Zadar County has decided to provide very welcome grants to micro-entrepreneurs and artisans from certain areas, including mountainous areas and the county's islands for the year 2019.

As Morski writes on the 25th of September, 2019, at the public invitation which was previously issued, 23 applications were received, of which 21 were accepted, and for which a total of 175,339.24 kuna was approved.

Mountainous areas of Zadar County include towns like Benkovac and Obrovac and the municipalities of Galovac, Gračac, Lišane Ostrovičke, Polača, Stankovci, Jasenice and Starigrad. In the category of islands, Zadar County includes all island municipalities in the area of ​​Zadar County, but also those islands within the mainland municipalities and within the City of Zadar.

''As of this year, Zadar County has been implementing a grant program for micro-entrepreneurs and craftsmen from certain areas, such mountainous areas and islands in the Zadar County area. The grants are distributed to traditional and artistic crafts (obrts), they go towards the entrepreneurship of young people and women, for startups and to co-finance the costs of entrepreneurs for the vocational training of employees for 2019.

All those who met the requirements were provided with grants, and I believe that in the coming years the number of applications will increase further,'' said Lovro Jurišić, Head of the Administrative Department for Economy, Tourism, Infrastructure and EU Funds of Zadar County.

The economy and craftsmanship of Zadar County shows positive developments when it comes to certain business indicators, such as continued export growth and a surplus in foreign trade, ad well as in the share of revenues generated on foreign markets.

''As is evident from our numerous activities, as well as from the above mentioned public invitation, in our county, we're striving to create a positive entrepreneurial climate in order to attract new investments in industry and services. Zadar County is continuing to record positive economic indicators this year, as evidenced by a significant increase in employment. During July and August, we had 62,000 employees in our county, a record figure, and what is particularly important to point out is that in just five years, the number of employees increased by almost nine thousand. This is data that encourages us and shows a positive trend in our economy,'' said Mayor Božidar Longin.

A total of 200,000 kuna was provided from the Zadar County budget for 2019 to support small businesses, and the maximum individual amount of support could amount to 10,000 kuna. That maximum amount of 10,000 kuna was received by eleven registered trades in the aforementioned areas within Zadar County.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more.

More than encouraging news as five companies from Croatia rank excellently in the EMEA region's list of the 500 fastest growing technology companies. 

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of September, 2019, Deloitte Global has announced the list of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in 2018 for the EMEA region. In the period between 2014-2017, the average revenue growth rate was an impressive 969 percent. The overall winner is the Swedish company Strossle International AB with an incredible growth rate of 19,900 percent.

Sweden's Strossle International AB is at the forefront of Deloitte's ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in the EMEA region, covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa. For the eighteenth year, Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 ™ EMEA scale has been created by Deloitte's Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Division.

Overall, this year's list of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in the EMEA region found winners from across eighteen countries, with an average revenue growth rate of 969 percent, down from 1,377 percent recorded in 2017. The revenue growth rate of the companies in the rankings ranged from 131 to 19.117 percent.

"This year, Croatia has five companies ranked in the EMEA's 500 fastest growing technology companies, and continues to be the leader in the number of companies in our regional environment," said Zlatko Bazianec.

"The 2018 scale has shown that each industry has a platform for further innovation and transformation, hugely influencing the way we communicate and operate. We'd like to congratulate our [Croatia's] companies and wish them continued progress in the coming years,'' he stated.

Strossle International AB, from Sweden, is a media technology company that helps publishers and advertisers attract engaged users to their content. Turkey's EMFA Yazılım, with 19.381 percent growth, leads the top five.

Central Europe and Croatia:

From Central Europe this year, 51 companies ranked on the list of 500 fastest growing companies, which is a decrease from 62 last year. Most of them are from Poland, with 17 companies, followed by Lithuania and the Czech Republic with 7 companies, Croatia with 5 companies, Slovakia with 4 companies, Romania with 3 companies, Bulgaria and Latvia with 2 companies respectively, and Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia and Serbia with 1 company each.

As stated, there are five impressive companies on this list from Croatia this year, marking one less than there was last year. In addition to the companies that were listed last year: Rimac Automobili and Infinum, this year also saw Croatia's Q Software, Microblink and SeekandHit / Uber placed in the list of the 500 fastest growing companies in the EMEA region.

