircea Bujor understood that
success, the same as difficulties, are part
of the business. When they faced some
problems, they searched for solutions in
order to solve them and move forward.
The children of Mircea Bujor, who are
now students, shall later take over this
enterprise, but they get involved and
they want to learn from their parents
and the other relatives. “The key for
success is the work and perseverance,
and, for us, also the fact that we are a
big and united family, who loves the
ground and enjoys its fruits”, he
proudly said.

12
The rural area from Romania is facing
numerous economic and social
challenges. According to 2014-2020
Rural Development Strategy of
Romania, among these challenges are
the ageing of the population, the
existence of a great number of
subsistence holdings, increased
weighting of population exposed to
poverty and social exclusion risk.
Creation of jobs is one of the main
priorities of the following period. For
this purpose, innovating human
resource development initiatives are
essential. Such initiative belongs to
React Association, which started from
the ascertained fact that the women
from rural area are more affected by
the lack of job than men. In April,
2014, the Association launched
“Anotimpuri la borcan”, a long-term
project for the development of the
rural areas from Bucuresti-Ilfov,
Centre, South Muntenia, South-West
Oltenia. The project shall be
implemented in 18 months and it is
co-financed from the Social European
Fund under 2007-2013 Sectoral
Operational Programme Human
Resources Development.
„In Romania, the same as in the rest
of Europe, there is an increasing
demand for healthy products made
based on special recipes. The only
places where we still find these
exquisite tastes are the pantries of the
families from rural areas. The best
jam or the most flavoured pickles can
reach on the tables of the
townspeople only if they are
prepared in kitchens which are
authorized both hygienically and
sanitarily. In a farm, you rarely find
the conditions necessary to legally
sell the traditional products.
Therefore, «Anotimpuri la borcan»
comes in communities in which there
are women interested in turning
their abilities and passion for
cooking in a family business and
offers, free of charge, specialization
courses and professionally equipped
kitchens.” (Dr. Anca Stefan, president
of React Association).
At the end of the project, 560 women
from rural area shall be qualified in a
trade demanded on the labour market
(worker in the industry of fruit and
vegetable preserves) and they shall
have the basic entrepreneurial skills,
benefiting by specialized counselling
for access on the labour market or for
the development of businesses in a
non-agricultural field. At the same
time, at the end of the project, a
network of the entrepreneur women
from rural area shall operate, and
three fully equipped kitchens shall be
available to the communities for
making fruit and vegetable preserves
in a sanitarily authorized premise. It
is also desired for the project to
include writing and distributing
cookbooks with local recipes.
Sustainable development can only be
an effect of the collaboration and
partnerships at local level. Therefore,
the involvement of authorities,
community, economic agents, has an
essential role in the success of any
long-term initiative like „Anotimpuri
la borcan” project.
„We found support in authorities and
with some of them we even signed
collaboration protocols. Often, the
employees of the city-halls or the
local opinion makers know very well
the community, they know the
women living from subsistence
agriculture, but also the cooks
famous in the area, and they are in
the position to make
recommendations or to mediate their
enrolment in the project”, said
Andreea Rotaru, communication
manager of the association.
In the first phase, the city-halls of the
communes from the implementation
regions were contacted and invited to
collaborate within the project.
Subsequently, the representatives of
the association went personally to
discuss with the officials in order to
ensure an efficient communication
channel. Many of the representatives
of the institutions understood the
impact which the project is going to
have on their community, offering
their entire support (e.g. city-hall of
Vidra commune).
The concerned beneficiaries are
women domiciled in the rural area,
from Bucharest-Ilfov, Centre (Alba,
Brasov, Mures, Covasna, Harghita,
Sibiu) and South-Muntenia (Arges,
Calarasi, Dambovita, Giurgiu,
Ialomita, Prahova, Teleorman),
graduate of the minimum mandatory
education level, who are currently
employed. Enrolment for continuous
training courses until the occupation
of 560 available places. The kitchens
will be fitted-out in the areas with the
highest number of enrolled persons.
Until now, 80 women from Prahova
and Ialomita County have obtained
diplomas of worker in the field of fruit
and vegetable preserves. Other 56
women from Homoraciu and Rosiori
were going to begin free training in
the food field in December.
The diplomas awarded at the end of
the course are recognized by the
Ministry of Labour, Family, Social
Protection and Elderly and by the
„Anotimpuri la borcan” (Seasons in a jar),
a project of React Association:
the peasant women are trained to obtain income
from conserving fruits and vegetables

13
Ministry of Education and allow the
women attending the course to hire in
the food field or to start a business.
The network of entrepreneur women
from the rural area shall facilitate the
exchange of information and good
practices in regular meetings and
visits between members of different
rural communities. The network shall
also benefit by an electronic platform
integrated in the project website:
http://asociatiareact.ro/anotimpuri-
la-borcan.html.
The women who are already included
in the project are optimistic and
trustful with regard to the future. “I
have participated in the courses
wishing to consolidate my knowledge
in the field, considering that my
family owns a plot on which we
cultivate vegetables. Based on the
acquired qualification, I wish to set-
up a vegetable processing line”, said
Batrinache Ionela from Putineiu
commune, Giurgiu County.
Ionela think about the future of his
two boys, who are students in
Bucharest and who she hopes to
convince to get involve in the family
business. The courses from
“Anotimpuri la borcan” project
provides Ionela and other women
with initiative an opportunity to
diversify the family income and to get
involved in an activity which they
enjoy.

