Gregor Bedrač Turned a Student Side Hustle Into a Cross-Border Chestnut Business

A law degree was not the end of Gregor Bedrač’s story in business. What began a decade ago as a student’s attempt to earn seasonal income has grown into Kostanj Bedrač, a roasted-chestnut brand operating at four locations in Slovenia and Austria, according to the Slovenian newspaper Večer. Bedrač’s working year follows the seasons. In spring and summer, he sells robotic lawn mowers; when the grass stops growing, the smell of roasting chestnuts takes over. The report describes a business that has made the transition from a modest street-side venture to a familiar seasonal attraction, with Bedrač now serving customers as well as companies looking to bring chestnut roasting to their events. His operation also crosses the border in both directions. Večer notes that Austrian tourists are increasingly buying chestnuts on Maribor’s Lent, while Slovenians head across the border to Austria. The article raises questions about how prices differ between the two markets and which nation eats more chestnuts, but does not provide the answers in the material available here. Competition, Bedrač says, has changed. Maribor had three chestnut sellers last year and has two this year, he told the newspaper. The Austrian wine road, by contrast, can have as many as 100 sellers. That difference gives a sense of the scale of the seasonal market in Austria, where chestnut stalls are far more numerous. The business is not a one-man stall. The article says a 25-person team is involved, with friends and even grandparents among those who help. It also describes the chestnuts as coming from a supply source affected by this year’s drought, which has pushed procurement costs upward. Bedrač has developed the street-roasting activity into a popular food attraction for corporate events, with bookings extending from Ljubljana to the coast. From a student experiment to a decade-old brand, Bedrač’s path has followed the calendar: lawn-care equipment when the weather warms, and chestnuts when autumn arrives. The newspaper presents his venture as a local business that has built a presence on both sides of the Slovenian-Austrian border.