For Denis Pruteanu, returning home was not only a personal decision but also an opportunity to contribute to the development of his community. After spending nine years living and studying in Italy, the 26-year-old entrepreneur returned to the Republic of Moldova three years ago to help develop his family’s farm.
Today Denis lives in Chișinău and travels daily to Vadul-Rașcov, where the family farm is located. His ambition is to take the business to the next stage by launching meat processing and creating a fully integrated agricultural enterprise.
Denis’s family cultivates more than 60 hectares of land, mainly growing cereals. Several years ago, they decided to make better use of their harvest by opening a livestock farm.
“Six years ago, my father started this business, but there was no clear development plan,” Denis explains. “After completing my studies in Italy, I decided to help expand the farm. However, developing the business required significant investment, and finding funding was difficult.”
That opportunity came when Denis prepared a detailed business plan and applied to a competition organised under the European Union’s EU4Business initiative through the EU Confidence Building Measures Programme, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.
A grant of $20,000 enabled the farm to purchase modern equipment imported from Italy, significantly improving operations. The technology includes systems for watering, feeding and ventilating the barn, as well as machinery that automatically transfers grain into a tank where it is mixed and ground into feed that animals can digest more easily.
“This support gave me the confidence and motivation to grow the business,” Denis says. “It also helped us create our brand identity. Branding is important because it helps build a connection with consumers, strengthen trust and ultimately increase sales.”
Building an organic future
Denis’s long-term vision goes far beyond farming alone. He aims to develop a complete value chain that includes cultivating cereals, raising livestock and processing meat locally.
“In the future, I would like our farm to obtain international organic certification,” he explains. “To build an organic brand, you need organic land and organic feed for the animals. That is how truly organic meat is produced. We already have the foundations – now we must work towards that goal.”
Each year, the Pruteanu family raises around 150–200 sheep, goats and pigs. Currently, the animals are sold to processors at lower prices than if the family processed the meat themselves.
Denis hopes to change this soon. His plans include increasing pig production, launching meat processing and even opening a small restaurant in Vadul-Rașcov that would serve locally produced food.
“We want to process our own meat and make sausages,” he says. “When I lived in Italy, I discovered an incredible variety of sausages. I would like to produce similar products here in Moldova.”
Creating jobs at home