14
The business so beautifully called
“Legume Fericite” means
approximately five hectares of shrubs,
fruit trees, medicinal and aromatic
plants, strawberries (cultures which are
in the process of conversion)and fresh
vegetables, cereals, melons, which have
already obtained ecological
certification. The business was born
from a childhood dream of an
entrepreneur woman. Victoria Mihaela
Buligoanea. The dream to have a farm
became a passion.
“Increasingly more people become
aware about how important is to do
what you like”, said Victoria
Buligoanea. “When work identifies
with passion, you do everything with
much more enthusiasm, with more
patience, better, you become more
creative and more pleased about
yourself. I have discovered this passion
at the age of 36 – pretty late – but the
satisfaction is proportional. Moreover,
I mix business with pleasure. My
family and everyone who helps me eat
healthy food. I am economist, I have
worked in a few multinationals, but I
have never found myself in what I was
doing like I do now. «Legume Fericite»
was naturally borne as a result of this
passion.”
The first customers were the ones who
named the business based on the
collocation “happy vegetables” which
she used when speaking about her
garden from Tartasesti, Damboita
County.
The farm of happy vegetables is
intended to be a safe source of healthy
food, a way of life, an educational
support, a natural oasis where
vegetables, fruits, flowers and domestic
animals benefit from a natural
favourable environment. The plants will
help each other: the pest fighting
methods shall start from the plants and
not from pesticides. On the long run,
“Legume Fericite” wishes to provide to
its customers “nature & earth therapy”
and to be a place for charging with
energy available to the consumers.
The fruits and vegetables from
Tartasesti are obtained without
stimulants or chemical treatments and
they are marketed on the internet:
www.legumefericite.ro.
„We have been on this path for almost
three years, but, as people become
aware of the importance of a healthy
diet, and the prevention preoccupies us
more than healing, the interest for
healthy food produced with
responsibility is increasingly higher.”
The initiative of Victoria Buligoanea
was an act of courage, engaging on a
niche market in formation, still
unstable, although in the process of
development: the market of organic
products. The organically certified
„Legume Fericite”- (“Happy Vegetables”)
the passionate entrepreneur and the educated
consumer

15
seeds are very hard to obtain and one
should spend a lot of time to prepare the
documentations required in ecological
agriculture. The lack of specialists and
workforce, a consumer who must be
informed and educated, the natural
disasters and pests are few of the
obstacles which must be dealt with. The
profit is not easily obtained. Those who
choose this path must be aware of this.
“We are on an ascending trend, which
we want to continue in the following
years”, said Victoria Buligoanea.
Patience and perseverance are the
absolutely necessary ingredients in
order to avoid failure. Last year, the first
products of “Legume fericite” farm
received ecological certification. “The
vicinity and rotation of plants are very
important. For example, if the carrot is
good friend with the onion because
they mutually drive away the fly, the
same is not also valid for the carrot
and the mint, so we are not going to
place them together. Knowing the
plants which can provide mutual
benefits, the plants which fixate the
nitrogen in the soil, those which can be
used as traps for pests and also other
ecological methods, we can contribute
to the elimination of insecticides and
herbicides for the purpose of obtaining
healthy food. As long as we respect
nature and we trust the soil, we help
plants develop without forcing them
and we nurture them by using the
«therapy between friends», we know
that the future belongs to ecological
agriculture!”
A key element of success is the modality
of distribution, the journey of the
product from the garden to the
consumer. The same journey has a
technical aspect and a personal,
subjective aspect, which implies
winning and keeping trust.
Communication has an essential
role
The profile of Romanian consumer is
different from the international one, its
needs are different. The trust is won
through language, attitude, website
design, accuracy and adequacy of the
content in accordance with the
expectations of the customer. The
functional particular aspects of the
website are important and they must
comply with the needs and the profile of
the concerned consumer.
From this point of view, the webpage of
the farm captures the attention, incites,
determines the buyer to “walk” in the
garden and virtual store, to fill the
basket with dainties and to want to
discuss over the telephone with the
farmer.
At an email distance…or even
close
It is very easy: you click on the “Pick”
button with what you want to have on
the table tomorrow, you leave a
telephone number and the delivery
address and you will be contacted to
confirm the order – this is all you need
to do according to the website. Victoria
Buligoanea warns the customers that
there are cases when a product on the
shopping list is no longer available in
the garden because of pests,
unfavourable conditions or diseases.
This you will find out when you receive
the order confirmation on your email.
The customers who want to pick
themselves the vegetables they need are
invited to contact Victoria Buligoanea
on her email address and website and
they will be received with opened arms
and “a glass of cold water of flavoured
tomato juice”. “Legume Fericite”
concept is customer-oriented.
Depending on the season, the
vegetables are picked on the day of
delivery. They are packed and labelled
with the time they were picked, and
afterwards transported to the
customer’s door. The order can be made
from one day to the next, from Monday
to Friday, in Bucharest and vicinity. In
other areas of the country, the delivery
is made via courier, the parcel arriving
in 24 hours. On medium term, Victoria
Buligoanea intends to cultivate a greater
area in order to provide to more
customers the possibility to order
healthy products for competitive prices,
to develop an infrastructure which to
allow keeping products fresh for a
longer period of time, to ensure the
diversity of the offer and to stay
consistent with regard to the quality of
the products and services. Until now,
she only used her own resources. She
says that the non-reimbursable funds
are attractive and necessary, but
bureaucracy keeps many at distance.

16
Between biological and
conventional agriculture
There are many agricultural practices
which need to be coherently integrated
and correlated with the local needs. EU
strategy promotes ecological
production, local quality products
accessible for everyone, a sustainable
economy and a balanced rural
development. Romania, the country
with the most crumbled agricultural
property from Europe, is also the one
which can generate development
models and experiences relevant for
these trends.
One of the pioneers of bio agriculture
from Romania and an enthusiastic
promoter of traditional rural farm is
Willy Schuster from Sibiu County. At
the same time, he is the voice of millions
of peasants who want to fit into the
national and European development
plans.
Willy Schuster is member of Ecoruralis
Association, which promotes the
interests of the small, traditional and
ecological farmers. “We advocate for the
rehabilitation of the peasant as a life
and work model. A legislation is
necessary in order to encourage the
small traditional producers.” Ecoruralis
Association is the first association from
Central and Eastern Europe which
became member in Via Campesina
Europa, the “International
Confederation of Peasants”.
Willy Schuster believes that food safety
is guaranteed on the long term by
proximity agriculture, short valorisation
chains. “In history, the communities
have always searched to ensure food
from proximity”, said Schuster. In this
direct relationship between the peasant
and the consumer is the key of balanced
development and implementation of
innovation in rural economy. The
sustainable practices are encouraged
based on this positive feedback received
from consumer. But, we need a truly
free market, without non-competitive
restrictions and/or advantages. The
consumer prefers the transparency of
the direct connection to a peasant, the
taste and nutritional qualities of the
product, which does not need
improvements in order to resist during
transportation and storage. “The
freedom of option ensures the success
of the traditional rural farm. A country
vision is necessary for the adaptation of
EU policies to Romanian reality”, said
Schuster.
Willy Schuster, from Mosna, Sibiu County
demonstrates that the rural farm is an example
of sustainable economic activity

