August the 12th, 2021 - Slavonia has unfortunately always been overlooked. With tourism still very much focused on the coast, even Zagreb continues to live in the Adriatic sea's shadow. Eastern Croatia can barely get a look in and Slavonian wine is often referred to as cheap. Could that all finally change with the Feravino winery's Slavonia-oriented projects? Maybe.

As Jozo Vrdoljak/Novac writes, back at the beginning of last year, in cooperation with the consulting company BlueRock Consulting, a strategy was developed for the development and long-term sustainability of Feravino, and consequently Fericanci in Slavonia as a destination.

The new vision of growth and development defined by the strategy undertaken by Feravino has the main goal of transformation into a modern boutique winery. In addition to the vision, the need for serious rebranding and new positioning was recognised because, given the complex market and the demands of today's consumer, Feravino faced significant challenges that need to be overcome. As such, Enosophia was created, a new brand that represents a new direction of the development of Feravino based on the long tradition of those vineyards, as well as investment, innovation, boutique production and a focus on quality.

A significant step forward

''The whole story began when we realised that we have to adapt and change in order to be able to alter our own perception on the one hand and the perception of Slavonia and Slavonian winemakers on the other. We saw the problem of the negative perception faced by Slavonian winemakers and the perception of Slavonia as a region where cheap wines are produced.

We decided to take these problems seriously, realising that we needed a strategic approach and a complete solution to tackle this issue. The result is a new development strategy, the development of which we worked on with expertsm'' said Ivan Maricic. With partners from the Bruketa & Zinic & Gray agency, the process of rebranding the Feravino winery has begun. A new brand architecture has been created with a new visual identity, and all the products it will launch in the coming years will also have a new air about them.

''Surrounding ourselves with the best in the industry, we've created a new brand that will be able to carry everything we've done so far and realise all our plans and ambitions. This is how Enosophia, our wisdom of wine, was created,'' explained Ivan Maricic.

The Feravino winery's brand new strategy implies a significant step forward in terms of wine production in the premium category, which ultimately aims to increase the share of sales in the higher price segment, especially the HoReCa channel. The strengthening of their portfolio with high-quality wines has also been confirmed by the first two brands of Enosophia, Grasevina TRS no. 5 and rose Matarouge. These are wines with which the Feravino winery wants to interest a younger audience. This is to be achieved by an innovative interactive label, the first of its kind in the Croatian wine industry. Intensive work is also being done on the development of more new products.

One of the most important projects for the adopted strategy is the development of continental tourism and Fericanci in Osijek-Baranja County as a destination. It is part of the holistic approach of the new winery, which, in addition to the excellence of the product itself, implies care for people, sustainable development and the proper positioning of Slavonia.

''Our idea isn't only to be among the best wineries in Croatia, but also a winery that will make Fericanci a desirable tourist destination and attract young people to return or come to live in Slavonia,'' emphasised Ivan Maricic.

Heritage hotel

The plan is to build a wine hotel with a capacity of 60 to 80 rooms, which will be built on the site of the old cellar.

''We'll set up a restaurant with all of the associated facilities in the vineyards, as well as some additional accommodation. Recently, we've had some horses and a stable built next to the location of the future wine hotel, which will further complete the future tourist offer,'' explained Maricic, adding that the value of these projects stands at over 20 million euros.

''We're also actively working on the construction of a heritage hotel, which will be realised with the restoration of the Mihalovic mansion. The project is worth six million euros and the hotel should be completed in the second half of 2022. It will be one of the more luxurious hotels in Croatia with fewer accommodation units, but with rich accompanying facilities,'' stated Maricic.

Along with tourism projects, the reconstruction and upgrade of the Feravino winery itself is planned, including the construction of a tasting room and showroom, with additional storage capacities. It is also a large investment, worth about five million euros in total.

''Over recent years, we've worked hard on raising new plantations and converting our vineyards. The conversion, which is the replacement of old vineyards with new ones, was done with the help of funds from the Wine Envelope, ie with cash from European Union (EU) funds. Last year, investments were completed in two new cellars, for fermentation and wine aging. One has a capacity of 570,000 litres of stainless steel containers, and the other 147,000 litres of large wooden barrels.

In total, more than five million euros have been invested in these projects in the Feravino winery in the last three years alone. We'd also like to emphasise our investment in new equipment for the production of sparkling wines,'' Maricic concluded.

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June 4, 2021 - At a special event, the Brod-Posavina tourist board officially unveiled its new logo, which seeks not only to renew its visual identity but also to adequately represent the county's values.

Traditional architecture, excellent gastronomy, the Sava River, and the border history of the Brod-Posavina region are the foundation of a new, modern visual identity of the Brod-Posavina Tourist Board, reports hrturizam.hr.

