Prominent Publishing and Printing House Expands its Portfolio

Tabernakul, a leader in Macedonia’s private sector, represents the true potential of the country’s family-owned enterprises. Founded in 1989 as Macedonia’s first private publishing company, Tabernakul has steadily grown over the years. Today, it is involved in every aspect of book publishing, operates its own bookstore and printing house, and, since August 2013, manufactures cardboard and cardboard products at its factory in Kocani. Tabernakul is also a strong supporter of corporate-social-responsibility projects and regularly donates books for children in Macedonia and abroad. Moreover, it was Tabernakul which initiated chess introduction in primary schools and donated chess boards and pieces.

Tabernakul’s owners have invested in the latest equipment and technologies to ensure the highest quality in all the company’s operations. Cvetan Vrazivirski, owner, says, “I launched Tabernakul with a childhood friend and now our sons and daughters-in-law are working with us.”

Publishing and printing currently account for around 70% of Tabernakul’s business. The company provides printing and publishing services for customers in Macedonia and abroad, and publishes textbooks used by some of the world’s most prominent universities. The printing house has a four colour and ten colour offset machine, as well as softcover and hardcover lines and complete machinery for book and magazine finish.

The new factory for cardboard boxes (made of five-layered corrugated cardboard) for packing and transport of vegetables and fruits is equipped with corrugator and complete modern machinery for cardboard finish. It can produce 30,000 cardboard boxes per hour on just one of the machines. The company is already exporting to several countries.

Committed to publishing literature

Committed to publishing and promoting literary works, Tabernakul created an annual International Literary Award whose past winners include Milan Kundera, Ljubivoje Ršumović, Orhan Pamuk and Viktor Erofeyev. “This award is meant to be one more landmark on the cultural map we draw everyday, a landmark that will represent a foundation of an invisible palace through which one can only pass and not ruin it, an anchor of a ship that wishes to explore the dark and unfathomable bottom of the soul. We wish this award to be an eruptive rebellion against the general fall of moral and fundamental values exactly by promoting values, something which is so needed nowadays in this computer swirl that gobbles. There are more and more books, less and less calmness. We live in a world where more and more stimuli are necessary for a minor thrill. There are more and more scripters, less and less writers. There is more and more vaudeville in publishing and more ‘deviation of taste and brutalization of feeling of the audience’. Therefore, the Tabernakul award is one more attempt to influence the building of audiences’ tastes, which is a first step of creating an oriented and critical individual, an effort not to sink in the mud of liberal capitalism and its main goal – the profit. Thus, the motto that the money is not a goal by itself, but a means to a goal,” Cvetan Vrazivirski explains.

Tabernakul has 115 employees and anticipates continued strong growth. This year, Tabernakul celebrates its 25^th anniversary. Cvetan Vrazivirski points out, “Tabernakul’s future is hopeful. We are involved in several projects abroad and we are always looking for new markets and new possibilities to work outside Macedonia.”

Defining his company’s competitive edge, Cvetan Vrazivirski says, “Our major advantage is that we have invested in cutting-edge machinery and equipment, both for printing and cardboard production. In addition, we have very well trained human resources and low labour costs. In every project there are three major factors: meeting deadlines, keeping prices affordable, and maintaining high standards of quality. Tabernakul excels at all three.” He welcomes international investors to visit Macedonia to see the country’s many advantages for themselves.