Made in Croatia

As Morski/Iva Vlasimsky writes on the 25th of September, 2019, as part of the 2019 Rijeka Boat Show, which will take place this weekend, a new, interesting Croatian passenger ship called Taxi Cat will sail into Rijeka's port, which can drop guests off directly on the beach. This is yet another success story from the shipping company ''Agena Marin'' from Biograd near Zadar, whose main purpose is short-haul transportation, such as taxi and excursion transportation, scuba diving, commercial fishing and public needs. This ten-metre-long catamaran can carry up to twelve passengers at a time, and since it doesn't require mooring, it…

September 25, 2019 - One of the most entertaining exhibitions of the year opened at Mimama last night, as the much-loved caricatures of Nik Titanik celebrated 25 years of excellence to a very large opening audience.  Being a foreigner in Croatia means you miss out of most of the fun, especially if you do not speak the language well - just as in other countries I guess.  Although the Brits are famous for their humour, as time goes by, I come to appreciate the local humour in Croatia and the wider region a lot more, but I realise I am…

Earlier this year, there was even talk that Konzum and Lidl's checkouts could end up accepting Bitcoin. Could a unique Croatian solution make that a reality? As Poslovni Dnevnik/Bernard Ivezic writes on the 15th of September, 2019, of course, the aforementioned stores don't offer this payment possibility yet, but the first Croatian product that could potentially enable it has now officially appeared on the market, and (miraculously) in full compliance with stringent Croatian laws. Meet Adeo POS box office. Behind this piece of Croatian innovation is the director of one of the oldest brokerages in Croatia and a financial expert…

September 16, 2019 - When I moved to Hvar in 2003, little did I know that I was moving to the lost continent of Greater Adria. They are the jewels of Croatian tourism, home to millions of unforgettable holiday memories each year, and some of the most beautiful places in Europe. But were the thousand-plus islands in Croatia's Adriatic Sea always islands? Apparently not, according to Forbes Magazine, and not only that - they were once part of the lost continent of Greater Adria.  Have you been to Greater Adria? If you’ve ever vacationed in the Mediterranean region–specifically, Italy, Turkey,…

September 15, 2019 - A new community and emergency app made in Croatia brings emergency assistance from local community heroes - meet Heroes Nearby.  I like simple things which offer simple solutions to everyday problems. Especially things which provide assistance to the needy and strengthen the sense of community.  A new app made in Croatia was launched a few months ago, which I have only recently heard about, and it has the potential to help a lots of people in need at the touch of a button. Heroes Nearby is a simple connection between those in need and those in…

Vee Mee, a Croatian company based in Zagreb, is contributing to the traceability of food production with a mobile application (app). As Lucija Spiljak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of September, 2019, ''Letting our kids know what they're eating'' was the guiding principle behind the development of VeeMee, a Croatian digital platform in the agricultural and commercial sector that, in just a few clicks on a smartphone, gives consumers complete transparency about the origin of the products they're buying. A large number of Croatia's residents usually fill their fridges with fresh fruit and vegetables from local markets, with greater confidence…

As Morski/Jurica Gaspar writes on the 15th of September, 2019, a positive story from Croatia was proverbially penned recently by a talented Croatian team from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Split. Five years ago, the Hydros Foundation launched an invitation to students around the world, inviting them to participate in an international environmental competition, aimed at creating the vessel of the future. The Croatian FESB Hydro team is now back from the international competition held between the 2nd of September and the 8th of September, 2019 in the Swiss city of Yverdon-les-Bains. Despite very…

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes on the 13th of September, 2019, the responsibility of Franck's tasters and development team is very big, because they need to be able to decide whether to purchase a large amount of a certain type of coffee on the basis of a sample of a mere 300 to 500 grams of it. Croats tend to prefer the so-called ''dark coffee'' aromas, dominated by chocolate, hazelnut and almond flavours, and per capita, coffee consumption in this country ranges from around 5.2 to 6 kilograms, while the EU average is 5.8 kilograms. Franck is Croatia's oldest and…

Klaudio Grginić found himself in the Croatian yacht business by accident, and employs some twenty people today. In addition to production, which takes place far from the coast in Zagreb, his company also has a charter fleet down in Dalmatia, in Biograd. As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes on the 12th of September, 2019, the fact that the Republic of Croatia boasts the largest charter fleet in the world has been widely known for several years. Although it is generally believed that these ships, be they motor boats, yachts or other types of sailboats, are of foreign origin, the reality is…

When they tell you to dream big, the realistic (and perhaps a little pessimistic) little voice in your head tells you to keep it small, that it will never happen, that you won't get that lucky... Especially if you've embarked on a humble business with your friend, and the location of said business is in a Croatian village, and in your garage... As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 11th of September, 2019, thirty years ago, two Croatian engineer friends, Frane and Darko, started a modest business in the village of Kalinovac near Đurđevac from their garage. More specifically, they started servicing…