The basic element of the logo is dark blue and reminiscent of the Sava River, it is made in the rotated form of the initial letter of the county, and stylized elements in warm colors represent the windows of the barn, which still adorns almost every yard in this part of Croatia.

"The new logo is decent and modern at the same time, it is applicable in its original form and in a modular way and reflects a new experience of the traditional values of our region. It is based on the Strategic Marketing Plan of Slavonia Tourism from 2019 to 2020 with a branding plan, funded by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and in which our area is described as a meeting of worlds and cultures'', said Ružica Vidaković, director of Brod-Posavina County. 

The basic logo is joined by three more variants with the slogans Guardians of Nature, Guardians of Heritage, and Guardians of Taste.

Thus, the strongest tourist trump cards are united, which are based on the historical fact that the inhabitants of this part of Croatia were border guards. In this context, the word guards are in itself warm and evoke positive emotions.

"Modern visual identity confirms how important strategic documents are and gives the best answer as to why they are made. This is an excellent example of the implementation of the Strategic Marketing Plan of Slavonia Tourism in practice", concluded Sandra Herman, State Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

The Lollipop communication team of Elizabeta Penić and Alma Radoš, who are signing the conceptual design and creative communication and branding of the new visual identity, was joined by graphic designer Vedrana Knez as the author of the visual identity.

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ZAGREB, 9 April, 2021 - Agriculture Minister Marija Vučković on Friday presented three contracts from the Rural Development Programme worth HRK 8.5 million to beneficiaries in Jarmina municipality in eastern Croatia.

She also attended the opening of "Jarmina", the first kindergarten in the municipality in which HRK 7 million was invested from EU funds and her ministry's Rural Development Programme. It will be attended by 75 children.

Vučković told the press this was the 12th kindergarten in Vukovar-Srijem County built with funds from the Rural Development Programme, for which HRK 56 million was ensured, adding that 200 kindergartens would be opened in Croatia thanks to over HRK 1 billion from the programme.

The 12 kindergartens have been opened in communities with a population of below 5,000.

Vučković said kindergartens were important for keeping young families in villages, adding that her ministry would soon advertise calls for the construction of more kindergartens, farmers' markets, firehouses and community culture centres.

Last year the Croatian EU presidency secured the support of the member states for a transitional regulation to enable continuity of financing until "the whole common agricultural policy reform is adopted," the minister said, adding that the reconstruction and construction of the social infrastructure in rural areas would continue.

Over €5 billion for Croatian agriculture

Vučković announced that Croatia would receive over €5 billion for agriculture in the EU's 2021-27 budget.

She said 12.9% of Croatian farmers and over 20% in Vukovar-Srijem County were under 41.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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ZAGREB, Dec 14, 2020 - Members of parliament on Monday backed a loan for the completion of the motorway to the border with Hungary within the pan-European Corridor Vc, stressing that this is an important project for the development of eastern Croatia.

The parliament is expected to ratify the state guarantee agreement between Croatia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for financing a portion of the project for the completion of the said motorway.

That is a priority project important for the development and progress of Slavonia and Baranja, and it is also important for the port of Ploce which will become an EU port of entry, HDZ MPs Branko Bacic and Ivan Radic said during the discussion.

SDP MP Domagoj Hajdukovic agreed with them, underscoring that the port of Ploce would gain in importance and be connected with Budapest and the rest of Europe.

The €55 million loan will be used to complete the construction of a 17.5-km-long section between Halasica Bridge and Beli Manastir and a 5-km-long stretch between Beli Manastir and the Hungarian border.

The loan agreement is repayable over 15 years, including a 3-year grace period, at a variable interest rate of six-month Euribor plus a spread of 1%.

October 31, 2020 - Move your borders, head to eastern Croatia! - is the slogan of the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board as part of the phenomenal #HeanOnEast concept.

Goran Rihelj of HRTurizam reports that the story was created last year for the needs of holding Croatian Tourism Days in Slavonia, and the great news is that the event has turned into a brand concept that continues. Thus, as a continuation of the story, an introductory slogan was created. The event was also held this year, but of course, on a much smaller scale due to the epidemiological situation.

New short promotional videos have now been recorded, promoting active and wine tourism and the gastronomy of Osijek-Baranja County.

Hedonism without borders - Colors, smells and tastes / #HeadOnEastCroatia

Hedonism without borders - Wine postcards / #HeadOnEastCroatia

Hedonism without borders - active in nature / #HeadOnEastCroatia

Goran Rihelj of HRTurizam emphasizes that without the activation of Croatian travel agencies, it is difficult to initiate a more serious focus on continental and rural destinations. The coronavirus crisis highlighted the need for nature, new destinations without large crowds, and a focus on the continent and rural areas.

The whole of Slavonia, Baranja, and Srijem already have something to offer and show, certainly enough for a seven-day program. However, first, the focus must be on three-day trips, i.e., a weekend trip to Slavonia.

