The banker who found his passion in viticulture
The "Shehi" Winery is zero kilometers from Tirana, in the Farka area. The work started in '99, when the lands of the Shehi family were returned to them, as an autochthonous family.
At that time, when they went to work the inherited lands, everyone was prejudiced against them. At a time when everyone was leaving agriculture and the countryside, they decided to build the farm. The Farka area was a farm before the 90s. The Shehi family started with viticulture.
Next to the vineyard they built a small building to store it. Where they planted the vineyards, from whose grapes today the wine of the winery is produced, the previous vineyards had been uprooted by the newcomers to the area. The first production was very artisanal, says Enveri, one of the family's brothers.
The winery and the farm are the joint venture of five Shehi brothers, one of whom unfortunately lost his life working in the family's vineyards, due to a fatal accident. In '99, they got together and decided to plant different crops, especially vineyards and olive trees, with the land inherited from the family. First they planted three hectares of vineyards and then planted two hectares of olives and one hectare of walnuts.
In the first two or three years, the production was done in very artisanal conditions, with barrels. The first production took place in 2005.
One of the managers of the winery, Enveri, who is also a banker in one of the second level banks in Albania, tells us that wine production is a passion for their family. Enveri was trained in agribusiness in America. Each member of the Shehi family is a professional in the work they have chosen to do on a daily basis, while they have a passion for wine.
Every weekend, the whole family gathers at the farm, which seems to have served to bring them together even more. During the autumn season, when the work for wine production is very intensive, big and small contribute to the production of "Shehi" wine.
The Shehi family has never distributed dividends. Every year, the profits that come from the farm they set up go to invest in the farm. In their plans is also the construction of the restaurant, in order to close the whole cycle.
Taken by: Monitor.al