On 19 August 2025, Podjetniški inkubator Kočevje hosted the first session in FoodCoP’s Startup Villages webinar series, spotlighting a deeply inspiring story of rural innovation and resilience from Slovenia.
Titled “Success Story: How Can a Startup Village Support Local Success?”, the session featured Sonja Hribar, project manager and adult education organiser at PI Kočevje, and special guest Polona Šterk, founder of Pr’ Poloni in Juriju, a rural business rooted in local agriculture and traditional values.
Polona’s journey began not on a farm, but in an apartment — a world away from the land she now cultivates. Driven by job insecurity and a passion for nature, she and her partner transformed a modest garlic field into a thriving business. Today, their product — biofermented minced garlic — can be found on shelves across Slovenia under national retail chains like Spar and Interpar.
Throughout the session, Polona and Sonja explored the many enablers behind this transformation:
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Institutional support from PI Kočevje, including access to a fully certified food processing centre
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Financial assistance and visibility through the Zlata Šapa (Golden Paw) competition
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National reach through the Štartaj Slovenija entrepreneurial programme
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Mentorship and emotional support from family and the local business community
Participants learned how shared infrastructure, small grants, access to networks, and local competitions can collectively lower the barriers for rural startups. The importance of strong branding, traceability, and digital marketing was also highlighted, with Polona sharing how her personal story and transparent practices helped build customer trust.
Polona’s success is not just a business story; it’s a community story. Today, she serves as head of the food processing centre at PI Kočevje, mentoring other aspiring entrepreneurs and nurturing a growing ecosystem of rural innovation.
📺 The recording of the session is now available on the FoodCoP Platform:
👉https://www.platform-foodcop.eu/