17
Ecological agriculture versus
traditional rural agriculture
With his own example and the public
discourse, Willy Schuster promotes the
“traditional rural farm” characterized
by reduced sizes, practices in harmony
with the environment, maintenance of
biodiversity, administrated by the
family for their own benefit and for
direct valorisation of the products, in
proximity. Keeping the landscape, the
genetic background, the air and soil
quality have an impact on the quality of
life in the entire region.
According to the latest studies of the
Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), it results that the most efficient
agriculture is the family agriculture, as
ratio between inputs and outputs
measured in nutritive units. Also,
“family farms provide good quality
products, they use less pesticides, less
fertilizers, so, they are closer to a
sustainable organic production”,
according to the general manager of
FAO, José Graziano da Silva.
The story of the involvement of
Schuster family in agriculture began in
the ‘90s. Leaving for Germany to work
as translators, Lavinia and Willy
Schuster became there the supporters
of traditional farm, falling in love with
this type of lifestyle and work.
Afterwards, Willy discovered bio
agriculture in a Swiss program for small
Romanian artisans and peasants.
“16 years ago, we settled at Mosna and
we had a clear goal: an autonomous
farm, which to procure its own healthy
food and a favourable environment for
the development of the children in
harmony with nature. We did not
intend to obtain profit. The income
covers the living costs.”
We started with two hectares of land
and two cows. They integrated in the
farm circuit all self-support
components: pasture, hayfield, animal
breeding, milk processing, surplus
valorisation. In 2000, we built the
stable and shed and we bought a few
hectares of land. For two-three years,
the valorisation took place by selling
from home and at Medias, based on
orders and subscription (through
relatives and acquaintances).
Now, they have six cows, seven hectares
of pasture, five hectares with hay, clover
and Lucerne and two hectares with
corn. “We must ensure the food for the
animals according to biological
requirements: without concentrates,
cereals and soy, ensuring the
maintenance of biodiversity by grazing
and conscious landscape
administration”, said Willy Schuster.
Lavinia has implemented in our farm
traditional cheese making technologies
learnt in a course in Switzerland,
diversifying the products: fresh cheese,
sour cream, yogurt, butter, cream
cheese, pressed cheese, cheese with
aromatic herbs.
Association for valorisation
Between 2002 and 2003, a few farmers
from the region, who shared the same
principles with Schuster family, started
to meet at Waldorf School from Sibiu.
They were discussing, buying from one
another or changing farm products
between them. This is how was born the
idea of association for marketing the
products in Sibiu in a private market. In
2004, Willy Schuster benefited of an
USAID scholarship for young
professionals from agriculture, at the
University from Iowa. He found out that
70-80% of bio products from USA are
turned into good account through
cooperatives. When he returned home,
he shared this information with the
group of farmers from Sibiu and, in
2005, he established “BioCoop”, the
first cooperative for bio product
valorisation from Romania. “It is the
first cooperative organised based on a
bottom-up approach. It was not
established for the purpose of accessing
funds or obtaining other resources”,
said Willy Schuster. BioCoop store, “the
extended gate of my farm”, as it is called
by Schuster, has become too small for
the buyers from Sibiu. In his capacity of
president of BioCoop, Willy Schuster
promotes the idea of direct valorisation
through cooperatives.
The story goes on
Willy and Lavinia are pioneers of bio
agriculture in Romania. They made the
conversion to ecological agriculture and
they were among the first people who
obtained ecological farm certificates.
“Bio Mosna” has quickly become a true
brand in the world of producers and
consumers of ecological products.
Willy Schuster writes articles, gives
interviews, takes firm position on behalf
of the peasants at conferences, in
working groups and consultation
forums. Willy and Lavinia are trainers,
mentors, advisers for hundreds of
peasants who want to follow their
example.
By affiliating to the world network of
volunteers in ecological farms, many
students at universities from France,
Germany and Austria complete a
traineeship in bio agriculture at their
farm. The eldest of the children of
Schuster family study landscape
architecture and agronomy,
respectively. They already think about
the development of their farm: to breed
buffalo cow specific to the area, just like
their grandparents, or horses, which
they love very much. They have ideas,
dreams and plans. With people like
them the future can be bright for rural
farms!

18
“In fair weather prepare for foul”, this is
what an old proverb says. Well, ten
years ago, Bistrita Forest
Administration opened a shop where,
under the guidance of Engineer Simion
Bodor, tens of sleighs and beautiful
carriages drawn by horses.
During the ten year period, the
wonderful things that are crafted by the
seven artisans from Bistrita have
carried thousands of tourists and that
because most of the sleighs and
carriages are bought by lodgings and
hotels and they are used for touristic
purpose. The sleighs and carriages of
the artisans have reached in cities like
Bucharest, Calarasi, Alexandria,
Giurgiu, Suceava or Satu Mare.
It is a team work and the ingredients for
a perfect sleigh or carriage are passion
and patience. If one of the artisans takes
care of the carpentry section, the other
take care of the design and wraps them
in leather. Each one is equipped with a
metal chassis with breaking and
damping system, a wood
superstructure, with a tapestry and
design that makes you remember the
childhood stories. They are built in
approximately two-three weeks. The
sleighs and carriages built at Bistrita-
Nasaud can be custom made, so that the
clients may opt for the perfect colour
combinations, accessories and
additional modifications.
The shop builds two types of sleighs,
with four and eight seats, and three
types of carriages: for parade,
promenade and hunting. Before finding
their owners, the carriages and sleighs
are homologated for driving on public
roads.
Because they are not manufactured in
series, Bistrita Forest Administration
sells an average of 40 sleighs and
carriages per year. There were more
profitable years, like 2010, when this
number was exceeded, but also less
profitable years, when they sold less
than 30 sleighs and carriages. The price
of a sleigh is between LEI 4,900 and
LEI 8,000, and of a carriage is between
LEI 16,000 and LEI 18,000. The sleigh
orders increase one month before
winter season, and the carriage orders
increase in March.
The scope of the shop was not only to
revive old traditions, but also to create
jobs. Additionally, it was intended to
complete a touristic circuit made
available by the Forestry
Administration. And, in order for the
things to go hand in hand, at three
kilometres away from Beclean City
there is an Equestrian Tourism Centre
and Beclean Stud Farm (managed by
Bistrita Forestry Administration),
which tourist can visit in exchange of a
fee with sleighs and carriages built in
the small shop. And also at Beclean, the
National Championship of Horse Pair
Harnesses has been organized for a few
years.
A few facts in figures:
• Bistrita Forestry Administration sells
an average of approximately 40 sleighs
and carriages per year;
• The cost of the sleighs is between LEI
4,900 and LEI 8,000, and of a carriage
is between LEI 16,000 and LEI 18,000;
• Two-three weeks are necessary to
build a sleigh.
Sleighs and carriages from Bistrita

