Presence and flexibility in the field

Company name: MB Grönsaker
Owners: Milutin Knezevic and Branka Nisevic
Years in the business: 22 years
Country of origin: Southern Sweden
Main product you grow: Mainly zucchini and romaine lettuce but also iceberg lettuce

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From two empty suitcases from the 90’s Balkan war to a large vegetable farm in southern Sweden. For Milutin and Branka, life turned around and literally took root on new ground. Now, 22 years later, their knowledge brings fresh vegetables to the world and helps create a greener and healthier world.

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Two Growers holding salad
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Man holding zucchini

“It requires an enormous presence in daily operations.”

It all started with an escape from the Balkan war. Life turned upside-down and with two empty suitcases, Milutin Knezevic and Branka Nisevic came to Sweden in 1993. He, a civil engineer and she, an economist, with plans for something completely different than vegetable farming. After additional studies and labour on a farm in southern Sweden, the idea of becoming a vegetable grower was born. At that time, the couple lived in an apartment in Malmö and rented a piece of land along the cost further north. After two struggling years, they bought the farm in 2001, which would later become MB Grönsaker.

– Apparently fate had another plan for me; that I would become a vegetable farmer. Since 2002, we have been sowing and growing. At first we grew lettuce, iceberg lettuce and broccoli, but now we have chosen to focus mainly on romaine lettuce and zucchini as well as iceberg lettuce, says Milutin.

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frö

“When we wake up in the morning, the conditions can look completely different and it is not unusual that I change my mind several times a day depending on the circumstances. Everything happens in the now.”


Being a grower means an incredibly varied job where the big perspective is combined with daily challenges, current social issues and the weather. It requires an enormous presence in daily operations. Milutin says his superpower is to not give up and, in cases where they encounter challenges, they resolve them quickly and efficiently. And they ask for help.

– If we need help, there are people we can turn to regardless of what it is about. Cultivation, logistics, etc. At the same time, we have to be present daily and plan and solve on the spot. Prioritizing work and making quick decisions is very important. You can always make a great plan about where we are going, but at the same time it is not possible to have long-term plans. When we wake up in the morning, the conditions can look completely different and it is not unusual that I change my mind several times a day depending on the circumstances. Everything happens in the now, says Milutin.

When it comes to the larger perspective of a sustainable planet, Milutin says that they try to make sure that they see to the available resources and use these as little as possible. In this way they can achieve a result that is as sustainable as possible with good and healthy vegetables.

– We have invested in a solar cell plant and are trying to save as much energy and resources as possible and at the same time grow amazing produce. It’s the small details that make the difference.

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zucchini
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salad

“It is when we tell people what we do, that we gain perspective on what we have created. That's when we see exactly how far we've come in 22 years...”


For six years now, MB Grönsaker has collaborated with Daily Greens, which has meant clear and transparent communication from the start.

– I experience it as good cooperation with a positive and open dialogue. In our collaboration, our communication is really good as both parties are very transparent. It has worked well for all these years. So if you are a grower who does not yet have a relationship with Daily Greens, take the opportunity to get in touch, says Milutin.

There is great pride for the profession and the vegetables they grow, and when asked what they are most proud of, the answer is immediate.

– That we have existed for all these years and succeeded in what we set out to do. I am proud that the customers are satisfied and that they ask for our products. It is when we tell people what we do, that we gain perspective on what we have created. That's when we see exactly how far we've come in 22 years...

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Grower standing on field of salad