For several years, Bojana Arambašić has been producing natural herbal balms in Šipovo using pure beeswax from her family apiary and recipes passed down through generations.
Bojana, whose husband Čedomir serves as a priest at the Church of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, said everything began around fifteen years ago when she started making the first balms for her own family.
“The idea had existed for a long time, but at one point I decided to provide my family with homemade natural products for the face and body, so I started making balms. I then began sharing them with friends, and production gradually expanded, which naturally led to sales as well,” Arambašić told Srna.
Made from natural local ingredients
Bojana and her husband are also beekeepers, which allows her to use wax from their own bees in production. Olive oil is sourced from Dalmatia, while fir resin and medicinal herbs are collected from the sunny Janj plateau at altitudes between 900 and 1,500 metres, as well as other untouched natural areas in the region.
Arambašić emphasized that all ingredients used in her balms are natural, locally sourced and carefully verified.
“I work as much as time allows because I dedicate myself to making balms only after finishing all my other obligations. First and foremost, I am a mother, wife, priest’s wife and grandmother — only after that come my balms,” she said.
Family tradition passed through generations
According to her, both her mother and mother-in-law also made herbal balms, although each specialized in only one type that was usually gifted to people in need.
“My mother made a skin balm that included the second bark layer of elder tree and several other ingredients that I wrote down, while my mother-in-law made a burn ointment with fir resin, which I still prepare today following her recipe,” Arambašić explained.
She also received several recipes from a friend of her daughter who studied microbiology.
“When I started using balms out of curiosity and for my family’s needs, everything developed naturally. I began packaging the products, bought attractive containers and designed labels. That’s how it all started.”
Propolis drops, syrups and natural cosmetics
In addition to several types of balms, Bojana also produces herbal and propolis drops, herbal throat spray, cough syrup made from young pine shoots and honey, and more recently, natural cosmetics.
“Everything I make is first tested on myself, my daughters and close friends. Only when they confirm that the product works well and has positive effects on the skin do I offer it to others. I never do anything blindly,” she said.
She believes the nature surrounding them is extraordinary, while people use only a small part of its potential.
“The nature around us has remained pure, and it should be used to the fullest extent possible,” Arambašić added.
Although she does not actively advertise her products, they have found customers far beyond the region — even in Australia.
Whenever she has time, Arambašić presents her products at local fairs and events held in Šipovo and neighbouring municipalities.
Source: See Srpska