Q Software, with its ranking of 20th place and 3.894 percent growth, achieved the best placement, and it is interesting that Infinum has made it to the EMEA 500 list five times since 2013.

“After being ranked #3 on Deloitte's Central Europe list, we're pleased to see that we're 20th on the list covering all of Europe, the Middle East and Africa! We have a super team and this is another confirmation of a job well done, both for us and for our clients,'' said Filip Ljubić, CEO and one of the founders of the Croatian company Q Software.

The ranking of Croatian companies in the order of company name, industry, and then revenue growth (2014 - 2017):

20. Q Software, a software company, with revenue growth of 3894 percent

140. Microblink, a software company, with revenue growth of 702 percent

272. Rimac Automobili, a hardware company, with revenue growth of 361 percent

297. Infinum, a software company, with revenue growth of 315 percent

464. SeekandHit/ Uber d.o.o, a media & entertainment company, with revenue growth of 153 percent

Make sure to follow our dedicated Made in Croatia and business pages for much more on Croatian companies, startups, products and services.

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 largest roasting ''machine'' and currently boasts a processing capacity of between 20 and 80 tonnes per day, depending on the season and of course, the product structure.

As Franck's Zoran Škevin explained to Poslovni Dnevnik during a visit to the Zagreb factory, the capacity of receiving coffee is 10 tons per hour, and every day, Franck receive 4-6 units of coffee with an average of 26 tons of coffee per truck.

"We work with about 20 different coffees, and our raw materials come from countries around the equator. We keep an eye on what's happening on the market, and since coffee is a commodity, we have to balance it well with seasonality and price and quality, which is a very complex business,'' Škevin explained.

He added that Franck now has more than 170 different items in his portfolio, and 100 or so of them are coffee. Vesna Mihatov, who directs research, development and coffee supply at Franck, pointed out that the company has developed a total of 23 new products this year alone, including innovations such as Franck Coffee & GO.

There are also new Smart, Protein and Energy coffee beverages with the addition of functional ingredients including proteins, vitamins and minerals to respond to the growing trend of healthy eating and overall care for a more healthy lifestyle.

The Zagreb coffee factory pointed out that all of Franck's products are made from premium raw materials, with a strategic focus on innovation and a well-established team of experts in the research, development and procurement of coffee and its subsequent production. The coffee is unloaded every day at Franck's facilities in Zagreb in 60 kg bags. They explained that only raw materials with maximum positive properties are selected for the eventual production of coffees like Superior and others, or single-origin coffees such as Guatemala and Columbia.

The coffee arrives at Franck via various European ports from around 70 countries in the area located around the equator.

Once a sample is selected, the shipment is monitored all the time - during storage, before loading into the trucks at the port and before being shipped to Franck's silo for raw coffee. Given the fact that there is a fully automated production system, all these rigorous pre-controls are necessary to ensure the same, consistent quality of coffee throughout the entire journey. Raw coffee is purchased on a sample basis, and Master Cuppers, or tasters are responsible for checking its quality.

"Man and his senses are still irreplaceable, despite all the measuring instruments at our disposal. If the Master Cupper senses that a particular sample of coffee in the cup has negative characteristics, or if it lacks the fullness, aromaticity and richness of taste to be had, then that type is rejected, even if the results of the previous analyses are in accordance with the standards. The responsibility of the Master Cupper and the entire development team is very big, because on the basis of a sample of only 300 to 500 grams, they need to be able to make a decision on buying large quantities of that coffee, ot even over 50 tons of it,'' explained Vesna Mihatov.

The very process of "production" of coffee in Franck takes place so that the raw coffee, which has previously passed all the stringent tests, is unloaded onto the conveyor belt in the reception area and the receiving line capacity is 10 tons oer hour. This is followed by cleaning and the purified grains are transferred to silos, which have a total capacity of 1100 tonnes.

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

As Jozo Vrdoljak/Novac writes on the 12th of September, 2019, the new headquarters of the Croatian pharmaceutical company Salvus have now been opened in Donja Stubica. This is the largest private investment in Hrvatsko Zagorje in recent times, worth more than 50 million kuna.

