Starting a coffee brand in Serbia? Move fast on product–market fit and compliance: decide if you’ll roast locally, import green beans (HS 0901) and roast, or private‑label with a Serbian roaster, then pick a lane—traditional domaća kafa (fine ground), espresso blends for HoReCa, or specialty single‑origin for third‑wave cafés. For roasting, secure a light‑industrial site with 3‑phase power or gas, proper ventilation/afterburner, and implement HACCP; register your food business with the Sanitary Inspection and arrange accredited lab tests for ochratoxin A and moisture. If importing, use a customs broker, align documents with Serbia’s customs tariff schedule, and plan lead times via Thessaloniki or Bar. Packaging must carry Serbian‑language labels: product name, net weight, lot, best‑before, roaster/importer name and address, country of origin for beans, storage, and grind/roast date; nutrition is typically exempt for pure coffee. Obtain EAN/UPC from GS1 Serbia and meet packaging EPR via an operator (e.g., Sekopak). Price architecture: retail 250 g specialty 1,000–1,600 RSD, HoReCa beans priced to allow 40–60% café gross margin; target COGS at 25–35% of retail. Go‑to‑market: sample baristas, win HoReCa first, budget for retail listings, enable e‑fiscal receipts, and register for VAT once you exceed the turnover threshold. Leverage regional distributors outside Belgrade.
