April the 30th, 2022 - It might sound like a very late April Fool's joke, and it in fact began its ''life'' as such, but the much loved Croatian chocolate brand, Kras, has seriously created a chocolate bar with Croatian cvarci (pork scratchings) inside it. Here's where you can purchase it.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, it all started out as an April Fool's joke from the company on social media, but Kras recently announced on its official Facebook profile that they really have created a bar of much loved Dorina chocolate, but with Croatian cvarci inside it.

They first mentioned this combination in terms of an April Fool’s joke, but, as they explained for N1, the interest from people who saw the joke was so great, and the questions about the chocolate bar so frequent, that they really decided to make a Croatian cvarci infused chocolate bar.

Anyone who wants to try this chocolate for themselves, or just wants to buy it to keep on the shelf as a bit of a joke, can do so as of today as Kras choco and cafe. You may have to get your skates on, however, as this weird and wonderful chocolate bar is a limited edition and when stocks are gone, they're gone.

For more, make sure to check out Made in Croatia.

December 2, 2021 - From December 3 to 5, visitors to the Opatija Chocolate Festival will not only be able to taste the irresistible delicacies of twenty domestic and foreign producers but also experience many more "sweet surprises" prepared by the organizers.

Opatija and chocolate have been inextricably linked for years thanks to the Chocolate Festival event, the largest and oldest Croatian event dedicated to this irreplaceable food, which in 2021 celebrates its jubilee.

The fairy-tale atmosphere of the luxuriously decorated Advent city will be a great backdrop for top-quality desserts that will return to the Crystal Hall of the Kvarner Hotel exclusively for the 15th Opatija Chocolate Festival. The occasion also requires a festive ambiance, so the jubilee of the sweetest Opatija event will be celebrated under the famous crystal chandeliers of the oldest Croatian hotel.

Photo: Visit Opatija Facebook Page

From December 3 to 5, visitors to the Opatija Chocolate Festival will be able to taste the irresistible delicacies of twenty domestic and foreign producers, but also experience many more "sweet surprises" prepared by the organizers. It will be a unique opportunity to enjoy the unique desserts that, except in the specialty stores of the present "craft" chocolatiers, can only be purchased at this fair.

The event will feature chocolate delicacies made in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, and the program will also include chocolate-themed workshops, lectures, tastings, and concerts.

Romantic winter evenings in Advent Opatija will be sweetened by the largest and longest-running Croatian event dedicated to chocolate, and hedonistic pleasure in divine flavors will be complemented by a special program at the Opatija chocolate factory Milenij Choco, as well as specially designed chocolate desserts in many hotels and restaurants. This sweet "lifestyle" will not only stay on the palate, but you will be able to enjoy chocolate with your whole body because this food will "interfere" with the treatments of Opatija's spa & wellness centers.

An opulent stretch of Austro-Hungarian finery on the beautiful Kvarner coast, Opatija was Croatia’s first-ever tourist destination. As popular now as it always was, it’s easy to see why. If you want to learn more about the location of the Chocolate Festival in December, be sure to check Total Croatia's Opatija in a Page guide by clicking HERE. Now in your language!

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

October 31, 2021 - From December 3 to 5, visitors to the "Chocolate Magic" fair will be able to taste the irresistible delicacies of twenty domestic and foreign producers, but also experience many more "sweet surprises" prepared by the organizers of the Chocolate Festival, to be held in Opatija.

Opatija and chocolate have been inextricably linked for years thanks to the Chocolate Festival event, the largest and oldest Croatian event dedicated to this irreplaceable food, which in 2021 celebrates its jubilee, reports Turističke Priče.

Sugar at the end of the year will bring Opatija a new edition of the Chocolate Festival. The fairy-tale atmosphere of the luxuriously decorated Advent city will be a great backdrop for top-quality desserts that will return to the Crystal Hall of the Kvarner Hotel exclusively for the 15th Chocolate Festival. The festive occasion also requires a festive ambience, so the jubilee of the sweetest Opatija event will be celebrated under the famous crystal chandeliers of the oldest Croatian hotel.

