For architect Nalan Biba, stainless steel was familiar long before it became the foundation of her own business.
Her father worked in the same industry, and Nalan grew up around a material that would later become part of her professional life. After studying architecture in Turkey, she returned to Kosovo, bringing together the creativity and precision of architectural design with a craft she had known since childhood.
“My father worked in the same industry, so I grew up with the smell of stainless steel around me. Today, as a woman business owner, I am proud to have my own company and to carry that tradition forward,” says Nalan.
In 2023, that connection took shape through ClassInox D&C, which Nalan Biba co-founded with Nuri Lokvica in the village of Lubishtë, near Prizren. Built through their shared work and commitment, ClassInox designs and manufactures custom stainless-steel products for businesses and institutions in Kosovo. Today, the company has a team of four employees and is increasingly reaching customers beyond the domestic market.
Their work is highly practical and made to order. ClassInox produces stainless-steel equipment and fittings for restaurants, professional kitchens, hotels, hospitals and other businesses and institutions, adapting each solution to the customer’s space and technical requirements.
For Nalan, building ClassInox also meant entering an industry where women business owners are almost absent. While the company is the result of the shared work of its two co-founders and co-owners, Nalan holds a distinctive position in the sector: based on a review of businesses registered in the same industry with the Kosovo Business Registration Agency, she is the only woman registered as an owner of a stainless-steel manufacturing business in Kosovo.
As ClassInox developed, however, Nalan faced a different kind of challenge. The quality and precision of the company’s work could be seen in a finished product, but potential customers had limited opportunities to discover that work online.
For a specialised manufacturer looking beyond Kosovo, that mattered.
Through EnInGeP, ClassInox was able to turn that gap into an opportunity.
The project supported the company in building a much stronger digital presence, combining website development, professional visual content and digital marketing. A new bilingual website in Albanian and English now gives potential customers a clear view of what ClassInox produces and the capabilities behind its work.
For products where design, precision and finish are central to a customer’s decision, strong visuals were equally important. EnInGeP support included 15 professional photographs showcasing the company’s products, workshop and work with customers, as well as two promotional videos developed specifically for digital channels.
The company also received a digital marketing strategy and content calendar, supported by regular written and visual content for Instagram and Facebook. The team was trained to manage the website and social media independently, giving ClassInox the capacity to continue building its visibility after the intervention.
The total investment amounted to €3,125, including a €2,500 subsidy through EnInGeP and €625 contributed by ClassInox.
The impact is already moving beyond likes and engagement.
Following the improvement of ClassInox’s digital presence, Nalan has been contacted by customers from Switzerland and Montenegro, resulting in orders from both markets. For a four-person manufacturing business operating from Lubishtë, this is a tangible step forward: stronger online visibility is helping turn work produced locally into business opportunities beyond Kosovo.
For Nalan, those orders carry particular meaning. She is building a company in an industry where women business owners are almost absent, while taking forward a craft that has been part of her life since long before ClassInox existed.
With EnInGeP support, that work is now easier to discover, understand and order from beyond Kosovo.
From a workshop in Lubishtë to customers in international markets, the ClassInox story shows what can happen when craftsmanship and entrepreneurship are matched with the tools to make them visible