"Move your boundaries, and start selling the continent in the market," Rihelj adds. 

#HeadOnEast is a great slogan and concept, and it is a great pity that it did not come to life as the slogan of the whole of Slavonia. But not all hope is lost, as moving forward through synergy is key.

Rihelj concludes - "You know, the distance between Osijek and Split and Zagreb is the same in both directions."

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The situation in Slavonia is far from a blooming one, at least in economic terms, and while Croatian pensions continue to be small, often forcing their recipients to continue to work in any way that they can, for some that just isn't sustainable, not because of the economic situation as such, but because of time.

As Novac/Jutarnji writes on the 21st of May, 2019, despite the fact that shoemaker Marko Zidar has now retired, he chose to continue to work. He says that he does so for some additional income, because Croatia's pensions are small, but also because of the love he has towards this work. He has been the only shoemaker in Našice, a town in Slavonia in Eastern Croatia, for more than thirty years, and he continues to work because this occupation is considered to be scare, Glas Slavonije writes.

His work is well known to Našiče's locals, but over the last several years, the locals of this town in almost overlooked Slavonia have barely visited him. Why? Because there is no longer any high quality footwear that needs to be repaired.

"It's easier to buy [shoes] cheaper now, and people with lower wages can't even afford leather, expensive but high quality footwear," says Zidar.

He repairs women's, men's, children's shoes, those that need only a little stitching up, those that are completely worn down, those which just need a new heel, and also those that just need a bit of ''scrubbing up''. In additon to working with shoes, he also works with purses and belts, but everything is much less than it ever was before in this dying profession. Although the cost of his work has been sustainable and has barely changed for almost twenty years now, Zidar's number of customers has dropped significantly, and the materials he needs are more expensive, so this type of job is carrying with it less and less profit, not to mention sense.

"The problem is the raw materials that I can't get in Croatia, I've got to order it from Germany and Italy," says Zidar, and concludes that he can't make a decent living from that job. He's been known to have repaired as many as forty pairs of shoes in a single day, but today, he deals with that amount in one week, if he's lucky. Today, he grabs work here and there and whenever he can, and it happens that people bring their shoes to the repair and then just leave them there, not returning to pick them up again.

"I waste material and my time, and I can't get either of them back - it's disappointing," says the shoemaker from Slavonia.

He studied this craft in Zagreb and this profession did very well when such a trade was in high demand, once upon a time, but then things began to change rather drastically. Despite the change ''of the wind'', Zidar never regretted his choice. Now, after thirty years of work as an entrepreneur, and after having retired, he nurtures his skill and his craft. At the beginning back when he started his own business, he worked all day and all night and earned very good money, even training his son in the same skill.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of May, 2019, Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava and the CEO of the Swiss company Immo Invest Partner, Džek Djordić, signed a contract on the sale of the Dunav (Danube) Hotel in Vukovar on Saturday, and the Swiss company has thus announced the construction of a new four-star hotel, in which it will invest a massive 200 million kuna.

"This is a strategically important property in Vukovar, the building of the former Dunav Hotel, which has attracted a lot of interest from the public," stated Penava, pointing out that the building is located in an extremely valuable location at the very mouth of the Vuka along the Danube, but also because it involves a building that has not been in function for nine years now.

He added that the city, owing to the fact that the hotel had remained totally out of use for a long time, bought the former Hotel Dunav in order to sell it to a hotel business that had already established its branch office in Vukovar. The city will do everything to make the investor feel welcome with their investment which is strategic and considered to be at the state-level.

Deputy Mayor Marijan Pavliček recalled that the City of Vukovar had purchased Hotel Dunav for 10.3 million kuna, while a price of 10.7 million kuna was asked for at the public tender, and the aforementioned Swiss company offered 11.3 million kuna and paid the difference in accordance to the higher requested price.

"The investors are obliged to collect all of the necessary permits in the next eighteen months after which the parcel will be handed over to their ownership, after which a seven-year legal deadline for the construction and commissioning of the facility comes into force," Pavliček said, adding that the investors have promised a significantly shorter implementation deadline, more specifically until the year 2023.

Pavliček emphasised the fact that this is the biggest investment after the Homeland War in the tourist sector of Vukovar, which will open up welcome new jobs.

Immo Invest Partner's CEO Džek Djordić announced the construction of a four-star hotel with about 120 rooms, 240 beds, and which will include several restaurants, offices and a multimedia space in which about 200 million kuna will be invested, and the hotel should be open in 2023.

Immo Invest Partner Board Member Petar Đorđić thanked the mayor and his deputy for their engagement in the realisation of this deal and said that all those involved are great optimists and that the entire investment will be realised within the anticipated deadline.