20
The specificity of the alternative food
supply schemes is given by the
capacity to provide to the consumer
through a food system alternative to
(industrial) conventional production
food products which contain relevant
information on small agricultural
producers and the extensive practices
which these food products originate
from. This information refers to the
production site, used methods (post-
production: artisanal, traditional or
manufacture), the workers involved
in their production (often with names
and contact data), potentially
including the values of the people
involved in obtaining these food
products.
The short supply chains guarantee the
quality of the products by direct
contact with the producer or based on
traceability guarantees, but the
quality of these products is first
conditioned by the origin from a
sustainable agriculture, from
practices specific to post-productive
model. This implies the compliance of
the producer with a set of norms on
sustainable agriculture or agri-
ecology, artisanal or manufacture
production, compliance with recipes
which favour the nutritive qualities to
the prejudice of the long shelf life of
the product and, last but not least, a
correct communication of the origin
of this product from a system
alternative to conventional food
production.
ASAT (Association for Rural
Agriculture Support) is the form
under which such food supply scheme
has been developing in Romania as of
2008 as alternative to the local fruit
and vegetable market, proposing a
firm partnership between a group of
responsible consumers and a small
agricultural producer around a
traditional or organic vegetable
culture.
ASAT means a direct, immediate
solidarity relationship between
consumers preoccupied by the quality
of food and the farmers practicing a
natural and small scale agriculture in
the proximity villages.
The groups of consumers reunited in
ASAT partnerships decide to equally
divide the production from the
vegetable gardens traditionally or
organically cultivated by the small
producers, paying an equal
contribution for the coverage of the
costs and remuneration of the farmer.
These co-shared gardens have small
sizes (0.2-2 ha) and they are located
in the proximity of the localities
where the groups of solidary
consumers are set-up.
Around the fruit basket partnerships
other small partnerships are formed
with other small farmers for
complementary products: dairies and
cheese, honey, eggs, homemade bread
and sweets, jams and syrups made of
fruits grown in traditional orchards or
of berries.
ASAT solidarity partnerships between
consumers and small proximity
farmers are inspired by AMAP
(Association for Maintenance of Rural
Agriculture) movement from France
launched in the early 2000s, which
develop solidary local partnerships
between urban and rural. The cultural
and historical differences between the
two societies are pretty significant in
ASAT (Association for Supporting Rural
Agriculture), ) solidarity partnerships, an
alternative form of food supply scheme

21
order to have a specific approach of
the problem of the small extensive
agriculture from Romania. ASAT has
its own identity built in the seven
years of development in the context of
the social and economic dynamics of
Romania.
Community-Supported
Agriculture at international
level
ASAT partnerships are part of the
family of the Community-Supported
Agriculture (CSA), a movement with
more than 60 years of experience in
the world. CSA was set-up as a
reaction to a crisis (disappearance of
the small farmers and of the benefits
provided by them on the local food
market) and developed as a form of
solidarity of consumers with farmers,
by developing a win-win relationship.
The role played by the partnerships
between consumers and farmers has
several dimensions: first of all,
consolidation of sustainability of
micro-farms engaged in traditional
and ecological agriculture; second,
supporting a healthy lifestyle among
consumers, who empower themselves
for what they consume and also for
the world they leave to the future
generations.
The first forms of CSA were developed
approximately 50 years ago in Japan
as reaction to the decline of semi-
subsistence agriculture and reduction
of access to local healthy food in
urban industrialized communities.
The first partnerships are developed
by the Japanese mothers concerned
about the increase of vegetable
imports, drastic reduction of
ecologically exploited agricultural
plots and migration of farmers to
cities. These women organized
themselves in solidary groups of
consumers and set up a new product
production and procurement system
by developing a direct relationship
with the local producers.
Today, at international level, there are
different initiatives which are part of
the community-supported agriculture
family, of which we enumerate as
follows:
• AMAP in France;
• CSA (Community Supported
Agriculture) in Anglo-Saxon
countries;
• ASC (Agriculture soutenue par la
communauté) in Quebec (Canada);
• Teikei in Japan;
• Reciproca in Portugal;
• GAS (Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale )
in Italy;
• Contractual Proximity Agriculture
in Switzerland;
• ASAT in Romania.
ASAT reinvents the producer-
consumer relationship, which it
transforms in a mutually
advantageous partnership. On the
one hand, the small agricultural
producer, who can cultivate naturally
and organically, without fearing that
his work is going to be left unpaid or
that he would have to sell his products
at a loss because of the pressure put
by long distribution chains on
producers, and of the competition
with great agri-industrial producers.
On the other hand, the consumer also
becomes partner of the small
agricultural producer, in this way, no
longer being in the posture of passive
consumer and participating in a new
relationship in which information on
food and the way in which it is
cultivated are directly accessible to
him, being at the same time co-
decision-maker with regard to the
content of the weekly basket and to
the partnership development plan.
ASAT partnerships:
• providing producers with a
guarantee regarding selling of
products, the consumers concluding a
contract with the producer in the
beginning of an agricultural season;
• reducing the time for selling the
products, the producers sell the
products in one day per week, at a
pre-established time interval;
• ensuring an equitable price to the
producer, which to cover all the costs
incurred by the production, and
allowing a reliable income for
producers and a decent payment of
the work;
• supporting local agriculture, this
measure being exclusively addressed
to small agricultural producers who
practice traditional or organic
agriculture;
• favouring ecological practices (use of
natural fertilizers, absence of
synthesis pesticides, fertilizers and
treatments), favouring development
of local biodiversity;
• supporting a sustainable
development model in agricultural
field.
Short history of ASAT
partnerships
ASAT solidarity partnerships were
developed in a pilot stage at
Timisoara, between 2008 and 2011.
In this stage, a vegetable producer
from Timis County was supported in
an experimental manner, and his
group of consumers has evolved from
20 families to 180 families who
concluded a firm contract for one
season.
After the pilot stage of the model,
CRIES Association, together with its
partners, have supported a
partnership multiplication effort in
several regions from the country, in
2014, ASAT partnerships being
present in Arad, Bihor, Buzau, Cluj,
Giurgiu, Harghita, Salaj and Timis
County. The cities in which groups of
solidary consumers were formed are:
Arad, Bucharest, Cluj, Odorheiu
Secuiesc, Oradea and Timisoara. In
2014, 400 families of solidary
consumers and over 20 small
agricultural producers participated in
ASAT partnerships.
Sergiu Florean
General Secretary of ASAT
Association.
For more information:
www.asatromania.ro, www.cries.ro
e-mail: asat@cries.ro
info@asatromania.ro
postal address: Timisoara, 11 . Bogdan
Petriceicu Hasdeu Blvd. , 300016,
Timis county, Romania
Telephone: (+4)0756.081.959.

