Pescaria Cascada is a company in Romania that breeds and raises baby trout until they ready to be commercialised.

Location: Borșa, Maramureș County, Romania

Financial Intermediary: Patria Bank

SME: Pescaria Cascada

Sector: fisheries and retail, microfinance

Number of employees: 1

Financing purpose: cashflow, purchase of feed

Source of financing: EU programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) Guarantee Financial Instrument (Microfinance)

Daniel Timis owned land by the River Viseu in the town of Borșa, Romania. “It’s a very rich landscape and I knew that it had lots of potential but it was only in 2010 that I came up with this business idea,” says Daniel, founder of PescariaCascada, a company that breeds baby trout until they are the right size to be commercialised.

“Basically, I use fresh water from the local river, which I collect in large tanks. I have to make sure I cleanse it and sanitise it, and then I can breed trout in it,” he adds, “Because the fish are constantly exercising, they are healthier, meatier and tastier, which is good for the market.It’s a very natural process and I love taking care of the fish. I feed them and learn about their behaviour so that I can stop them from getting sick or distressed,” says Daniel.

Once the entrepreneurial genie is out of the bottle, it’s difficult to put it back in: “For now, my clients remain within the local community but I’d like to buy an incubator in order to be self-sustainable and not have to rely on buying fish eggs. With a larger production, I could diversify my clientele and arrange for the packaging to be done in-house as well,” he adds, “I’d also like to open a B&B for fishery tourists interested in fish production and Borșa’s landscapes. I am a forest engineer and a professional mountaineer so I could offer tours and then provide a comfortable place where customers can enjoy fresh fish and other local delicacies. We have four spare rooms in our home, so they can be used to host tourists.”

However, the road to success was not straight forward: “To begin with, I wasn’t sure which fish I would be able to grow with the local river’s water because each species needs a different temperature and I didn’t have any prior knowledge about this kind of fish production,” explains Daniel, “I also had no experience in running a business in this domain so I had to learn on the job.”

But learn he did, and now, Daniel’s business is on solid footing. “I want to make sure this is a sustainable business that I can leave for my kids.” With the help of an EU-guaranteed loan from Patria Bank, backed by the European Commission, Daniel was able to solve cashflow issues and make sure the business is on the right track: “I have to buy a lot of fish feed up front, in order to grow the fish that I later sell to local fish shops. This creates a cashflow problem,” says Daniel. “Many entrepreneurs and small businesses are scared of getting a loan. However, it’s a necessary requirement to start this type of business and keep it going,” he adds, “Furthermore, thanks to the EU, the bank offered me a loan despite my having no collateral, andI can provide for my family and my children, which is the most important thing.”