May the 1st, 2023 - Croatian companies were present exhibiting their fish products at the recently held Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona. The Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) which organised the visit, has stated that it is doing all it can to aid Croatian companies in internationalisation.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, just like over the past several years, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce organised the joint presentation of Croatian companies from the fishing sector at the Seafood Expo Global international fair, which was held from April the 25th to the 27th in Barcelona. At the fair, 2,078 exhibitors from 87 countries exhibited on approximately 50,000 m2 of exhibition space.

The following Croatian companies presented their various fishery products at this important fair: Arbacommerce, Conex Trade, Cromaris, Jadran tuna, Mislov, Orada Adriatic, Pelagos Net Farma, PP Orahovica, Sardina and ZMH Horvat. The most important products they presented were white fish, tuna, salted small blue fish, frozen small blue fish, canned food, freshwater fish and various fish-based processed products.

"The fundamental determinants of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce are the strengthening of exports and assistance to Croatian companies in the internationalisation of their business operations. Therefore, I'm particularly pleased that with the help of HGK, ten of our members, who derive a significant part of their income from export sales - 55 to 85 percent to be more precise - exhibited their fishery products at this most important international fair. In the new programme period until 2027, HGK will continue to support the export efforts of our members, and promote the sustainability of Croatian fisheries and the consumption of fish and products from Croatian cultivation and catch through the implementation of the Fish of Croatia Eat what it's worth EU project,'' said HGK president Luka Burilovic.

For PP Orahovica, the largest domestic producer of freshwater fish, this fair was an opportunity to present its products of the Panona Mare brand to business visitors and potential customers.

"We attracted the attention of visitors as the only brand with a ready-to-eat breaded freshwater fish programme. These are products that are adapted to the needs of the modern consumer, simpler to prepare and tastier to consume, and with which we're already present on the domestic market and are preparing for placement on the European and world markets. As one of the most important events in the fishing sector, this fair is an excellent platform for business meetings with target customers in the B2B segment, but also an opportunity to further build the image of our Panona Mare brand,'' said Katica Petkov, the marketing manager of PP Orahovica.

The Mislov company has otherwise been participating in this fair for a number of years now. "We believe that it's the best platform for presenting our products to new customers, but also an opportunity to meet our long-term partners. This fair is important to us because we can learn about the latest trends and innovations in the world of fishing and the opportunity to try to follow them," said Marina Spralja from Mislov.

The very well known Cromaris, as the leading producer of Mediterranean white fish here in Croatia, presented its wide range of products to those present at the Barcelona fair. This year, a special focus was placed on organic fish, so innovations in production were presented. Visitors to the fair were able to taste various delicacies made from Cromaris fish prepared by chef Mladen Krizanovic, and the sushi was especially attractive to those present.

The export of fishery products in 2022 compared to 2021 recorded a growth of 14 percent and amounts to 312.5 million euros, which represents an increase of 38.5 million euros. The surplus last year amounted to 64.7 million euros, and the coverage of imports by exports was 126 percent. In the structure of exports in 2022 by product group, fresh or chilled fish are the most represented, accounting for 51.6 percent of the total export value, fish products and preserves (16.5%) and dried, salted or brined fish and smoked fish (11.1%).

Products from Croatian companies operating within the fisheries sector worth 211.4 million (67.6%) were placed on the market of EU countries last year. Looking at exports individually by country, in 2022, the first export market was Italy with 104 million eutos (33.3%), followed by Japan with 39.7 million euros (12.7%) and Spain with 36.7 million euros (11.7%).

Since way back in 2004, HGK has been sending Croatian companies to the world's largest fish fair, Seafood Expo Global. For a number of years now, the performance of Croatian companies has been financed through the aforementioned EU project which is aimed at promoting fishery products and increasing exports of the Croatian fishing sector.

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As Novac writes on the 9th of October, 2020, Cromaris, which operates within the Adris Group, is the sixth company in the world in terms of the cultivation of gilthead sea bream and sea bass. This year, it won the Labo de l'innovation competition from the renowned French specialised magazine Produit de la Mer, winning the Innovation of the Year award for its sea bass, gilt-head bream and fillets in skin packaging.

The expert jury awarded the unique packaging with an attractive appearance that preserves the freshness and exceptional taste of the product which won the highest marks in the competition of the world's leading producers of fish and fish products, Cromaris announced.

''Cromaris is recognised for its freshness, the highest quality, and also the innovativeness of its products, in which we're already market leaders. High value-added products, ie processed products for easier and faster preparation, are a key element of diversity in relation to competition in the domestic, but above all in challenging export markets that are the main foundation of our growth,'' said Goran Markulin, the director of Cromaris. The share of revenue from differentiated products stands at almost 50 percent.

''Following the trends in the food industry and the needs of our consumers, at the end of 2019 Cromaris presented sea bream, sea bass and fillets in a new skin package which, as a practical and healthy product ready to be prepared in just a few minutes, quickly found its way to customers, and this recognition given by the profession is an additional confirmation that we're on the right path of development based on top product quality and innovation,'' concluded Markulin.