This is Salvus' first own space since its founding back in 2003, spanning 4444 square metres, and its construction and furnishing has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

Most of the highly qualified 145 employees are currently working at the new headquarters, and in addition to its current office and distribution purpose, Salvus will soon begin producing its own production portfolio of M.E.V. Feller, with whom they want to go global.

Donja Stubica has a long and famous tradition of being in the world of pharmacies because it was here that Eugen Viktor Feller, a pioneer of industrial drug production in Croatia, opened his first pharmacy way back in 1899 and started production of the Elsa fluid preparation several years later, which he exported throughout Europe, the USA, and even to China.

"We strive to connect the celebrated Croatian-conquered Donja Stubica tradition of pharmeuticals with modern technology and scientific advances. Our highly qualified team, whose education we're continuously investing in, are focused on developing and marketing products that promote taking responsibility for one's own health, disease prevention and self-treatment. With this investment and business expansion, we want to strengthen the efficiency of the company and increase its competitiveness on both the domestic and foreign markets, which will ultimately lead to an increase in revenues and thus new employment,'' said Teodor Švaljek, CEO of Salvus.

The Salvus company was initially formed from the Švaljek Pharmacies, begun by Teodor Švaljek with his mother Josipa Švaljek, back in 1997 in Marija Bistrica. In addition to the pharmacy business, the Salvus Group now operates regionally, representing others and creating its own product portfolio of nutritional supplements, medical products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

They operate across six markets with headquarters in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo.

The Group, together with Švaljek Pharmacies, employs a total of 265 people, whose average net salary is 8,000 kuna. The company saw continuous revenue growth of almost 136 million kuna in 2018, of which just over 23 million kuna is from exports, and this year exports are growing at a rate of 67 percent.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more.

With its new capital, the successful Croatian company Include is expected to expand its product offering in the smart cities area.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Bernard Ivezic writes on the 12th of September, 2019, the Republic of Croatia's largest VC fund, Fil Rouge Capital, has invested a massive four million kuna into the Solin-based startup Include, founded and managed by innovative entrepreneur Ivan Mrvoš.

The young entrepreneur and Incude CEO boasted on Facebook that this was a step closer to the company's informal goal of as much as thirty million kuna in investment, which is an aim he had set for himself by the end of this year. Previously, Include had raised 15 million kuna through Funderbeam, bringing the total investment in 2019 to the most famous Croatian smart bench manufacturer up to an impressive 19 million kuna.

Ivan Mrvoš, founder and CEO of Include, posted about Include's latest investment on Facebook, saying it was an important day for his company.

"Fil Rouge Capital - FRC has invested four million kuna, which means that in 2019 we have (so far) secured as much as 19 million kuna through investments and now an incredibly challenging period awaits us in which we plan to open offices in Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom..., and to present several new and significantly more advanced technological solutions for smart cities by the end od 2020,'' Include's boss wrote.

Just how much this new investment has increased Include's market value remains, however, unknown. After the Croatian company's last campaign via Funderbeam, it exceeded one hundred million kuna. Mrvoš also boasted that one of the four largest auditors in the world estimated that Include, at that time, was worth an incredible 110 million kuna.

With its new capital, Include is thus expected to expand its product offering in the smart cities area. Mrvoš, on the other hand, revealed back in early July this year that he wanted to build his own campus. The idea is that it would be spread over 15,000 square metres and would accommodate not only new product development and manufacturing, but also employee living spaces.

That idea is something similar to what another wildly successful Croatian company called Infobip is already doing in Croatia, but Mrvoš wants the new campus to be like the first Croatian smart city.

Ivan Mrvoš appeared on Forbes' prestigious list of 30 Under 30 in Manufacturing & Industry for 2019 in Europe back in February. His company is already present in more than 260 cities and on 44 markets worldwide with its innovative products. Otherwise, Include had its very first investment round in 2017, and has come a very long way since.

He then raised 465,000 euros in capital through Funderbeam. Since then, larger private domestic investors also started recognising Include's huge potential and began investing in the company. Among them is Stjepan Talan, the owner of Solvis, a company known for its solar panel manufacturing, which has invested four million kuna in Include. Mrvoš claims that foreign funds are also beginning to show interest, too.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business and Made in Croatia pages for more information on Include's products and much more on Croatian innovation, entrepreneurs, companies and startups.

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 agricultural machinery.