22
„Time passes and we cannot stop it,
its law is our law”, said a peasant from
a village from Hunedoara County to
the ethnologist Marcel Laptes. We
will narrate about the time law, too,
trying to rebuild a calendar which put
things in good order before
organizing them, a calendar which
divided time into sacred and profane,
an ancient calendar which has
reached present time. We will attempt
a presentation of the most important
holidays from the Popular Calendar
marked by the cyclical rebirth of Year
God, by the passage of the Sun
through the zodiac, by cosmic
timepieces which give birth to
mythical scenarios and creatures
when equinox and solstice are
approaching. We will see how Time
disguises into young divinities in the
beginning of the year (Saint
Ladislaus, Dragobete, Santoader,
Sangeorz, Saint Friday, Palm Sunday,
Sanziene, Ielele), afterwards, it
becomes mature (Saint Ilie, Samedru,
Saint Andrew, Saint Friday,
Inatoarea, Craciuneasa), becoming
Mos/Baba at the end of the year
(Saint Nicholas, New Year’s Eve,
Santa Clause, Baba Dochia),
mentioning that, in the past, the 25th
of December and the 1st of March
were also the first days of a New Year.
In the beginning of a year, the peasant
used to say that “time is settling” and
he wanted to know how the year and
life are going to be for him. This is
why he opened the Gromovnic, he
“made calendars” of onion leaves and
charcoal, he looked at the sky and
counted the stars-logostars, he asked
the zodiac, ally with the water, soil,
fire…
Epiphany and Santion
Epiphany and Santion close the circle
of winter holidays. The time purifies
through water and fire and the
magical practices are more intense
than ever: people go from house to
house singing, voodoo is made, casts
are spelled over, fortunes are told, the
predestined husband/wife is found
out, forecasts are made as regards the
weather and harvests of the new year.
People light the immortal fire and
scent the house and garden in order
to cast out the evil spirits, to attract
luck and wealth, they practice an
ancient agrarian ritual for crop
stimulation called
Ciuralexa/Chiraleisa or Kira Leisa.
Young men jump over the calmed
flames of the fire in order to purify
their bodies and souls. The maidens
“enchant” intense love spells. The fire
is the embodiment of the sun on
earth, it is the sacred symbol of home
fireplace, bearer of the spiritual light.
Water appears from the moon light,
washing the sins inherited from the
ancestors, and generates rebirth. By
blessing it on the day of Epiphany, the
water acquires magical powers, and
they extend to people, community,
fertile field, protecting the entire
world and chasing away diseases,
devils, ghosts, snakes and wolves. It is
the time of the year when Solomonari
appear holding the Book of World’s
Secrets in one hand and the linden
bast bridle in the other. They are the
masters of storm clouds, the ones who
ramble into the sky on dragons and
divert the hail as they wish. The
elderly say that the water which is
blessed on the day of Epiphany has
miraculous powers and it never
spoils. The Christian ceremony takes
place at a well from the village, in the
courtyard of the church or nearby a
running water. After being blessed,
the water transforms into agheasma
(holly water). People take this water
at home in especially prepared vessels
and pour a little in all the wells that
come into their way. They also splash
water on their house, sheds, animals
and orchard in an ancient purification
ritual.
Ritual time – Splitting the
Group of Young Men
The sky is opened, the treasures are
burning, the guardian angel show to
the maiden her destiny, solomonari
appear among people, and the future
can be seen in the mirror. There are
The calendar of our villages
Iulia Gorneanu