After Cromaris, despite the continued unfavourable circumstances caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, achieved record sales during the summer months, the positive trend also continued throughout September. 829 tonnes of fish were sold, which, compared to the previous year, represents a growth of 20 percent. Price growth of two percent and revenue growth of 22 percent were also achieved. If we look at the first nine months of 2020, 7,665 tonnes of fish was sold, which represents a volume growth of five percent and revenue growth of almost seven percent when compared to last year.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes on the 7th of August, 2020, the Zadar-based company Pelagos net farma, co-owned by Croatian General Ante Gotovina, as a major tuna exporter, is also coming into focus due to its investment-related plans.

Ante Gotovina's company claims that it hasn't really suffered as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the devastating effect it has had on the global economy. Given the company's annual report, it seems that despite this new situation in which we all find ourselves and in which many companies are struggling and even going bust, they are in fact facing a new wave of investments, which, in addition to the well-established tuna business in the Balabra farm near Murter, intends to expand into the area of ​​blue fish.

According to the annual report of the Management Board for 2019, signed by President Nenad Horvat and member of the Management Board Leo Mandic, Pelagos net farma will continue to modernise its business throughout the remainder of the year 2020, with the aim of increasing efficiency and improving the achieved results, regardless of the difficult economic situation that has taken hold.

However, in addition to new investments in the continuation of the modernisation of business processes, additional investments are planned regarding the purchase of new ships for Ante Gotovina's company.

While one vessel will be used for mariculture work, the other will be involved in catching small blue fish. The amount of investment in question isn't specified in the report, so it remains to be seen in practice the pace of investment as well as the relationship with the plant that the company already has for processing anchovies with a maximum capacity of 1000 tonnes.

Former General Ante Gotovina's company is doing well and boasts a respectable number of employees - there were 106 at the end of 2019, and at the same time, the company is reaching its maximum profit levels, thus achieving close to 8 million kuna in net profit, which marks an encouraging 10 percent growth when compared to the previous year. Back in 2019, the company realised impressive total revenues amounting to 74 million kuna, ie 35 percent more than was realised in 2018.

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As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes on the 5th of June, 2020, Croatian fish farmers are worth their weight in gold, and Cromaris, which operates as part of the Adris Group, has received recognition for the top quality of its products - the Superior Taste Award.

The aforementioned award is the most prestigious award in this food segment in the world, and has been being awarded by the International Taste Institute in Brussels since 2005. Cromaris is the winner of the Superior Taste Award 2020 for all three of its registered products: sea bass, sea bream and meagre.

The products are evaluated by the method of blind testing based on appearance, smell, texture and taste, and the judges selected from the most prestigious European culinary associations are not aware of the brand or origin of the tested product. Cromaris sea bass received a maximum of three gold stars this year for its exceptional taste and became the only product from the fresh fish category to win the Crystal award. For its exceptional taste, both gilthead sea bream and meagre were rated as excellent, meaning that Croatia's very own Cromaris is the only winner of the award for sea bass, gilthead sea bream and meagre among Mediterranean white fish producers.

''Top product quality is our imperative. We offer our consumers only fish with impeccable freshness and a superior nutritional composition and taste, which was recognised by the expert jury this year as well. Today, Cromaris is recognised on the market as a leader in quality, which, along with consumer trust and numerous certificates, is further confirmed by such recognitions,'' said Goran Markulin, CEO of Cromaris.

Cromaris is certified according to ISO standards 9001, 14001, 22000 and IFS Food for quality, environmental management and food safety. It also holds GlobalG.A.P certifications among other things. In addition, Cromaris believes in organic production, which is a growing trend across the world and is in line with the growing health awareness.

Organic sea bass and gilthead sea bream are grown with the application of very strict ecological standards, as evidenced by their certificates for organic production: the European eco-certificate, Bio Siegel, Agriculture Biologique and Naturland. Cromaris is also the holder of the ASC certificate, the most demanding certificate in the industry, which confirms the sustainability of its production, the regulation of environmental impact, social relations in the company and the like.

Today, Cromaris is the fastest growing and most export-oriented company. Cromaris fish is present in all major European markets, and the share of exports accounts for more than 80 percent of sales. The main export market is Italy.

Adris has invested more than a billion kuna in the development of the company since its founding back in 2009, resulting in a strong growth of all business indicators. The company grew an average of 22 percent per year, and sales increased almost tenfold with numerous technological and production innovations.

In 2019, Cromaris achieved sales of 9,557 tonnes of fresh fish, marking a significant increase of eight percent. The total amount of products sold comes to 8,761 tonnes and is seven percent higher than it was last year. Volume sales in export markets increased by seven percent, most of them in the Italian and Austrian markets.

In line with the growth of quantities and prices in 2019, sales revenue increased by eight percent. Revenues from the sale of various products, primarily freshly cleaned and packaged fish, increased by 23 percent. High value-added products currently account for 44 percent of Cromaris' total sales, up five percentage points from the previous year.

Despite the global economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Cromaris notes that they are doing well. In the first quarter of this year, it achieved sales of 1,830 tonnes, which is just three percent less than in the first three months of last year. The majority of its revenues continue to be generated by exports.

Cromaris delivered fish to Italy on a daily basis throughout the coronavirus epidemic, which was very demanding and almost unthinkable for many. It is now working on preparing new projects for new recyclable and sustainable packaging, expanding its range, organic farming and reorganising the processing process to maintain high growth rates.

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