VIDEO // Two Moldovans, returned from the USA, initiated grape production business

Vladimir and Veaceslav Vedrasco, who have returned from the United States, initiated a family business in grape production in Ialoveni - Frudova. On this journey, the entrepreneurs enjoyed support on behalf of the government.

Farmer Vladimir Vedrasco says that he was always skeptical about starting a business in Moldova, but his perspective changed after returning from the USA.

‘’I was skeptical about developing a business at home. I believed it made no sense, because a small country, small market, small opportunities. In 2014, I emigrated to America, and that's when I began to understand certain things. In fact, small countries, small markets provide big opportunities. I never believed that the government is obliged to help a company. The role of the state is to create fair laws, a fair entrepreneurial environment and provide optimal conditions for import/export. Nevertheless, when the government comes with the right policy that financially stimulates and provides support for business development, it is not just help, but also an impetus to start,’’ said Vladimir Vedrasco.

The entrepreneur informs that his parents and family were the key factors for returning home.

‘’My brother and I returned to Moldova in 2017 and started doing what we were doing in the USA. We gave it a name, created an identity for our company, and packaged the product – because what is missing in Moldova is product creation. We wanted to implement the experience from there here – that’s how Frudova was born,’’ said Vladimir Vedrasco.

His brother, Veaceslav Vedrasco, said that the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA) had provided him with significant support for the business development.

‘’This is a family business. We managed to find common ground to work together. Presently, we have modern automated irrigation and a unique anti-frost system in Moldova. All energy used in this plantation is produced at this unit through solar panels, which were set with government support, thanks to subsidies given by AIPA, for which we are thankful,’’ noted Veaceslav Vedrasco.

The entrepreneurs say that the government's contribution to business development is significant, and Moldovan products are highly appreciated in European Union countries.

‘’Fortunately, today it is much easier to say that you are from Moldova and produce fruits. Our country is gaining a good reputation in the EU; we have honest and hardworking people, good products with identity and soul in them. I am sure there is a future. If you have an idea that is brewing – give it a chance, try now – now or never. In Western countries, access to money is through investors. In Moldova, this culture will be developed in 20-30 years. Today, what the state has done through subsidies and programmes is an extraordinary contribution that has revolutionized agriculture,’’ Vladimir Vedrasco also said.

Prime Minister Dorin Recean also said that hardworking people like the two brothers represented an example of how one can build a successful business here, at home.

‘’Vladimir and Veaceslav Vedrasco are developing a family business in Ialoveni that deserves all appreciation - Frudova. They apply innovation in agriculture and, with government support, have implemented a modern automated irrigation system, an efficient anti-frost system and provide the entire plantation with 100-per cent renewable energy from solar panels. Such hardworking people, like the two brothers, represent an example of how one can build a successful business here, at home. We wish them recognition all over the world and thank them for demonstrating, through facts, that Moldova can,’’ specified Dorin Recean.

In the 2023-2024 season, Moldova exported 85,000 tons of table grapes to 33 countries. The main goal stays reaching the threshold of 100,000 tons exported annually – an ambition supported by both the authorities and producers.

Moldova currently has about 120,000 hectares of vineyards.





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