23
days marked by the symbolic
beginning of the work, sitting under
the sign of astronomical observations,
of drawing up the weather calendar,
of trying one’s luck. On the day of
Epiphany, the Groups of Young Men
are split, but not before the
organization of a last supper at the
host’s house, where all those
attending take a piece from the round
ritual bread. Songs are sang to the
host, the spiritual parents of the
young men while the Group is still
united and, afterwards, there is a
dance marking the end of the
common party and, at the same time,
the cancellation of the tasks of the
Group between years. The goat, the
sheep, which came to life on the day
of Saint Nicholas, together with the
group which accompanied every hour,
dance solitarily before death. Playing
the role of Year God, the mask is
symbolically killed in order to reborn
together with the calendar time.
Iordanitul femeilor –
matriarchal relict
Women also organize in groups in
order to party in the beginning of the
New Year. The custom is called
Tontoroi (or Carnaval, Iordanitul
femeilor) and it takes place on the day
of Santion and it is a relic of
matriarchal period. On this day, the
strict norms of the traditional village
are abolished, women are considered
more powerful than men, taking over
the excessive freedom and behaviour.
In a special ceremony, the young
wives are welcomed into the
community of married women.
Afterwards, they chose a host where
they party until dawn, dancing,
singing and drinking in excess.
Normally, the Christian holiday has
eclipsed the pagan holiday both by
celebration ceremonies, which bear
the name of the saint, and by setting
the “Day of Midwife” on January 7th,
John the Baptist being also
considered the protector of the
infants.
Sanpetru Lupilor (Saint Peter of
Wolves) and the middle of the
winter
The middle of January brings us an
important holiday patronized by a
great mythical-folkloric divinity:
Sanpetru de iarna (Saint Peter of
Winter) or Sanpetru Lupilor. The
faith of old Dacians in the sacredness
of the wolf has caused the investment
of Saint Peter with the attributes of a
seasonal autochthonous goddess,
who, together with her brother,
Sanpetru de Vara (Saint Peter of
Summer), divides the pastoral year
into two seasons. The wolves were
called “dogs of Sanpetru”, and the
legends say that they blindly obey his
orders. On the night of January 16th,
when the peasants say that it is also
the “middle of winter”, Sanpetru show
before them on a white horse,
presenting offerings to them and
allowing them to killing and robbing
animals and people, sharing their
food for the entire year.
For the Romanian peasant, Sanpetru
occupies a special place in the popular
pantheon. He is mentioned in
hundreds of carols, being the witness
of the world beginning, descending
from the sky on a wax ladder, and
during the intense sacredness
moments over the year, when the sky
opens, he is shown sitting at the table
on the right side of God. Still, the
popular imagination invested him
with human attributes, describing
him in stories as a man who likes to
party, who gambles in taverns, has a
pretty shepherdess, lost his horses
and oxen during ploughing time,
when he needed them most… But his
diligence, honour and kindness are
more important: God appointed him
the “guardian of sky pantries” and
gives him the desired keys of Heaven.
The day on which he is celebrated is
always in the middle of winter, an
important boundary of the popular
calendar, which, once passed, opens
the gates of spring. The peasants say
that from that moment on “winter
starts descending towards spring”.
Pastoral calendar – Winter
Philips
The Winter Philips mark the end of
the wolves coupling period, which
began 80 days prior, on the day of
Autumn Philips. In some places, it is
believed that Philips are greater saints
over all the wild beasts, in other
places, it is believed that they are the
patrons of wolves, while some say that
Philips are even embodiments of
these animals. In the gatherings of
Tudor Pamfile, Philips appear as
house gods celebrated especially by
women in order to protect their home
from “evil, danger, fire, wolves,
snakes”. Also the women – through
ceremonial practices and gestures –
are the ones who keep the wolves at
distance from the flocks and homes.
The beliefs in “bad days when wolves
come” were attested in all the areas of
the country until the first half of the
20th century. Today, they are still
celebrated only in the pastoral
environment, but the dates differ
from one area to another, comprising
the interval between Sanpetru Lupilor
and the last day of the month,
patronized by the Limp Philip. The
fact that the divinity which completes
the cycle of festive days dedicated to
wolves is “important” places it in the
pantheon of the underground gods, of
death and darkness, sheltered into the
night and dominated by the
mythological fear of the sun.
As you see, our world was divided into
“before Christ” and “after Christ”.
Does it mean that we are not good
Christians if we want to know what
was “before”? Why is that on a Roman
coin, Ianus, the great two-faced god –
one turned towards the year which
passed and the other turned towards
the year which has just came – sits
between two worlds and smiles with
indulgence…
We need our stories, legend, signs and
ancient language. We need to find out
and to understand the rituals of our
ancestors, their beliefs about the seen
and unseen world. Every day we lose
words, music, small blue houses,
childhood games, plant cure, sacredness
of dances, customs, magical soul and
world dimension. Every day we sell our
dowry chests, handkerchiefs and
traditional blouses; the fairs are full of
them, they are waiting on the counter for
us to take them home, to elucidate their
signs, to carry forwards the story of the
woman who sew them, a story which
comes from ancient times and which, if
we give it a chance, can be endless…Only
together we can recover this rural
patrimony not protected by any law!
Let’s propose to ourselves, in the
beginning of the Year and Calendar, to
save, according to our powers, a parental
house, a peasant skirt, a “zadia”, a girdle
or a traditional blouse! Save a Romanian
traditional blouse is the generic advice.
Saving a peasant object you save a piece
of Romania. And do not forget: the
traditional blouse, the veil, the peasant
skirt, the rug, the girdle…maybe there
were made by your great-grandmother!
Save a Romanian traditional blouse (IE)!

24
It is said that Decebalus guarded his
treasures from Apuseni Mountains
with the help of giants. These human
beings are often found in the legends
which cover Crisana with mystery.
Nowadays, the treasures of this area
continue to be rigorously guarded. We
are talking about the treasures of
tradition, which are guarded by “giant”
artisans based on their talent and
experience.
Accommodation just like in the
19th century
A few of them might be known in the
small village of Runcuri, where there
are also accommodation options. Casa
Traditionala Complex has four
buildings with names and aspect
depicted from stories told by the
fireside: Star House, Big House,
Mulberry House and Shed covered
with straws. The conditions are rustic,
the ambiance is calm and the tourists
can return in time in order to deal with
a challenge with historical perfume:
facing the picturesque lifestyle from
the 19th century. From the furniture to
the courtyard, everything is
authentically rustic; the tourists can
manage the household by themselves,
just like their grandparents.
Dobrești commune, between
touristic attractions and lace
fabrics
Toplita Cave makes the junction with
one of the longest caves from
Romania, Ciur Ponor Cave of
approximately 15 kilometres length,
ensuring a true underground route
between the villages of Dobresti
commune and Rosia.
The fabrics specific to Crisna region
are considered traditional
adornments. In Dobresti commune,
this trade has been kept for hundreds
of years in its authentic forms.
“Anywhere in the country where I sell
the fabrics from Bihor, the people
recognize their origin. The fabrics
specific to Crisana clearly distinguish
from the rest of the country, they are
unmistakable”, explains Mrs Viorica
Stiube, weaver. “The patterns are
unique in the world, I inherited them
from the dowry chests of our
grandmothers. There are ancient
patterns. The most representative
ones are those with small ball of
thread, with laced aspect. They need
a lot of attention; each thread of the
fabric is separately placed, you
cannot insert the large shuttle, a sort
of thread ball is made; in the end, the
fabric has a laced aspect. The specific
colours are the combinations of red
and black and red and navy blue;
there are people who want a little bit
more modern fabrics, so, in their case,
I use other colours, too, like yellow
and turquoise.” In the past, the
Romanian women used to weave only
during winter, when there was no
work to be done outside. Mrs Viorica
Crisana – the home of the giant artisans

