The Journey of Our Products: From Serbia to Your Home

When you order a brojanica, an icon, or incense from Svetazvezda, you see a price, a click on "Order," and a few days later, a package at your door. What you don't see is the journey every single product has taken before it reaches you — and why this journey is so much more than mere logistics.

We would like to tell you this story. Not because we have to justify ourselves, but because we believe that as part of our community, you should understand what happens behind the scenes when you hold a piece of Serbian Orthodox tradition in your hands.

The Beginning: A Monastery, a Workshop, a Hand

Every product we sell begins not in a warehouse, but in a place with history. A brojanica is knotted by a family near the Ravanica Monastery in Serbia — knot by knot, with a prayer for every single one. An icon is either printed with great care or crafted from a genuine fine silver alloy in a workshop that has passed its craft down for generations. Our incense comes from monasteries — including Manastir Sukovo, Manastir Draganac in Kosovo and Metohija, and the Vatopedi Monastery on the Holy Mountain of Athos.

This is the difference that matters to us: We do not buy from a wholesaler who produces somewhere in the world and prints the word "Orthodox" on packaging. We work directly with the people who have always crafted these items with meaning — a family near the Ravanica Monastery, the production center of the Eparchy of Šumadija in Kragujevac, monasteries like Sukovo, Draganac, and Vatopedi, and workshops that have passed their craft down for generations.

When you hold a product from us in your hand — whether it's a brojanica, an icon, or incense — you are holding something made by someone who lives the significance of this object themselves, not by a factory that simply produces it.

The First Stop: Our Own Base in Serbia

Before a product even begins its journey to Switzerland, it is inspected — and this does not happen by chance or as an afterthought. We have established our own company in Serbia specifically for this purpose, whose sole task is to receive the goods from the families and workshops, carefully inspect them, and only then forward them to us in Switzerland.

Is the craftsmanship correct? Is a printed icon of the expected quality? Is the fine silver alloy of a silver icon flawlessly finished? Is the clasp of a brojanica sturdy enough to last for years? These questions are answered directly on-site by people who know what matters for every individual product — not weeks later, when the package is already on its way.

This is also the reason why we cannot sell mass-produced goods with identical flaws. Each piece is a small unique item, with the small, honest irregularities that distinguish handmade objects — but it is also a piece that has undergone a genuine inspection before it is on its way to you.

The Journey Begins: From Serbia to Switzerland

Only after our company in Serbia has inspected and cleared the goods does the actual journey to our location in Widen, in the Canton of Aargau, begin. Here, everything comes together: we inspect every delivery once more, store the products professionally — icons protected from light, incense kept dry, books kept dust-free — and prepare them for shipment to you.

What many do not know: between "product inspected in Serbia" and "product on our shelf" lie customs declarations, freight documents, and a supply chain that must be precisely documented. Every product has its own customs tariff code (the so-called HS code), which determines exactly how it is classified internationally — whether it consists of religious prints, metal goods, textiles, or candles. This is dry bureaucracy, but it is the prerequisite for ensuring your order can arrive smoothly later on.

Before Going Online: Photographing, Writing, Telling

As soon as a product arrives in Widen, the journey is not yet over — it simply changes form. Every single piece is photographed, often multiple times, until the light and details are captured so that you, as a customer, truly recognize what you will be holding. These photos are then edited so that colors and proportions are accurate, without beautifying anything.


Then comes a step that is often overlooked: the writing. Each product comes with a text that doesn't just describe, but explains what you are holding — what significance a motif has, what it is made of, and what it is used for in daily life or on church occasions. This is research, not just ad copy. Only when the photo and text align does a product go online with us.

Your Order: What Happens in the Background When You Click "Buy"

As soon as you place an order with us, a process begins that is much more than just "packing a box." Your package is shipped with FedEx as our international logistics partner — and here comes a part that remains invisible to many: the import processing into your country.

When we send goods from Switzerland to you in Germany, Austria, or another EU country, your package crosses a customs border. This means import duties apply — customs and VAT, depending on what you ordered and where it is going. These charges are not something we invented, but are legally required in every country we ship to.

Here is the point that is important to us: We take care of this for you. We ship using the so-called DDP method ("Delivered Duty Paid") — meaning all customs duties, taxes, and fees are already included in the price you see at checkout. You receive your package without suddenly being presented with an additional payment upon delivery. No surprises at the door, no extra forms, no waiting time at customs.

This is not a given. Many smaller international shops ship without customs duties paid — and as a customer, you would suddenly be asked to pay by the delivery service, sometimes with amounts that surprise you. We have consciously decided against this because we want an order with us to feel just as uncomplicated as shopping at a local store.

The Invisible Work: Regulations That Constantly Change

What very few see: these procedures are not set in stone and then left unchanged. The European Union, for example, has adjusted its customs and VAT rules for small international shipments multiple times in recent years — with the goal of ensuring fair competition between local and international merchants. For us, this means we must constantly review and adapt our pricing structure, our customs declarations, and our logistics contracts so that we can continue to deliver to you transparently and reliably.

This is one of the great challenges for a small, specialized shop like ours: we do not compete with the market power of a global corporation that can afford its own customs departments. We must understand and classify every new regulation ourselves and factor it into our prices — always with the goal that nothing unpleasant happens to you in the end.

Clean Work, at Every Single Stage

What is perhaps least visible on this whole journey is what is most important to us: that at every single stage — at the family and the workshops in Serbia, at our inspection company on-site, with us in Switzerland — everything is handled correctly and legally. Fair wages for the people who make our products. Correct taxation and customs clearance in every country a shipment passes through. Clean bookkeeping that makes every step traceable.

This is not a given in an industry where shadow labor and opaque supply chains are unfortunately not uncommon. For us, it is a conscious decision: we want you to be sure not only of the authenticity of a product, but also that no one was disadvantaged or overlooked on its way to you.

Why Our Prices Are What They Are

If you compare our prices with a large, anonymous online marketplace, you will sometimes notice a difference. There is a reason for this that has nothing to do with profit maximization, but with what is actually included in every price:

• The fair compensation of the families, workshops, monasteries, and the Eparchy that make our products
• The careful inspection by our own company in Serbia, even before a product travels to us
• The time invested in photography, image editing, and well-researched product texts so that you know exactly what you are ordering
• The logistics costs for shipping that is reliable and without delay
• The customs and tax duties that we pay entirely for you, instead of presenting them to you upon delivery
• Clean, legal processing at every single stage — from production to bookkeeping

We believe that transparency is more important here than a supposedly cheaper price that is ultimately paid for with hidden costs or dubious origins.

The Final Stage: With You

When your package arrives, a journey often lasting several weeks and covering multiple countries comes to an end — from a family, a workshop, a monastery, or the Eparchy, via our local inspection company, our warehouse in Widen, through your country's customs, to your door. A journey where care was required at every point: in production, quality inspection, customs clearance, and shipping.

So the next time you place a brojanica around your wrist, set up an icon in your home, light incense, or open a prayer book, you now know: this object has a history, long before it arrived at your place. A history that begins with faith, craftsmanship, and a good portion of care — and with you, it doesn't end, but continues.

Do you have questions about our shipping, our delivery times, or the origin of our products? We are here for you at any time — just write to us.