As part of the 200 LARGEST AND SUCCESSFUL since the beginning of this project, we asked them about the challenges they faced over the years, innovations in the company and plans for the future. Read the text in full below.

1. Pekabesko has successfully existed on the market for 40 years, and in the last 20 years it has been part of the 200 LARGEST AND SUCCESSFUL. What is your secret for success and maintaining at the top among the best companies in Macedonia?

- We believe that the responsible approach in working towards buyers, suppliers, employees and the state is the secret of success, as well as key strategic decisions that we have made in the past period, which positively influenced the company's operations.

2. With what work techniques and introduced innovations are the daily operations carried out in the Pekabesko plants? Are there new innovations ready to be implemented soon?

- We constantly invest in the development of business processes, we make new products, we invest in the development of employees as well as follow the trends in our industry for technical technological development in order to maintain our competitiveness.

3. The data from 2022 shows that the company has successfully emerged from the Covid-19 crisis. Was there any strategy with the help of which Pekabesko overcame the crisis years and got back on its feet in the first year after the end of the pandemic?

- We in the food industry had minor consequences from the Covid crisis, unlike some other industries, our main concern was the health of our employees during the pandemic and the maintenance of the production and business process with the aim of timely supplying the market with the necessary quantities of products.

4. Which period of these 40 years was the biggest challenge for you and how do you deal with such challenges?

- The most difficult years were the years after the breakup of former Yugoslavia, when the state faced the loss of the markets in which it buys and sells goods, as well as wars, embargoes and crises that significantly worsened the conditions for doing business and reduced the purchasing power of citizens.

5. The competition on the domestic market is increasing, both from domestic and foreign companies. How do you deal with the competition and what motivates you to fight it?

- With continuous development and investments in the company, the aim is to increase our competitiveness in order to cope with the growing competition on the market.

6. Pekabesko was among the 100 largest exporters for 2022. In which foreign markets are you most active, how did you reach them? Do you perhaps have plans to expand to other continents in the future?

- We are active in the markets in the region where we traditionally sell our products, in addition we have an export number for the EU and we are trying to enter the market in the EU and in the whole world for this purpose this year we participated in the largest food fair in the world Anuga in Cologne, Germany.

7. In the media, we constantly read about donations and activities aimed at social responsibility on your part. In what way does Pekabesko take care of and contribute to social problems in the past period?

- We try to help the community within our capabilities considering that we work in our country and we want to give back to the community and help its development.

8. Finally, what news and investments can we expect from Pekabesko in the future?

- We are continuously working on improving our operations, so we will have new products in our portfolio, and we will invest in electricity production capacity.

Interview with Anatol Kutrevski, Second Executive Director