25
Stiube weaves on a regular basis,
irrespective of the season.
Vadu Crisului and white
ceramics
Casa Zmaului or Turnul de la Portus
Crisy continues to guard the region of
Crisna from the bank of Crisul Repede
River. From this 18th century fortified
construction only a few ruins
remained, which impress with their
age and aspect; the tower was partially
erected directly into the mountain rock
and partially built with rock.
Nowadays, it appears subdue; moss,
flowers and bushes have conquered it
centimetre by centimetre.
In exchange, white ceramics from
Vadu Crisului is immortal and time
cannot win. The white ceramics is
unique in the world due to the clay
which is made of. “It is the only
ceramics that can be used as non-
enamelled version; the ceramics turns
white by burning, and we paint it
with natural colours, whether dark
black or red-brown. Everything is
natural”, said Iosif Szolga, potter. He
took over this trade from his mother,
one of the most famous and oldest
ceramic artists from Vadu Crisului.
“White ceramics from here does not
need to be enamelled. It keeps the
water fresh and cold without spoiling
the vessel. The secrets of white
ceramics are hundreds of years old;
we use very old traditional patterns
with floral motifs. Another extremely
used pattern is that of the hills drawn
as background. Between or in front of
the hills we paint the peasant from
Bihor working the field.” The fame of
white ceramics is not limited to
decorative or household pots. “It is an
ancient craft learnt from God who
created Adam from clay and gave him
soul. We also make figurines from
white ceramics, but we cannot give
them life.”
Budureasa – talking with the
stone and wood
Budureasa commune is located at the
basis of Bihor Mountains in a natural

26
environment marked by stone and
wood. The tourists come from all over
Romania to talk to Piatra Graitoare
(the talking stone) from the natural
reservation bearing the same name.
Piatra Graitoare is located on one of
the mountain crests; it has the aspect
of a cupola cut into rock and its name
was given to it because of the intense
echo produced when tourists whisper
nearby.
The people from the commune
continue to support themselves,
among other things, from the trade of
wood sculptures. Specific to Crisana
are the dowry chests made of oak
wood, but also the gates from Bihor
similar to those from Maramures, but
still different.
Catalin Iahar graduated Plastic Arts
and specialized in wood gates and
crosses from Bihor. He makes them at
impressive scales. “The gate that I
have made at Budureasa is one of the
tallest from the entire locality. I am
proud of it because it is 13 meters long
with an aperture of approximately
eight meters between the gates and
five meters tall. I made it of oak and
fire wood.” The wood crosses made by
Catalin Iagar are considered unique,
because the patterns are traditional
from Bihor, but reinterpreted. “I get
my inspiration from the local motifs,
but I do not copy them. I try not to
repeat myself in the wood art. The
carriage wheels are also famous at
Budureasa, having elements specific
to the area. They are often made of
oak and common oak wood and the
natural aspect of the wood is kept. I
do not use paint at all; the colour is
natural, which I enhance with a little
oil, which emphasizes the wood fibre.”
Madaras commune: weaving
faith and twigs
Homorog village from Madaras
commune dates from the time of
Menumorut (the 9th century). It is one
of the oldest villages attested with
documents, which has kept along the
centuries the Orthodox faith, despite
the pressure of the catholic religion.
The church from Homorog, under the
patronage of the “Birth of Virgin
Marry”, from the 19th century, is
famous for its interior painting, which
has remained intact until present time.
It impresses with the way in which
terrible biblical sequences are
supported by the fragility of the flower
garlands painted on the borders.
“Here, at Madaras, the weavings
specific to Crisana can be observed
everywhere in the homes of the
people, from baskets to decorations”,
said Ghorghe Ruja, an old artisan. He
has created so many objects out of
twigs that he lost their count. He is
capable of creating anything out of
twigs, but also out of wood. He even
made furniture when it was necessary.
“I can use weavings specific to
Crisana in any way it is desired. I use
them as decorations on bottles, flower
vases, even on wrought iron objects.
The flower baskets for flower pots are
the most desired ones, because of the
picturesque aspect of the twigs. I have
also made benches covered by osier
for peasant houses.” The twigs are
taken from special plantations, not
from anywhere. “In the past, there
were enterprises which were
administrating these plantations.
They were very large, well
maintained and provided twigs for
the entire area of Crisana. But, in the
last years, the plantations started to
reduce. The trade of weaving also
begins to extinguish in Crisana after
hundreds of years.”
Roșia, the spirit of Crisana
The Chrystal Cave was discovered in
the second half of the 20th century by
accident by the workers of Farcu mine.
It is a unique place in Romania, a cave
which can be only partially visited, but
spectacular due to its ceiling from
which true crystal figurines hang. The
best known are the dragonfly
figurines. The landscape seems
depicted from stories with crystal
palaces.
The water mill from Rosia is the most
famous mill of Crisana, the only one of
its kind in the area, which still works
today. It dates from the 19th century
and it was built exclusively of wood,
with a large water wheel, having two
rooms: the one in which there is the
milling mechanism and the miller’s
room. It belongs to a villager who is
always happy to receive guests.
The Stroh violin is a music instrument
specific to Crisana. The artisan Dorel
Codoban has lived and worked at
Rosia. In 2011, he died, but his
extraordinary invention, the violin
with two horns continues to survive in
the stories of her wife.
„My husband was a true artisan. He
had a special musical ear. He had
worked for years to the Stroh violin
and, afterwards, all of a sudden, he
invented the violin with two horns”,
remembered Flori Codoban. “The
Stroh violin is made only of sycamore
maple wood, because it is a light and
very manageable wood. The Stroh
violin consists in three pieces all made
of wood: the frame in which the heart
of the violin is placed, the wood head
and the part called the chin, because
the musician places it under his chin
when he sings. The horn is an element
inspired by the horns used by the
Romanian armies in time. It has the
same shape, but it is very
scrupulously processed.”
The Stroh violin from Crisana is an
instrument that is as representative as
it is hard to procure. It implies many
hours of work, experience and
scrupulousness. With regard to the
violin with two horns, Mrs Flori
Codoban says that “unlike the normal
violin, it has a very powerful echo and
a more alert rhythm”. “It has been
always present in Crisana, especially
at weddings. An American came to us,
bought a Stroh violin and he noticed
the violin with two horns. He could
not sleep at night because he did not
have it. He begged my husband to sell
it to him, but Dorel Codoban did not
want, because it was his first invented
violin. In the end, he sold it to him and
the American took it with him to
America.”
Adornments from Beius
The beaded jewellery are a trade
specific to Crisana. The art of adorning
with traditional jewellery is specific to
both men and women. Neck
adornments and bracelets for women
and decorative beads for the hats of
men are sold in the area of Beius. “I
make jewellery for both men and
women”, said Mrs Catalina Simai from
Beius. “In our region, the men wear
jewelleries on their hats or caps. We
call them small collars with teeth.

