Handmade organic delicacies from the Balkans – Ajvar, spreads, nuts and nut butters from small manufactories in Serbia and North Macedonia.
Balkan Express Handels GmbH
1070 Vienna (Impact Hub Vienna, office)New on Amplifa
We are BioBalkan
Balkan Express Handels GmbH distributes handmade organic delicacies from small manufactories in Serbia and North Macedonia under the BioBalkan brand. The product range includes spicy spreads such as Ajvar, Pinđur, Maliđano and Mackalo, kitchen products such as tomato sauce, sauerkraut and baked beans, fruit spreads, roasted hazelnuts and almonds as well as nut butters. The partner companies – including Radanska Ruža in Lebane, Nelkoski Organik in Struga and the social enterprise Optimist – are social enterprises that provide jobs for disadvantaged people. BioBalkan supports these businesses in converting to organic production and European quality standards and secures fair prices for the supplying farming families. The products are made traditionally: peppers are roasted on a wood stove, sauerkraut is fermented in a wooden barrel, and hazelnuts are roasted and ground in the smallest batches. Distribution takes place via the company's own online shop, B2B trade with retailers and corporate gifts; deliveries go to Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The company's office is located at the Impact Hub Vienna in Vienna.
- Site
- Vienna
- Processes
- Production of handmade organic spreads (Ajvar, Pinđur, Maliđano, Mackalo) on wood stoves, Roasting peppers on a wood stove (Smederevac), Fermentation of white cabbage in a wooden barrel (Kiseli Kupus), Baking of beans (Prebranac), Cooking of fruit spreads, Roasting and grinding hazelnuts into nut butters (Krem), Roasting and grinding almonds into almond butter, Drying of peppers (Tucana Paprika, in semi-shade on strings) and pounding in a wooden mortar
- Materials
- Pepper (Kurtovska Kapija), Hazelnut (Corylus avellana, varieties Tonda Gentile Romana, delle Langhe, Nocchione, Istriana, Tonda, Almonds, Tomatoes (oxheart tomatoes, variety Jabučar), White cabbage (local pink variety), Beans, Eggplants, Chili (Džinka, local variety)
- Certificates
- Organic certificate (AT-BIO-301)
- Founded
- 2018
- Industries
- Food trade, Organic food, Delicacies
- 01
Organic farming by farming families and cooperatives
- 02
Harvesting, drying and sorting
- 03
Handmade processing in partner manufactories (roasting on a wood stove,
- 04
Quality assurance and organic certification
- 05
Import and logistics to Austria
- 06
Distribution via online shop, B2B and corporate gifts
Ingredients & Production
Pepper (Kurtovska Kapija)
Base of Ajvar, Pinđur and Maliđano; roasted on a wood stove and peeled by hand.
Hazelnut (Corylus avellana, among others Tonda Gentile Romana, Nocchione,
Organic hazelnuts from Lake Ohrid, hand-sorted and roasted and ground in the smallest batches.
Almonds
Organic almonds from Macedonia, roasted plain or as almond butter.
Tomatoes (Oxheart, variety Jabučar)
Base of the Paradajz tomato sauce; even crooked fruits are cooked to avoid waste.
White cabbage (local pink variety)
Fermented in a wooden barrel to make Kiseli Kupus (sauerkraut).
Chili (Džinka, local variety)
Gives the Mackalo spread its spiciness.
Porcini mushrooms (Vrganj)
Dried forest mushrooms from organically certified forests near Bosilegrad, collected by Optimist.
Plums, raspberries, rosehips
Cooked into fruit spreads without added sugar.
Sunflower oil (high-oleic, organic)
Refines the spicy spreads.
Locations & Partner Companies
Vienna
ATOffice at the Impact Hub Vienna (administration, sales, no retail outlet)
Radanska Ruža, Lebane (Serbia)
DEPartner manufactory for spicy spreads and sauerkraut, social enterprise with a predominantly female workforce
- Materials
- Peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, white cabbage
- Wood stove (Smederevac)
- Wooden barrel for fermentation
Nelkoski Organik, Struga (North Macedonia)
DEPartner company for hazelnuts, nut butters and almonds at Lake Ohrid
- Materials
- Hazelnuts, almonds
- Nut shelling machine
- Roasting and grinding system for the smallest batches
Optimist, Bosilegrad (Serbia)
DESocial enterprise for collecting and drying porcini mushrooms
- Materials
- Porcini mushrooms
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production of handmade organic spreads (Ajvar, Pinđur, Maliđano, Mackalo) on wood stovesAssembly | – | – | – | – | Peppers, Eggplants, Tomatoes, Chili (Džinka), Sunflower oil, Apple cider vinegar, Garlic, Salt |
| Roasting peppers on a wood stove (Smederevac)Surface | – | – | – | – | Peppers |
| Fermentation of white cabbage in a wooden barrel (Kiseli Kupus)Assembly | – | – | – | – | White cabbage, Salt |
| Baking of beans (Prebranac)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Beans, Onions, Tomatoes, Sunflower oil, Paprika powder, Carrots |
| Cooking of fruit spreadsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Plums, Raspberries, Rosehips |
| Roasting and grinding hazelnuts into nut butters (Krem)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Hazelnuts |
| Roasting and grinding almonds into almond butterAssembly | – | – | – | – | Almonds |
| Drying of peppers (Tucana Paprika, in semi-shade on strings) and pounding in a wooden mortarAssembly | – | – | – | – | Pointed peppers |
| Drying of porcini mushroomsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Porcini mushrooms |
| Shelling, sorting and hand-picking of hazelnuts, roasting in the smallest batchesAssembly | – | – | – | – | Hazelnuts |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood stove (Smederevac) | Smederevac | – | – | – | Radanska Ruža, Lebane, Serbia |
| Nut shelling machine | – | – | – | – | Nelkoski Organik, Struga, North Macedonia |
| Roasting and grinding system for nuts in the smallest batches | – | – | – | – | Nelkoski Organik, Struga, North Macedonia |
| Wooden barrel (fermentation) | – | – | – | – | Serbia |
Additional services
Quality & Organic Certification
Production follows EU organic standards; all products are organically certified (control body AT-BIO-301) and are made shelf-stable for at least 24 months through pasteurization without preservatives. BioBalkan supports its partner companies in implementing European quality and organic standards.
| Evidence | Vienna |
|---|---|
| Organic certificate (AT-BIO-301) |
Our History
- 2015/2016
First trunk imports of Ajvar to Viennese food co-ops
- 2018
Founding of Balkan Express Handels GmbH (BioBalkan); start with products from Serbia
- 2018
Radanska Ruža expands production to include organic products
- 2019
Next Organic Award; product of the week in the Standard/RONDO
- 2020
Expansion to include hazelnuts and hazelnut spreads from North Macedonia (Nelkoski Organik/EkoLešnik)
- 2022
Porcini mushrooms (Vrganj) and almonds from Macedonia newly added to the range; product of the week in RONDO
- 2024
Funding of €300.000 from the Austrian Development Cooperation (Nov 2024 – Sep 2027); EPIO trademark protection 017450123