According to a report from RTL, today they have a factory which boasts an impressive 300 employees, they're one of the largest of their type in all of Europe which produces vehicles and utility equipment, their snowplows, for example, clear snow in Russia. Not only that, but they also produced a Croatian cleaner. A very large vacuum cleaner - the very first Croatian vehicle intended for street cleaning.

Who says our garbage must be cleaned up by foreign machines? Croatia now has its first street cleaner manufactured in the small, unassuming village of Kalinovac near Đurđevac.

"The maximum speed in this operating mode is twelve kilometres per hour. There are cameras. The front camera serves to see what we're vacuuming and what garbage is underneath, and the rear camera to see where we're going," explained Miroslav, a production employee.

"It's very nice to drive it. There's no noise inside, there's a radio, air conditioning, no worries even when you work all day, and it's nice to work in it," added his colleague.

This Croatian invention caught the eye of some Norwegian partners who came to Kalinovac for another job, so they decided to buy it.

"This vehicle is interesting to us because it has a newer look and is more comfortable for the driver. It has a higher roof for the driver. When compared to the competition, they're also cheaper than the others," said Vidar Jansen, a product manager from Norway.

The company will of course offer it to various Croatian cities, but it will clean mostly European metropolises - as this company exports eighty percent of its revenue.

The starting price of the first Croatian cleaner is 80,000 euros for the basic equipment package, of course, the better the equipment, the more expensive the cleaner is.

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

Several Croatian companies have received an impressive sum of money for the development of ICT projects which will see their business improved.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes on the 10th of September, 2019, Minister of Economy Darko Horvat stated that in the first, cancelled tender, the planned amount of the program was 53 million kuna, and in the renewed call, an allocation of 200 million kuna was secured, which was fully utilised, and in the meantime, another 163 million kuna was secured, which will also be distributed among eligible projects over the coming days.

Namely, a total of 1,299 applications were submitted, of which 1,018 were considered satisfactory, and funds from the allocation of 200 million kuna were distributed among 391 Croatian entrepreneurial projects.

The Minister of Economy attributed the credit for the successful completion of this "story" to his colleague Marko Pavić, Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, with whom, in his own words, he has been cooperating brilliantly in recent weeks. Among the projects selected were a large number of small and micro companies, and the largest amount of one million kuna in grants was earned by three Croatian companies.

One of them is a Zagreb-based company called Balboa, which works in the graphic and advertising industry, whose project of integration and improvement of business processes through the use of ICT is worth 2.2 million kuna.

A project to improve business efficiency through the implementation of an ICT solution for which the Identalia clinic in Zagreb received a grant is slightly less in value, but with this program, the third Zagreb publishing company Alfa will realise a total of 1.9 million kuna for their project for improving overall competitiveness.

The support received by a Čakovec-based fodder (animal feed) factory stands at almost one million kuna (999 thousand kuna), and although the largest projects are from Zagreb, small businesses from all regions of Croatia as well as from various sectors are investing in their digitisation. Among the most valuable projects that participated were, for example, representatives of the companies Hotel Borovik from Tisno, Slavonski Brod's Đuro Đaković Montaža, Feroplast from Buje, Zigante truffles...

"The greatest interest of Croatian entrepreneurs, according to their experience in implementing various programs, comes precisely from the fields of information and communication technology, electronics and electrical engineering, automation, robotics... Therefore, I'm extremely pleased that with this support, we'll enable our entrepreneurs to apply information and communication technology more intensively, and that will certainly provide them with a stronger market position and increase their competitiveness and business efficiency,'' stated Marijana Oreb, a board member of HAMAG-BICRO.

And to illustrate the fact that turning in this direction is important, the concrete figures were highlighted by Janja Kulić from the company Kulić and Sperk audit. According to court records, Kulić stated, more than 107,000 Croatian entrepreneurs could bid for these funds, which means that they have shown a genuine and symbolic interest.

"Our tender draws money from European Union funds in a better way, and how well it does to make strides in the field of digitalisation is worth mentioning, too. It's an extremely important and potent tool for increasing competitiveness. I recommend that digitisation be an open topic on everyone's agenda and that all the possibilities to reach more and more entrepreneurs are considered,'' said Kulić, adding that it would amount to 20 billion kuna if even half of the aforementioned number of entrepreneurs in Croatia were digitised.

