Lidia Ionaș: “We invest heavily in production, but we forget to promote ourselves.”

“Agriculture was not on my list of priorities when I went to study, but later I realized that I could combine things beautifully within our family business. Today, I manage to keep the documentation side under control while also actively promoting the work we do,” says Lidia Ionaș.

The young professional explains that she initially worked solely as an accountant, but later realized she enjoyed being involved in organizational processes within the company. In fact, it was largely due to Lidia’s efforts that the company succeeded in implementing the GLOBALG.A.P. and GRASP standards and obtaining international certifications that confirm both the safety of the fruit produced and the company’s social responsibility.

Ionex-Trans SRL was founded by the parents of Lidia Ionaș’s husband—hard-working people with extensive experience—who shared with the younger generation the know-how accumulated over the years. Responsibilities were divided among family members. Today, Lidia continues to manage the company’s accounting, while also negotiating contracts, seeking potential clients, promoting products, researching the market, and being responsible for the implementation of the GlobalG.A.P. standard, ensuring that all processes are properly followed. She also takes part in various international trade fairs and virtual trade missions organized by the Moldova Fruct Association.

“I am the person who represents and promotes our fruit. We, the producers, most of the time pay great attention to production, invest heavily in plant protection products and labor remuneration, but we do not have a dedicated budget for promotion,” says Lidia Ionaș. The entrepreneur believes that promotion is absolutely necessary for any producing enterprise that wants to increase sales. It is advisable to hire a marketing specialist who can analyze the market, identify new opportunities and sales markets, and assess the demand for new varieties.

“Most of the time, we plant first and only afterwards see whether there is demand for these varieties. However, we have understood that we need to change our working strategy, and the person responsible for marketing must ensure the connection between the producer and the customer, so that the former can adjust their activity to trends that are constantly changing,” Lidia told us.

Ionex-Trans has a clear marketing strategy that it is developing. Over the past two years, the company has tried to diversify its sales markets and has become convinced that good promotion truly matters. “With the support of the Moldova Competitiveness Project (MCP), we managed to develop a new website, design our packaging, and create a virtual tour, which is very useful now, during the pandemic period, when all promotional events have been canceled and we are unable to travel abroad. We try to promote ourselves through various channels and methods to show who we are, what we produce, and the quality of our fruit. A large part of our European clients have strict requirements regarding packaging, and by accessing our website they can understand our capabilities to provide exactly what they need,” the entrepreneur notes.

The young woman says that Moldovan fruit is tasty, but unfortunately it is appreciated more by foreigners than by people on the domestic market. She has more often heard comments from Germans and French saying that our fruit has a good and distinctive taste.

“For the upcoming period, we would like to enter several new markets, but at the moment we are at the negotiation stage. Last year, we tested plums packaged in flow pack (trays covered with film) on the local market; the fruit was sold in several supermarket chains across the country, and we saw strong consumer interest—perhaps also due to the pandemic, as people prefer pre-packaged products, but also because we offered a high-quality product. This year, we will try to market flow pack–packaged fruit in Romania, starting with cherries and apricots,” Lidia Ionaș told us.

Lidia is a member of the Women’s Network recently established by Moldova Fruct with the support of APM. She actively participates in the network’s activities and believes that women in the agricultural sector are less likely to step into the spotlight. “Perhaps because they lack support or due to stereotypes. In our company, there is balance—we are both involved, my husband and I; we support each other and complement one another. Recently, I have seen more and more women getting involved in agricultural businesses, and this makes me happy,” Lidia Ionaș said.