How Sweden’s Support Helped Darsia Olive Oil Grow Beyond Lushnja

UNDP Albania

August 31, 2025

How Sweden’s Support Helped Darsia Olive Oil Grow Beyond Lushnja — Ballagat, Lushnje. The view from Darsia Olive Oil in Lushnja highlights the natural beauty and agricultural significance of the region’s olive cultivation.

UNDP Albania

Author

Nora Kushti

Communications Specialist, UNDP Albania

Everyone knows what defines the spirit of Lushnja’s men and women: hard work and a deep love for their fertile land. The Kuqi family is no exception.

In their sun-soaked village of Ballagat, their olive trees have borne fruit for generations. Fifteen years ago, they founded Darsia, a family business built on passion passed from father Shefit to son Endi, now led by Endi and his wife Sara. With expertise in cultivating premium Frantoio and Koroneiko olives, Darsia’s cold-pressed olive oil earned a loyal following of over a thousand customers.

Their high-standard olive oil was stored in simple sacks. Their social media accounts were dormant. Their beautiful product was known only to those in the know, its story untold beyond the local community.

Then, a single opportunity changed everything. Darsia was selected for the ‘Growing with Your Business’ Methodology, a UNDP initiative funded by the Government of Sweden. This wasn’t a handout; it was a partnership. And for a family business that already knew how to make world-class oil, it was the missing piece of the puzzle.

“We already knew how to do the work,” Sara explains, “but not in such an organized and proper way as we do now.”

The transformation was both profound and practical.

The first miracle was in the containers. Gone were the permeable sacks. Thanks to the project support, in came new, specialized storage containers that preserved the olives' quality and freshness from harvest to press. This simple upgrade meant the oil that reached the bottle was even better, its flavor protected, its quality guaranteed.

Stacked green storage crates against a wall in a well-lit room. — The new specialized storage containers that preserves the olives' quality and freshness from harvest to press.

UNDP Albania

Then came the face of the brand. Darsia received a new commercial image: a beautiful logo and refreshed branding that finally matched the premium quality of the product inside the bottle. It was no longer just a local secret; it looked like an international brand.

But the real shift was in strategy. With new training, the Kuqi family learned the immense value of online sales, opening a world beyond their community.

They also became active on social media, not as a chore, but as a daily routine to connect with customers.

And then, they took their story on the road.

Armed with their new branding and sharpened strategy, Darsia participated in fairs, first in Lushnje, and then on the world stage in Rimini, Italy—a heartland of olive oil.

“This was very beneficial,” Endi says, her voice still filled with the excitement of the memory. “People got to know our business, we promoted ourselves, and our olive oil became more recognized. Before, it was completely unknown, but now many people know it and appreciate it highly.”

“The intervention by the 'Growing with Your Business' programme fundamentally reshaped Darsia's operational framework, transitioning it from traditional, informal practices to a more structured and professionalized model, particularly evident in their packaging and storage solutions”-says Eni, a project consultant.

The results speak for themselves. Sales today have surged. New clients from across Albania and now internationally are seeking out Darsia’s oil. The legacy built by Sherif, nurtured by Endi, and now championed by Sara and their small team, is being celebrated on a beyond Albania scale.

Drilona Toslluku, the project Manager says: “The Darsia case illustrates how integrating modern business practices with deeply rooted family expertise can overcome market limitations, transitioning a localized "hidden treasure" into a competitive entity”.

The ‘Growing with Your Business’ programme is part of the Business Partnerships and Solutions for Sustainable Development Goals project—funded by the Government of Sweden and implemented by UNDP as lead agency, in partnership with FAO, ILO, and UNIDO.

Darsia is one of 12 business supported through the “growing with your business methodology”.