The Ministry of Economy recently held the European Market Open Doors Days for Croatian entrepreneurs, as a continuation of the activities started two years ago under the name "Sve je jednom mjestu" (Everything in one place), when it informed citizens and entrepreneurs across several Croatian cities about the possibilities and tools offered by the Internal Market Centre.

The ministry stated that such an opportunity to hold talks and better inform Croatian entrepreneurs about the freedom to provide services and move goods on the internal market will be provided on a monthly basis.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more on Croatian entrepreneurs, companies, and government and EU grants.

Swiss Twint, a mobile payment application (app) developed by a Zagreb-based software company, has made a strong impression in the EU.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Bernard Ivezic writes on the 10th of September, 2019, Zagreb's Q Software, according to Deloitte, is the third fastest growing high-tech company in Central Europe and among the twenty fastest growing in the whole of Europe, and they're now expecting new jobs thanks to a new type of roaming.

Following the introduction of mobile roaming in telecommunications imposed by the European Commission (EC), Swiss banks have now initiated the next major business alignment in the EU - voluntary mobile roaming.

Twint, a Swiss competitor to Apple Pay and Google Pay, which is beating them in the country thanks to major Swiss banks, such as UBS and Credit Suisse, and has more than one million users, gathered its competitors in the EU and founded the European Mobile Payment Systems Association (EMPA).

The aim of Twint, which is being developed by Zagreb's Q Software company right here in Croatia, is for mobile payment systems to support one another and offer a predictable level of service, as with mobile services in the EU. Filip Ljubić, co-founder and CEO of Q Software, says they have had a strategic partnership with Twint for several years now.

The Zagreb company, from here in Croatia, is in fact leading the entire development of the Twint application, and until recently it was its largest client. "Any expansion or success of them, as a rule, means new jobs for Q, but what exactly this initiative will bring to us, we'll have to wait to see more of because this is only an emerging initiative," says Ljubić.

Twint has brought together companies from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, including Sweden's Swish, at EMPSA. It is one of Europe's most successful mobile payment platforms, launched seven years ago by six major banks in Sweden in cooperation with the national clearing system Bankigrot and the Central Bank of Sweden.

Today, it has more than six million users and is also known for its QR payment method, the same QR code that should become standard in fiscal accounts here in Croatia over the next two to three years. The German Bluecode, which also joined EMPSA in Germany and Austria, has already contracted cooperation with about a hundred banks, and now the first partner from Southern Europe to join the initiative, who sees this as an opportunity because of tourists - this is Portugal's SIBS.

In total, EMPSA represents 25 million mobile payment users, who already use the services of 350 banks and can pay at more than one million points of sale. Q Software in Zagreb points out, however, that despite its size, Twint is no longer their largest client.

They have a lot of work in the fintech industry and are in intense talks about working with Swiss UBS. A new big opportunity opened up for them in the United Kingdom because of their pension reforms there.

"Our biggest fintech client is 'Smart', which is currently perhaps one of the fastest growing fintech companies in the City of London and whose president is the former mayor of London. We have a team of about ten different experts who are part of Smart," concluded Filip Ljubić.

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

Mate Rimac and his company Rimac Automobili are continuing to succeed in placing Croatia somewhere else on the map outside of the sunshine and sea bubble.

With his company having secured investment from the likes of Porsche, drawn the attention of Bugatti, and with him having drawn up a step by step plan to show the Croatian Government just how to actually attract investment and interest from the automotive industry, this unassuming man from Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, has become somewhat of a phenomenon. Rightly so.

His super cars, the C_One and C_Two, are admired across the world, and they're made right here in Croatia, in a factory in Sveta Nedelja near Zagreb. Not bad for a country which seems to want to do everything in its power to make it as difficult as possible for budding entrepreneurs, sending them instead abroad with a disdain for red tape to pitch their ideas and make their money.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of September, 2019, Rimac Automobili has posted a video on the company's YouTube channel in which the safety of the beautiful new C_Two model is tested by the use of a popular crash test.

The video shows the C_Two prototype just before a frontal collision, but also a number of others, so it can be easily concluded that more than one of Rimac's vehicles has been ''sacrificed'' so far.

