At a time when more and more young people from Herzegovina are looking for their future abroad, the story from Tihaljina near Grud brings a completely different example.
In a new report for Glas Herzegovina, journalist Mario Brkić brings an inspiring story about Ranko Kordić Roki, a young entrepreneur who decided to quit his job, but stay and succeed in his country.
Although, as I said, he had several opportunities to go abroad, Roki made a different decision.
– I had several opportunities to leave, but I couldn’t imagine how someone conditions me tomorrow when I can come to my Herzegovina, he pointed out, adding that he could not imagine the summer without the beauties of Herzegovina and the river in Tihaljina.
This father of two children comes from a large family with six children, and it was he who showed the greatest interest in agriculture and seedlings from an early age. Today, it produces as many as 150,000 seedlings, showing how a successful business can be built even on domestic soil.
At the very beginning of the conversation, he revealed an interesting story about his nickname. As he says, “I got the name Rocky from the movie Rocky, that is, Rocky Balboa”, jokingly adding that he liked to fight as a child, but how that remained in the past.
His brother-in-law helps him the most in his work, while the rest of the family jumps in when their duties allow it. The family tradition of growing seedlings has been going on for more than 40 years, and it started from his grandparents, through his parents, all the way to him, who quit his job at the company last year in order to fully devote himself to the nursery.
He grows various crops in the greenhouses: peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, watermelons and tomatoes, but also fennel, basil, mini watermelons and okra. He points out that they make sure that the seedlings don’t overgrow, but that they plant as many per week as they sell in order to always offer customers a quality product.
– The day starts sometimes from 5, sometimes from 6 in the morning, in order to water the plants before the sun, says Roki, explaining how he prevents the appearance of diseases in this way.
Morning duties are followed by planning for the day, and work often lasts until late evening, sometimes until midnight.
In addition to vegetables, he also grows flowers, especially for the needs of decorating grave sites. He sells his products at the markets in Tomislavgrad, Livno, Posušje and Grude, where he has acquired regular customers who recognize the quality of his seedlings.
However, there is no shortage of challenges. The biggest problems are the long and humid days in the winter, while the problems are caused by intruders in the summer. Despite this, Roki does not give up, and his dedication and love for the country is clearly visible in every segment of his work.
People do not believe that a young person is doing all this
As he himself admits, he is most affected when people look at the amount of seedlings with disbelief and doubt how someone young has grown them. However, it is precisely through his work that he proves the opposite every day.
When asked about the difference between domestic and purchased products, Roki is clear.
– It is incomparable to even talk about domestic products and store-bought ones, he says.
The story from Tihaljina is another proof that with hard work, knowledge and love for one’s homeland one can succeed even without leaving Herzegovina. See what Roki said in Mario Brkić’s report on the channel Voice of Herzegovina.
