Bojana Otašević, entrepreneur
Bojana Otašević, a successful Montenegrin entrepreneur and founder of the “Mille Baci” brand, is an inspiring example of a woman who successfully turned from a diplomatic career in Rome to building one of the most recognisable brands in Montenegro. After her education at the reputable University Sapienza and a stint at the Montenegrin embassy in Rome, Bojana returned to her roots and delved into the family business of crafting exquisite ice cream and chocolates. In an interview with Diplomacy & Commerce Montenegro, she recounts her transition from diplomacy to entrepreneurship, the hurdles of a small market, and how “Mille Baci” artfully blends Italian culinary traditions with Montenegrin flavours, captivating both local and international consumers.
Bojana, you graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Rome. Then, you got a job at the Montenegrin Embassy in that city. You also worked as an assistant at this faculty. What made you turn from diplomacy to the world of entrepreneurship?
Rome, a city of timeless beauty, unparalleled charm and my eternal inspiration… In 2000, I stepped from my hometown of Kotor to that eternal city as a child. In addition to my higher education at the prestigious Sapienza University (where I pursued undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies in political science), I grew up in Rome and owe a lot to that city. The cultural diversity of Italy is a living testimony of countless civilisations that left an indescribable mark. Its traditions are more than mere rituals – they are living expressions of people very proud of their heritage, which they shape into their future while cherishing the past. Cultural diversity reflects history and a colourful canvas that makes you explore a genuinely enchanting nation. Surrounded by such an environment, day by day, I recognised a growing love for my country, as its values made me learn how to love and protect my roots. I promoted such values during my work at the Embassy of Montenegro in Rome for 7 years, like every proud Montenegrin woman.
However, as much as diplomacy is a noble political pursuit, the call to return home grew stronger after 18 years of indescribable experiences and a fulfilling life in Rome. Fueled by my love for Montenegro and a yearning for freedom and new challenges, I decided to leave diplomacy and Rome behind, dedicating myself to our family’s business of producing Italian ice creams. The desire to revive this cherished family legacy has always burned within me. The sight of the vibrant array of flavours and colours in an Italian ice cream shop window served as the perfect catalyst to breathe life into an already-existing dream.
Today, your brand “Mille Baci” is offered in many high-end Montenegrin hotels and tourist complexes. Considering market specifics, what were your biggest challenges in the product starting and development phases?
Being a woman in Montenegro who starts her own business is a challenge in itself, although the quality of female entrepreneurship has improved significantly. Some of the biggest challenges I faced were identifying the target market and raising the local population’s awareness of consuming domestic products. Montenegro is a small market, so it was a serious challenge to analyse the competition and position the product first, finding a balance between price formation, distribution channels, and packaging design. But persistence, work and effort always pay off! After this challenging period, I can say that my clients are my most significant success, and we have become a recognisable Montenegrin brand in a very short time. Once upon a time, I read and remembered that business is like a social game with clearly defined rules like any other game. In the game called “business,” you always have those who compete and win. This includes preparations, training, and those who either support you or do not.
Thus, the business world is realistic, as observed from this perspective, and has very exact mathematics, like the law of cause and effect. The one who knows how to respect that and finds a middle ground between profit and emotion has a great chance of overcoming challenges and succeeding in business.
When establishing the “Mille Baci” brand, you wished to bring the spirit of the Italian culinary tradition, known for ice cream and chocolate, closer to the Montenegrin people. How did you successfully convey that recognisable “dolce vita” moment in your products, simultaneously keeping the local character and adjusting the tastes of Montenegrin consumers?
Convinced that our people can recognise quality, I presented something new. We combined Italian production technology with top-quality domestic raw materials. This created the brand “Mille Baci”, or “A Thousand Kisses”, the first such product in our country. Following world trends, we made our market’s first gluten-free and vegan ice creams and chocolates. We wanted to enrich the famous ice dessert with authentic fruits from local farms (fruits, milk) and thus preserve traditional Montenegrin tastes. That’s how we made the first – not Italian, but Montenegrin ice cream, and shortly after that, chocolate. Our imperative is producing premium local products through which we promote the values important to us, all this woven through a modern design and creating a brand by releasing creative potential. Through ice creams and chocolates, we provide visitors and the local population with the tastes of traditional cuisine, such as figs, walnuts, dates, olives, lemons and oranges from the south and raspberries and blueberries from the north. Mille Baci is more than producing ice cream and chocolates. This time, we discover that the main ingredient – LOVE – is responsible for an unimaginable taste experience and a museum-worthy appearance without false modesty. From the former simple form to the most creative appearance, from the simplest ingredients to combinations of incredible flavours, ice cream and chocolate are still irreplaceable.
The Institute for Strategies Studies and Projections (ISSP) study shows that Montenegro’s import of food was, on average, 16 times higher than exports in 2018 – 2022, clearly pointing to a severe disbalance. How do you comment on the Montenegrin consumers’ awareness concerning the consumption of local products such as your ice cream and chocolates? How much do Montenegro’s citizens trust local food manufacturers?
Before commenting on consumer awareness in Montenegro, I refer to the state policies implemented to support local production, which is in deficit. I am confident we should work on the transparency of various support programmes through EU grants. I noticed a significant lack of information from the relevant ministries’ employees about how the funds are used. Following the example of the region, Montenegro should develop policies to support and incentivise domestic production so that local producers can compete in the market. The “Buy Local” campaign has been active for years. Still, it has not been sufficiently developed, nor has enough been done to protect domestic production. While buying domestic products is a matter of patriotism everywhere in the world, very few citizens in Montenegro know how to recognise domestic products. Citizens are primarily guided by lower product prices. Large retail chains are also among the biggest importers, so the positioning of local products on the shelves is relatively low. Considering the importance of the production sector for the country’s economy, we wanted to implement our business idea right here so that Mille Baci becomes a recognisable Montenegrin brand. Although a small country in the Balkans, Montenegro has a great gastronomic and oenological heritage. Mass tourism seeking “sea and sun” is becoming saturated, so today’s tourists are looking for new destinations, including getting to know the culture of food and drink. In this way, oeno gastro tourism, as a global trend, contributes not only to tourism development but also to the destination itself.