''Mate always says: This is a marathon, not a sprint race. The C_Two is undergoing a brutal crash test program and hundreds of other tests as part of its global approval. We decided to take you on this journey and show you everything. This is just a little glimpse into the future, stay tuned for more development-related content,'' the comment says in the YouTube video.

Watch the video here:

In an official statement, Rimac Automobili has stated that it will start production in 2020.

Make sure to follow our dedicated Made in Croatia pages for more information on Mate Rimac and his creations, and much more on Croatian companies, entrepreneurs, innovation and products.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes on the 8th of September, 2019, the famous Vindija from Varaždin is celebrating sixty years of doing business this year, and on the occasion of this grand jubilee, it has launched some brand new Vindi juices. Dubravka Drk Mravlinčić, Vindija's marketing director, points out that product branding is the key to quality communication with the market, an important factor in customer trust and loyalty, and the basis of successful business.

''We believe that we have proven ourselves in this segment on more than one occasion as ''Vindija Quality'' has become and continues to be important in every brand, including Vindi juices that are recognised by generations of consumers in Croatia and across the region.

As we're celebrating a great sixty years of business this year, during which we've grown from a small town dairy company into one of the regional leaders in the food industry, we wanted to show the market once again that we are totally different from the rest and have made a big step forward in the category of Vindi juices - from rebranding, functionality and types of packaging to the marketing campaign,'' explains Drk Mravlinčić.

In designing the new packaging design, she says, she thought that the packaging of the product was more than just a physical characteristic, that the quality of the design reflected the values ​​of the company behind it and represented a space of communication with existing and new customers. The fact is that a good product in recognisable and quality packaging will always satisfy the customers, which is why they came up with the idea of ​​implementing the latest generation of innovative packaging.

''The whole process required significant investment in the manufacturing facility, resulting in Vindija becoming the first company in the whole of Europe and the fourth in the world to market an innovative one-litre Ultra Edge package with an integrated latest generation of lids that, apart from the visually appealing designs, allow it to be opened in just one move,'' boasted Drk Mravlinčić.

It is a unique piece innovation on the Croatian market that brings the range of Vindija juices to a new level of quality. According to Vindija's marketing director, the new form of packaging provides better visibility and differentiation at points of sale, and it is a modern design that is in line with the latest graphic trends in the world. They have also added the latest generation of lids to the new packaging, allowing them to be opened up in just one step, while its wider outer diameter makes it much easier to refill.

In addition, it is well-known that, across the whole of the Vindija Group, they operate according to the recognised principles of the Global Compact program, which emphasises the importance of protecting the environment. For this reason, Drk Mravlinčić points out, they are additionally proud, since more than 68 percent of Vindija's packaging currently comes from renewable sources, further reducing their carbon footprint in nature. According to Nielsen data for June and July, Vindija's juices are the leading brand in the Total juice category, with the largest sales volume here at home on the Croatian market.

''The biggest challenge of implementing all the innovations within the juice range was to complete the transition as soon as possible and inform our consumers so that they know in a timely manner that their favorite juices on store shelves are waiting for them in new packages, with a new look. For this reason, we've intensified our communication through all available channels, from the point-of-sale, strong online promotion, to a print and television media campaign to further increase our reach,'' says Drk Mravlinčić.

As for Vindija's latest promotional video, she notes that they have set new standards for video content production on the Croatian market as well as on other, regional markets, thus raising the bar and creating new challenges in the juice category.

"Our goal was to awaken emotions and energy, to stimulate sensuality and to create a sense of refreshment that occurs after consuming our juices and to connect it with the refreshed visual identity of the range. A major step forward were the neon elements such as neon makeup and body paints that harmoniously complemented modern music, which in general required a dose of courage - we wanted to show that we're a modern, open-minded company that is evolving in line with changes and market demands and which is regularly focused on innovation throughout the production process,'' pointed out Drk Mravlinčić.

The result is a video clip that differentiates them and sets them apart from the competition, and the reactions are far beyond Vindija's initial expectations.

"Every day, we get consumers with positive reactions, which is ultimately confirmed by our sales results after the launch of the campaign. At the Vindija Group, we've always focused on innovating and modernising our production processes in order to offer the best of quality to the market, which has remained a key segment of our market communication throughout all these years,'' concluded Vindija's marketing director.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more on Croatian companies and products.