Apple processing plant next to plantation – Levac Winery planning investments worth EUR 1.3 million in Karadjordjevo Brdo

Thanks to a good investment plan it has submitted to the ministry in charge, the Rekovac-based Levac Winery has been leased 30.5 hectares of state-owned agricultural land in Karadjordjevo Brdo near Paracin under the priority right. The agreement also specifies that the investment is worth EUR 1.3 million.

As announced, the winery will establish an apple plantation on the land and also build a factory for the production of chips, vinegar, wine, brandy and other derivative products later on. Director Dragoslav Radenkovic emphasizes that this is not a small investments, but that the realization period is defined to be three years.

– We plan to carry out preparatory works for establishing the plantation this year, and the sowing will wait for the autumn. We will secure everything needed for irrigation, that is, three artesian aquifers, a reservoir, a pumping station and infrastructure for the drop-by-drop type of irrigation. We will then permanently employ around 15 workers, and we will also be hiring seasonal workers per need – the head of Levac points out and adds that, in addition to a good preparation for the sowing, an anti-hail system needs to be established as well.

The raising of an apple processing plant is planned for a later period, and the plant is to produce chips, vinegar, wine and brandy from the fruit that doesn't get exported.

Per projected yields of 60 tons per hectare, Radenkovic expects as much as 80% of the yield to be of top quality, that is, meant for export.

The Rekovac-based winery was founded back in 1950s. It produces grapes, wine, brandy, syrup and dried fruit. It has a cellar of 2,000 square meters, a filling plant, a warehouse and a distillery, and it also owns 90 hectares of land, of which 36 under vineyards and 35 under forests. The factory is located on the main Kragujevac-Krusevac road, and the facilities for the production of drinks and dried fruit are located there as well.

With 13 permanent employees, Levac has ambitious plans for Paracin and the apple plantation, and the number of employees will practically double. The new owners took over the company in 2014 and invested considerable funds in the reconstruction of vineyards, the buyout of grapes and the overhaul of the entire technological equipment. They produce nine types of wine from grapes, strawberries and blackberries, as well as plum, grape and pear brandies.

Vinarija Levač Rekovac

lease of state agricultural land

apple plantation

apple

apples

apple processing plant Paracin

apple processing plant Karadjordjevo Brdo

Karadjordjevo Brdo

apple processing

apple products

apple chips

apple brandy

apple vinegar

Dragoslav Radenkovic

export of fruit

export of apples

production of dried fruit

dried fruit