Vitas (Romania)

The central part of Romania has always been at the crossroads of cultures. In this setting, a German, a Hungarian, a Romanian and a Roma wanted to demonstrate that common traditions can prevail over prejudices related to ethnic origins. Today they are united by three things: they bought an old mill, set up a bakery and founded an association with a daring social project - to transform a poor village into a tourist attraction site. The opportunity of bringing back hopefulness and offering new perspectives to Hosman arose in 2010 when the village’s old mill was up for sale. Though significant restoration work was initially required, Violeta Boldizsár, the baker, is now able to enchant her customers with bread, cakes, pies and a local specialty, all based on traditional recipes preserved over generations. Her bakery is located on the premises of the old mill.

The bakery has an on-site shop, but products are also distributed to shops in Sibiu city and at weekly local fairs of traditional products. Individual orders are fulfilled as well with deliveries to events or family gatherings. The mill is a tourist attraction on its own, but it also hosts events such as symphonic concerts, the “Day of the Mill”, theatre performances or workshops that Violeta tirelessly organises in addition to her bakery work. The “Hosman Durabil” (Sustainable Hosman) association's project has therefore grown to be an exemplary undertaking admired throughout the country. Vitas, a microfinance institution and an EIF financial intermediary in Romania, helped Violeta Boldizsár's bakery with three different loans at the various development stages. The first one contributed to repairing the oven and the furnace in the old mill. The second loan was used to purchase the raw materials needed to ensure a continuous production capacity and finance the distribution at ecoand traditional fairs. The third financing – supported by EIF under European Progress Microfinance Facility (EPMF) – enabled the renovation of the showroom where products can be exhibited and events held. The next steps foresee the renovation of the barn that will be able to accommodate a movie theatre and host the Old Mill’s own arts and crafts fair where other artisans from nearby villages could also present their talents and traditions to a larger audience.

Company: Violeta Boldizsár I.I. (Romania) 

Type of business: bakery

EU-guaranteed micro-loan from Vitas

For further information about EIF intermediaries in Romania, please refer to: http://www.eif.org/what_we_do/where/ro