27
They are difficult to make. The
patterns for men are made on 10, 12,
16 up to 20 threads and they are
finished with wool tassels or small
beads. The adornments for women
are made with maximum 12 threads,
these being wider. We have
combinations of intense colours,
which are pleasant for the eyes: white
with red, orange, green and navy
blue. We scrupulously combine every
bead to have a beautiful effect.
Specific for Crisana are the small
collars with small ball thread, the
thread being stronger than the usual
one. We use the inherited patterns
also representatives for fabrics:
clover, Christian symbols,
geometrical shapes. The adornments
from Crisana distinguish from the
rest because they include all the
possible colours.”
Other attractions and legends of
Crisana
The Bears’ Cave from Chiscau village,
Bihor County, is famous for a grave of
bears. It is a specie of bears extinct
15,000 years ago – the cavern bears.
The huge bones of approximately 140
bears were found here. They were
blocked inside by a rock that fell and
covered the cave entrance.
Soimos Fortress from Arad County
dates from the 13th century and it
became a ruin because of its founder –
a young virgin who boasted about
being capable of building it in one day
without the help of God. As
punishment, the young woman was
turned into a white snake with crown.
The legend says that she lives nearby
the ruins, expecting for the curse to be
removed.
About the old church from Gosii Noi,
Arad County, it is said that it was built
without using nails, only chopped
boards. It is under the patronage of the
“Death of Virgin Marry” and its
existence is related to a bloody legend:
it was built with heroic efforts by a
single man punished in this way for
killing his wife.
The rose paradise
The rosary from Mandruloc, Arad
County, is the largest rose garden from
Romania. It is spread on three
hectares and includes approximately
2000 various species of roses. The
three colour rose and Eden Rose
climbing rose are very appreciated.

28
Steluta and Horia Fenechiu sold their
apartment from Bucharest, quit their
jobs with fix schedule and stable salary
from the capital and retired into
Martanus village from Covasna. They
bought there one hectare and a half of
land and started cultivating
blackberries, raspberries, blueberries,
gooseberries, boxthorn and
strawberries. “It happened in 2010. We
left the city and started a small
business, but filled with satisfactions”,
reminded Horia Fenechiu. “My father
is from Martanus, so, in weekends we
went there and made jams and syrups
after the recipes with which my mother
grew. We have fruits at discretion on
the hills of Martanus. We came with the
idea of transforming this occupation
into business because our friends kept
speaking highly of the taste and flavour
of the jams we were making. I think it
was a momentary madness; we gave
up our city lives and returned to our
roots in the native place of our
parents.”
Steluta and Horia Fenechiu only wanted
to have a decent living from an
occupation which to bring them joy, not
only financial gains. After four years,
they had not have the foreseen decent
living, but they did not lose hope. The
daily satisfactions exceeded the
expectations of the two spouses. “I am
electronics engineer and my wife is
economist. The hours spent at the office
do not compare in any way with the
moments in which we work the land.
We are doing all the work. When you
work the land you have moments of joy
that are hard to understand by those
who sit at the office; it is very hard:
you sweat, you injure, your back hurts,
but, no matter what happens, all the
efforts are rewarded when the first
fruit grows. It is a reward that fills
your heart with joy; it is the same as
raising a child.”
„Dealurile Martanusului” jam and
syrup
The first thing that attracts to the
traditional products of Fenechiu family
is the package. The jars and bottles have
original customized labels which make
you think about a typical mountain area
from Transilvania. Once you open a jar
or a bottle, the product wins you over
with its special aroma. The jams are
made from cranberries, black currants,
roses, raspberries, strawberries, green
walnuts, blackberries and apples with
cinnamon. The syrups are made of fir
buds, common elder, lemon,
raspberries, blueberries and
strawberries. “The ones which we sell
are the tastes of my childhood, I grew
up with them. My wife is an excellent
housewife and precisely complies with
the recipes left by my mother and
grandmother. The jars and bottles that
we sell contain the memories of my
childhood”, said Horia Fenechiu. “The
rose and green walnut jams are best
sold. But my favourite is wild rose
jam.”
The secret of the taste has two
components: wood fire and spring
water. “I have fitted up a special place
in which we make the jam. We have
two large cooking stoves which work
with wood. The water is from a
mountain spring. In the village there
are huge tanks which collect mountain
water; it is filtered and provided to our
homes.”
Due to the fact that the products do not
contain preservatives, the shelf life is
different from that of the jams from
hypermarkets. “The law provides that
each producer must indicate his own
shelf life, which he responsibly
undertakes. I was afraid to play with
the shelf life, so I myself tested the
products. If they are kept at
temperatures of less than 20 degrees,
the syrups last for one year and the
jams for two years.”
The difference that counts
The market of traditional products
made under individual enterprise
regime is pretty crowded as regards the
offer. But “Dealurile Martanusului” jam
People
The hills of Martanus - jam and syrup with the
taste of childhood memories

29
tends to distinguish from the rest of the
similar products. “We have the great
advantage that we are from the city,
born and raised in Bucharest;
therefore, we are familiar with the
claims of the townspeople and we
know how to satisfy them. The
townsman cares very much about the
quality, but also about the aspect of the
product; we are doing everything we
can to provide them with a natural
taste, healthy products, impeccable
aspect. We work fair and I think that,
in the end, this is what makes the
difference on the market of traditional
products”, explained Horia Fenechiu.
A very important aspect: “In this
business, whether you want it or not,
you associate with God. With His will,
you have a good or not so good
harvest. We take our berries from three
sources: our own cultures,
spontaneous flora and our parents’
orchard around the house.”
„I cannot describe in one word the
spirit of my products”, said Horia
Fenechiu. “But I can describe it in one
image – the image of my hands and my
wife’s hands, the hands with which we
work the land, we pick the fruits and
turn them into jams and syrups. They
are hands that do a fair work.”
“Dealurile Martanusului” jam and syrup
have customers who are family friends
and their friends. The products are also
sold on the internet in an online store
on Delurile Martanusului website.
„Mr Daniel Constantin, the Minister of
Agriculture, gave me a brilliant idea:
to try to sell the products to lodgings
from rural area, which do not have a
fruit farm. On the other hand, an
extraordinary help would also be a list
which to make the direct connection
between the producers and
consumers.”

Short food chain - interview with Tiberiu Cazacioc in Rural Romania

Short food chain - interview with Tiberiu Cazacioc in Rural Romania

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