Anna Shalunts, a beneficiary of the “Menq & Moonq” humanitarian program is originally from Goris. In 2011, she got married and moved to Artsakh. Her family owned large orchards of kinglets, figs, and pomegranates in the village of Martunashen, yielding abundant harvests every year. Anna recalls that the harvest was so plentiful that it was practically impossible to sell all of it within Artsakh. Alongside sorting and selling the fruit, she began making fruit chips. To her surprise, they became so popular that they turned into a full-fledged business. This eco-friendly dried fruit business was named “EkoSha.”
The entire family participated in “EkoSha” production, with children playing a key role in selecting the best fruits—large, fresh, and juicy. Their orchard’s dried fruits became well-known, reaching supermarkets in Stepanakert. However, the war abruptly halted their business.
After being evacuated from Artsakh, Anna and her family returned to their hometown of Goris and took their eco-friendly fruit chip production more seriously. She shares that they were able to build a reputation in Goris much faster than they had in Artsakh. Now, they are considering expanding “EkoSha” chips to other cities in the Syunik region.
Recently, Anna joined the “Menq & Moonq” humanitarian program and participated as a beneficiary in the “Support for Artsakh Businesses” initiative, which included online courses on marketing, branding, sales planning, and entrepreneurship.
“The courses were led by great specialists. Direct interaction with them brought us even closer to achieving our dreams. The practical knowledge was invaluable—we learned about marketing, finance, how to manage a business, and how to position ourselves in the market. I realized that what I had was very little; I needed to create and expand to achieve results,” Anna emphasized.
Thanks to the program’s experts, Anna took a step closer to her dream. Her fruit chips and rolls, as well as sweet and sour lavash, were given neat packaging, and the branding and logo were developed. After completing the training, Anna showcased her products at the New Year’s fair held in Goris in December 2024.
The Menq & Moonq program is financed by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) in partnership with Sign of Hope (SoH). The project is implemented by the Development Principles NGO.