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J. Jasiukevičius comes from a large family of 11 children. While laughing, there was a third brother from behind.
“My parents weren’t busy with my education. They worked and raised me older sisters. They hit the devils, they scared me.” 15 minutes he told the man.
After graduating from vocational school, Juozas entered the Kaunas Academy, where he became a veterinarian.
“Both parents and two brothers are veterinarians. I went with my mom or dad to treat me, I enjoyed that specialty. In those days, this specialty was necessary, respected and prestigious. She is still like that, but then there were many animals. And now other conditions they mainly treat cats and dogs, and we learned about pigs, cows and horses. We looked at dogs and cats seriously, “he said.
Photo by Lukas Balandis / 15min / Company Alekniškis
I tried various activities
After the army, in 1986, the man returned to Širvintos, where he got a job as a farm manager, inseminator and veterinarian. By the way, he now establishes and runs a company on the same premises.
After that, everything started to go away, the privatization of collective farms took place and there was nothing to do. It was very sad, everyone sold the cows, there was no work left, “he explained.
Photo by Lukas Balandis / 15min / Juozas Jasiukevičius
After Lithuania regained its independence, J. Jasiukevičius tried various activities, both furniture restoration and vegetable growing.
“There was no need for a vet as such. The vet was like a private firefighter. Invites once, twice in the summer, it was not possible to make a living with that,” said the interlocutor.
Photo by Lukas Balandis / 15min / Company Alekniškis
However, realizing, as he puts it, that he couldn’t do without “shit and blood”, he returned to his normal activities. After acquiring the premises of the old farm, where he previously worked, the man began to set up a meat-processing workshop.
I had to change my business model
It is true that about a decade ago, a man had to radically change his pattern of activity. Until then, the main products were semi-finished products, especially minced meat, which were supplied to wholesalers, but, according to J. Jasiukevičius, this activity was not profitable.
“We have seen that minced meat has sunk. We had many competitors with minced meat. For example, from Poland. The company that bought us also offers tenders and those that offer cheaper, and takes them,” he said.
Photo by Lukas Balandis / 15min / Company Alekniškis
Also, according to the man, people now want to live a healthy life, read the labels carefully, so they had to adapt. For example, a company tries to produce all its products in the most natural way possible.
“We have responded not only to changes in society, but also to our financial situation. It is necessary to lose something to discover something new,” said J. Jasiukevičius.
Currently, the company produces dry, hot-smoked and cold meat products, as well as supplies kebab meat.
Photo by Lukas Balandis / 15min / Company Alekniškis
It is true that J. Jasiukevičius said that this change required a lot of money, that even the children of the employees had to be borrowed.
“Business is like a casino. It gets stuck and you can’t get out. Even if they don’t succeed or do it badly,” he is convinced.
Photo by Lukas Balandis / 15min / Company Alekniškis
Also in the past, the man had seven stores “on wheels” and one right next to the factory, but he closed them a couple of years ago.
“We started to produce more expensive products with greater purchasing power and we stopped being profitable,” explained the businessman.
When asked if he plans to expand, J. Jasiukevičius didn’t say much.
“While we work, we expand, we look, we think” 15 minutes assured.
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