KOSOVO - The European Times

KOSOVOAgriculture & Food IndustryMeridian CorporationDynamic Group Welcomes JointVenture PartnersThe Meridian Corporation offersoutstanding potential for foreigninvestors. The family-owned groupwith 170 employees was relaunchedafter the war in 1999 and hassince achieved significant growth.Meridian has operations in 12locations and is one of Kosovo’sbiggest distributors of beverages andfoods, including fresh and frozenfoods as well as organic products andinternational brands of beverages.Meridian works with over 4,000vendors in Kosovo, including retailchains, supermarkets, drug storesand the HoReCa (hotel, restaurantand catering) sector.The Meridian group includes foodsand beverages divisions, Montazhi(construction), and Energoinvest(energy activities). “Montazhiis known for its construction ofboth residential and commercialbuildings as well as electrical installations,heating and cooling systems,and water and waste treatmentfacilities. Energoinvest produceselectrical equipment, transformerHakif Gashi, CEOstations and more. We acquired bothcompanies a couple of years ago andnow we are looking for partners andjoint ventures,” explains CEO HakifGashi.Meridian is especially interested in ajoint venture in the fast growing foodand beverages sector since the groupalready has the necessary facilities,resources and building land. “We arelooking for a partner who can start upfood and beverage production withus,” Hakif Gashi explains. Meridianeventually plans to expand itsthriving food and beverage distributionbeyond Kosovo, to Macedonia,Montenegro, Albania and Serbia.Significant potential in energysectorBoth Montazhi and Energoinvestoffer strong growth potential aswell. Hakif Gashi points out, “Energoinvesthas the most potentialbecause Kosovo’s energy sector isvery undeveloped. We anticipatesignificant growth in the near future.We are looking for joint venturesand partners that can help us takeEnergoinvest and Montazhi to thenext level concerning technology,know-how, experience, access tonew markets, and financing.” Energoinvesthas already served KosovoElectrical Corporation (KEK),private companies, power plants andseveral mines.Kosovo has outstanding prospects,Hakif Gashi believes, and Meridianis the ideal local partner forinvestors. He says, “Meridian offersfuture partners a creative andcapable management, dedicatedand motivated employees, efficientbusiness processes and structure, awell-established local presence withexpeditious and qualitative services,17 hectares of building land, andconstruction capacity. In addition,doing business is not a problem inKosovo. We have the same standardsand values as in the EU and we hopeour ties with the EU will grow evenstronger in the future.”Meridian Corporation LL.CBul. ‘ Bill Clinton’, p.nZona industriale10000 Prishtina, KosovoTel.: + 381 38 541 521Fax: + 381 38 541 524meridian@meridian-ks.comwww.meridian-ks.com50