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, click "Order," and a few days later, a package appears at your door. What you don't see: the journey each product takes before it reaches you—and why this journey is so much more than just logistics.

We want to tell you this story. Not because we need 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 doesn't start in a warehouse, but in a place with history. A brojanica is hand-knotted by a family near the Ravanica Monastery in Serbia—knot by knot, with a prayer said for each one. An icon is either printed with great care or crafted in genuine fine silver alloy, in a workshop that has passed down its craft for generations. Incense comes from resins processed according to centuries-old recipes of the Eparchy of Šumadija.

This is the difference that matters to us: We don't buy from a wholesaler who produces somewhere in the world and prints the word "Orthodox" on a package. We work directly with the people who have always imbued these items with meaning—a family near the Ravanica Monastery, the Eparchy of Šumadija in Kragujevac, and workshops that have passed down their craft for generations.

When you hold one of our products—whether a brojanica, an icon, or incense—you are holding something made by someone who lives the meaning of that item themselves, not by a factory that merely produces it.

The First Stop: Our Own Base in Serbia

Before a product even begins its journey to Switzerland, it is inspected—and this doesn't happen by chance or as an afterthought. We specifically founded our own company in Serbia, whose sole task is to receive goods from 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 quality it should be? Is the fine silver alloy of a silver icon flawlessly crafted? Is the clasp of a brojanica strong enough to last for years? These questions are answered directly on-site, by people who know what matters for each individual product—not weeks later, when the package is already on its way.

This is also why we cannot sell mass-produced goods with identical flaws. Each piece is a small unique item, with the minor, honest irregularities that characterize handmade objects—but 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 approved the goods does the actual journey to our location in Widen, in the Canton of Aargau, begin. This is where all the threads come together: We check each delivery again, store the products professionally—icons protected from light, incense dry, books dust-free—and prepare them for shipment to you.

What many don't know: Between "product inspected in Serbia" and "product on our shelf" lie customs declarations, freight documents, and a supply chain that must be meticulously documented. Each product has its own customs tariff code (the so-called HS code), which precisely defines how it is classified internationally—whether it's religious prints, metal goods, textiles, or candles. This is dry bureaucracy, but it is the prerequisite for your order to arrive smoothly later on.

Before Going Online: Photographing, Writing, Telling

As soon as a product arrives at our location in Widen, the journey isn't over—it merely changes form. Each individual item is photographed, often multiple times, until the light and details are captured in such a way that you, as a customer, truly recognize what you will hold in your hands. These photos are then edited so that colors and proportions are accurate, without anything being embellished.


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're holding—what meaning a motif has, what it's made of, what it's used for in everyday life or on ecclesiastical occasions. This is research, not just promotional text. Only when photo and text match 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 package." Your package is shipped with FedEx as our international logistics partner—and this is where a part comes into play that remains invisible to many: customs clearance 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 are incurred—customs duties and VAT, depending on what you ordered and where it's going. These duties are not our invention, but are legally prescribed in every country we deliver to.

Here's the point that's important to us: We take care of that for you. We deliver using the so-called DDP ("Delivered Duty Paid") method—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 surprise at the door, no extra form, no waiting at customs.

This is not a given. Many smaller international shops deliver uncustomed—and as a customer, you would suddenly be charged by the delivery service, sometimes with amounts that surprise you. We consciously decided against this because we want an order with us to feel as uncomplicated as shopping at a local store.

The Invisible Work: Regulation That Constantly Changes

What few see: These processes are not fixed and do not remain unchanged. The European Union, for example, has adjusted its customs and VAT rules for small international shipments several times in recent years—with the aim of ensuring fair competition between local and international retailers. For us, this means we constantly have to review and adjust 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 big challenges for a small, specialized shop like ours: We don't compete with the market power of a global corporation that can afford its own customs departments. We have to understand, classify, and factor in every new regulation ourselves—always with the goal that nothing unpleasant happens to you in the end.

Clean Work, at Every Single Stage

What is perhaps least visible in this entire journey is most important to us: that at every single stage—with the family and workshops in Serbia, with our inspection company on-site, with us in Switzerland—everything runs 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 accounting that makes every step traceable.

This is not a given in an industry where undeclared work 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 the Way They Are

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

• Fair compensation for the families, workshops, and the Eparchy in Serbia who produce our products
• 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
• Logistics costs for shipping that runs reliably and without delay
• Customs duties and taxes, which we completely cover for you, instead of presenting them to you upon delivery
• Clean, legal processing at every single stage—from manufacturing to accounting

We believe that transparency here is more important than a supposedly cheaper price, which in the end is paid with hidden costs or dubious origins.

The Final Leg: With You

When your package arrives, a journey ends that has often spanned several weeks and several countries—from a family, a workshop, or the Eparchy in Serbia, through our inspection company on-site, our warehouse in Widen, through your country's customs, to your door. A journey where care was required at every point: in manufacturing, in quality inspection, in customs clearance, in shipping.

So, the next time you put a brojanica on your wrist, place an icon in your home, light incense, or open a prayer book, you now know: This item has a story, long before it reached you. A story that begins with faith, craftsmanship, and a good dose of care—and doesn't end with you, but continues.

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