The United Macedonian Diaspora is pleased to report it has received varied responses from Macedonians in our Diaspora since launching its Made in Macedonia campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage Macedonians in our Diaspora to promote Macedonian-made products in their hometowns. Herein are insights of two such Macedonians who have taken the initiative to promote specific Macedonian products in their locales.
One Macedonian American, who wishes to remain anonymous, informed UMD he will be promoting Dalvina wine to the wine and spirits stores in his area. Dalvina is a winery in southeastern Macedonia situated near Strumica. This Macedonian acknowledges he is motivated to do this by the Made in Macedonia campaign.
Another Macedonian from the Detroit, Michigan area wrote to mention her fondness for a Macedonian beverage that is not available anywhere in the United States. She decided to do something about it. Here is her story in her own words.
I remember drinking my favorite drink when I visited my relatives in Macedonia called Strumka. I haven’t thought about it in years until I visited Disneyworld in the summer of 2015. They had an international venue in Epcot where you could try various soda drinks from all over the world. One in particular was Inca cola. I immediately loved it because it reminded me so much of Strumka, it had a very similar taste and color. When I came home I was happy to find Inca cola available at many Mexican markets, but it just wasn’t Strumka. I decided to search on the internet to see if it was available anywhere here in America. After not finding anything online, in September 2015, I decided to contact the makers of Strumka (Grozd) directly in Strumica. I was then contacted by the sales manager, Petar Bozinov, who told me at that time Strumka was not available anywhere in the American market.
I then decided to contact Max’s Deli to see if they could sell Strumka. I gave them the Sales Managers contact info and they started the process of getting Strumka so they could be the first in the United States to sell it. This was in 2015, by March 2016, I got a message from Max’s Deli saying they were able to obtain whatever paperwork they needed and are now the exclusive distributors for Strumka in the United States and finally had them ready in the store! I’m am so happy that my family and I can now enjoy a small piece of Macedonia. All of my efforts paid off with the perfect drink for our Macedonian dinners!
Sincerely, Natalie Simovski*
If any Macedonian in our Diaspora has promoted any Macedonian made product in their home community, we welcome hearing about it. Perhaps your story will motivate others to do the same. You may contact us at madeinmacedonia@umdiaspora.org
The more Diaspora Macedonians promote Macedonian made products, the more they will be brought to the attention of non-Macedonian consumers and purchased by them. If this happens on a wide scale basis in Australia, Canada, the United States and northern and western Europe, the Macedonian economy can be impacted in a very positive way.
Let’s all do our part so that the words “MADE IN MACEDONIA” are seen and read around the world.
* Natalie Simovski and her husband are first generation Americans of Macedonian descent. She is the owner of NS GRAFX LLC, a graphic design business that focuses on unique and innovative print and digital design that creates a range of products such as infographics, brochures, annual reports, web banners, murals and trade show graphics among other products. For more information, Natalie can be contacted at: natalie@nsgrafx.com