Photo: Visit Opatija Facebook Page

From December 3 to 5, visitors to the "Chocolate Magic" fair will be able to taste the irresistible delicacies of twenty domestic and foreign producers, but also experience many more "sweet surprises" prepared by the organizers. It will be a unique opportunity to enjoy the unique desserts that, except in the specialty stores of the present "craft" chocolatiers, can only be purchased at this fair.

Romantic winter evenings in Advent Opatija will be sweetened by the largest and longest-running Croatian event dedicated to chocolate, and hedonistic pleasure in divine flavors will be complemented by a special program at the Opatija chocolate factory Milenij Choco, as well as specially designed chocolate desserts in many hotels and restaurants. This sweet "lifestyle" will not only stay on the palate, but you will be able to enjoy chocolate with your whole body because this food will "interfere" with the treatments of Opatija's spa & wellness centers.

An opulent stretch of Austro-Hungarian finery on the beautiful Kvarner coast, Opatija was Croatia’s first-ever tourist destination. As popular now as it always was, it’s easy to see why. If you want to learn more about the location of the Chocolate Festival in December, be sure to check Total Croatia's Opatija in a Page guide by clicking HERE. Now in your language!

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

As Novac writes on the 29th of December, 2019, everything went much more spontaneously than it did in a planned fashion when it comes to these Sesvete chocolates that have won over Japanese customers, acting as yet another example of just how successful the ''Made in Croatia'' tag could really be for this little country.

''My father had had a plan in his mind for ages to produce some authentic Croatian desserts, chocolate balls. Four years ago, when the possibility to obtain EU funds was opened, we decided to take a chance,'' recalls Fran Reizl, the son of the owner of the Sesvete family-owned chocolate factory - Vrsna.

Together with his mother Jozefin and his father Mirko, the small factory produces handmade pralines, truffles, white, milk and dark chocolates that have broken through the borders of Croatia and have become popular even in Japan.

''My parents founded a consumer goods distribution company 20 years ago. They mostly imported sweets, biscuits and chocolates. Over time, these jobs were less and less fulfilling. During this time I studied design. After graduation, I worked for a short time in an agency, but I wasn't satisfied with that. I decided to try to work with my parents, even though that was never my plan,'' explains Fran.

With the help of EU funds, they were able to equip a small factory for the production of the Sesvete chocolates, and as Fran explains, it took them almost two years to master the craft.

''At first, we had no idea what we were doing. We'd get the temperatures wrong, then we'd put the chocolate in the fridge and everything would crust over. I had some crazy combinations in my head, like olive oil in chocolate, which was a total failure… We had total chaos in the kitchen. Chocolate was all over the walls too,'' he said.

Although these Sesvete chocolates are of course made here in Croatia, they do not process raw cocoa themselves, they buy it from a French-Belgian company as raw material, which they then process according to their own recipes in Sesvete near Zagreb.

The first brand with which they bravely came to the market was white chocolate with black dots, called Dalmatiner. After that, they just kept on throwing out new products. This year, they grabbed more attention with the first pink chocolate made in Croatia - Ruby. The price of their chocolates ranges from 30 to 35 kuna. They are of course more expensive than chocolates from major manufacturers, reports tportal.

''That chocolate has no artificial colour and doesn't contain any berries. The natural colour of cocoa seeds is rosy. Chocolate makers discovered just two years ago that it can be preserved if the cocoa is kept in lemon juice for 24 hours. And there's the secret for you,'' he adds.

Reiz currently has more than fifty brands, all of which have been made in Croatia, out on the market. In addition to chocolates, there are various types of pralines and truffles under their name, too. Almost 40 percent of their production is exported to the markets of Japan, Australia and Austria, and may soon be present in neighbouring Montenegro, and even in the United Arab Emirates and in Pakistan.

''Most of our customers came to us alone. They would taste our products and that would interest them. The story with the Japanese is interesting. I got an email from their big distribution house. At first, I thought someone was messing with me because it seemed too good to be true. But then their representative came to us by plane directly from Japan. She was with us for an hour and immediately returned home. The Japanese are our favourite customers now. They're particularly delighted by our family story. They want us for long-term partners,'' says Fran proudly.

Make sure to follow our dedicated Made in Croatia and business pages for much more.