LARGEST ROSE GARDEN IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BLOSSOMS IN SEMBERIJA
In the family estate "Angel’s Rose" located in Velika Obarska near Bijeljina, you can find the largest rose garden in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and possibly the wider region.
Vladimir Milićević and his godfather Darko Tešić planted their first rose garden in 2017 with about 1,000 rose bushes, and today they proudly cultivate 10,000 Bulgarian Kazanlik roses of the Damask variety. It was a pioneering and bold move, but they had no doubts, and their business idea quickly proved successful.
This year, due to unusual weather conditions, the rose harvest began almost two months earlier, starting in early April. Despite the challenges brought on by climate change, extreme heat, and drought, the roses have fared well, unlike many other agricultural sectors. "Roses are perennial plants, and they are very resilient," explains Vladimir. He adds that the lifespan of a rose bush is around 25 to 30 years, after which the garden needs to be renewed.
"Roses can withstand both drought and low temperatures. They need year-round care, including pruning and monitoring. We use chemical treatments that have no waiting period and analyze the soil to determine what nutrients to add or remove," says Vladimir.
Each year, they harvest about a ton of rosebuds for tea and two to three tons of petals for making juices. In a single season, they produce approximately 50,000 bottles of rose and elderflower syrup, with plans to increase production to 150,000 bottles. Their products are sold across Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and they are slowly expanding into the neighboring Serbian market.
"Major retail chains have shown interest in our juice, and we are currently in negotiations. We are proud to say that our products are certified organic. The entire process, from tending the roses to producing the juice, is done traditionally, by hand. We pick the roses, pluck the petals, and make the juice manually, adding only water, citric acid, and sugar, without any additives or preservatives, making our product completely natural," explains Milićević.
Being the only producers of this kind in the Semberija region and beyond, their efforts have been recognized by local authorities, and with subsidies and incentives, they have managed to purchase a small cold storage unit.
They also plan to expand into the pharmaceutical sector, producing rose oil and distillates, which are highly sought after in the cosmetics industry. Additionally, they aim to establish an elderberry plantation with around a hundred bushes, which they currently gather from mountain areas. With a wealth of ideas, a bit of support, and hard work, they are confident that their business plans will come to fruition.
The rose garden in Velika Obarska is a beautiful symbol of Semberija and proof that, in this fertile plain, flowers can thrive just as well as traditional agricultural crops.
