Back home: Two young Romanians leave Italy to be farmers in Romania and grow their own business

Like (too) many other Romanians, Ionut and Iuliana Popa left their home country to make a new and better life abroad. They chose Italy and spent a few years there before deciding to return to Romania and start their own farm in a small commune in Iasi county. Today, they’re successfully running the family business they dreamed of, producing and selling a wide variety of goat dairy products under the brand Pui de Drag, from fresh milk to yoghurt and creamy cheese.

Emigration has been a significant issue in Romania for many years. A 2019 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said that the Romanian diaspora is the fifth largest in the world. Moreover, more recently, state secretary Gheorghe Carciu estimated the number of Romanians living abroad to be over 8 million. Ionut and Iuliana Popa are two of the Romanians who left the country to find better opportunities abroad. But the years spent far from Romania made them want to return home and start their own farming business here.

About ten years ago, in 2012, Ionut Popa was in Italy, trying to earn more money and make a better life for himself and his family. “The financial situation made me decide to go to Italy because, at that time, I realized that the only way to make money in a short time was to leave,” Ionut told Romania-insider.com.

Then, during a short break in Romania, Ionut reconnected with childhood friend Iuliana. They were both born in the commune of Baltati, in Iasi county, but hadn't stayed in touch for years. After that chance encounter, they fell in love, and Iuliana decided to move to Italy to be close to Ionut.

“The following year, she came to Italy on vacation, and we decided to stay together. We got married in 2013 and started the family we wanted. We currently have 2 children, Izabela and Eric, aged 7 and 4, who are our most beautiful achievement,” Ionut Popa said.

Inspired by the traditional family farms in Italy and Ionut’s dream to be a farmer himself, the young couple decided to return to Romania and start their own farm.

“I bet on agriculture because it was what I thought I could do, but most importantly, it was also what I really enjoyed doing. There weren’t many sources of motivation at first, but what kept us going was the dream of building our own business based on our ideas and knowledge.”

They started with a few acres of land and a tractor and had to wait a few years to buy the place they initially targeted for their farm.

“Before, there was a farm with vegetable storage and greenhouses here. After we bought the place, we invested in the transforming of the existing spaces into a grain warehouse, animal shelter, and milk processing space,” Ionut said in the interview with Romania Insider.