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This Slavonian store is a unique selling point where the shelves feature a rich assortment of local produce from local Slavonian OPGs, handmade souvenirs, and traditional ethno clothing items.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 26th of April, 2019, in the first year, sales surpassed expectations, and products from the new Slavonian store's shelves are finding their way around the world, from Uruguay all the way to Australia, Sanja Rapaić writes for Agroklub.

In Nova Gradiška, a town historically referred to as the youngest Croatian town, the totally unique ''Slavonian store'' was created last year. Located in a building with almost fairy-tale interiors dating from the 1920s, this small Slavonian shop boasts a varied and rich offer. The shop is unique, with a special atmosphere that combines the past and Slavonian traditions with contemporary methods of manufacturing for its numerous local producers.

Located close to the premises of the Tourist Board of the city in which it is situated, the Slavonian shop primarily attracts tourists, travellers and numerous Slavonians working abroad and who are coming on holiday to their native Slavonia. Thanks to them, products from local OPGs, cheeses, and cured meat products, as well as honey, fruit spreads and pastes, souvenirs, clothes and items decorated with ethno motifs and even expensive gold jewellery, have already travelled to almost all countries of the world, from Uruguay all the way to the other side of the world, to Australia.

"It all started two years ago, when the city of Nova Gradiška and six surrounding municipalities - Cernik, Rešetari, Staro Petrovo Selo, Nova Kapela, Davor and Okučani - founded the Nova Gradiška area community of producers. That was the basis of everything, with huge support from Nova Gradiška, in March of last year, we realised another idea of ​​a sales point through which all interested manufacturers could place their products.

As soon as we opened the Slavonian store, the shelves of which were immediately filled with products from all four Slavonian counties and from part of Sisak-Moslavina County. We started out with about twenty manufacturers and in just a year, their number doubled and today the Slavonian store has launched a range of products coming from as many as 55 subcontractors, of which about 30 percent are made up of OPGs, and the rest are from obrts (small companies) and from domestic labour,'' said Milan Rosić of the Slavonian store.

He pointed out that the opening of the Slavonian store has unexpectedly triggered another positive chain reaction. Namely, just so that they could put their products on store shelves, many Slavonian locals decided to open up their own OPGs.

"We're especially proud of the fact that many people who have good ideas and good products have been motivated to open OPGs, obrts or engage in home-based work, and make a serious effort towards doing this work. In the first year of operation, the Slavonian store was responsible for the opening of a dozen brand new OPGs, and partly because of this, our offer is richer and more luxurious every month. The sales are going more than well. Our customers are mainly foreign tourists, Brits, Italians, French and Japanese, of which there are, as much as it might seem unrealistic to some, more and more,'' he says.

While foreigners are mostly looking for souvenirs from this area, as well as traditional clothing, ethno-style jewellery creations, our people who work abroad and domestic tourists are primarily buying Slavonian delicacies - cured meats, various cheeses, alcoholic drinks, liqueurs, fruit juices, honey and honey products, and a variety of homemade pastes and homemade cakes which have been made according to old traditional recipes,'' says the shop manager, who is more than pleased with how the Slavonian store's sales are going.

The whole system works very easily, it's enough to contact the producer's community or come directly to the Slavonian store, where you can sign an agreement with the manager and arrange all details regarding the sale of your products.

"We're working on sales commissions, we negotiate quantities, we display products at our store, and at the end of each month we send a detailed sales data report to all of our producers, send them invoices and then make payments to their accounts for all the products we've sold here that month, so far, everything's been working flawlessly and everyone's satisfied, the manufacturers, the buyers, and us,'' stated Milan Rosić.

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Despite the odd investment here and there, continental Croatia rarely gets a look in when compared to the coast, particularly when compared to Dalmatia. In Eastern Croatia, more specifically Slavonia, the situation is even more depressing, but it seems that not everything is as bleak as we sometimes like to imagine and even portray.

As Suzana Varosanec/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 16th of April, 2019, the economic expectations from the Luka Brod (Brod Port) project worth more than 100 million kuna are high. Through the construction of new port infrastructure, the project has become the driving force for the development of Brod-Posavina County, as was highlighted by the Croatian Government.

As stated, the much anticipated construction of new port infrastructure is the driving force for the development of this Slavonian county, this was highlighted at the eighth session of the Council for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, and according to the prime minister, it's essential for the Croatian Government and local self-government units to do everything to create the proper conditions for economic development that will end the mass exodus of citizens from Croatia.

Until now, contracted projects with EU funding amount to 9.7 billion kuna, stated the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Gabrijela Žalac. Another 1.85 billion kuna are contracted investments from the state budget.

For the strengthening of the Croatian economy, the development and enhancement of competitiveness, projects such as Brod Port are of great importance, stated the Croatian Chamber of Commerce's Mirjana Cagalj. This is also an incentive for the development of a local environment that is particularly burdened with the exodus of the resident population who are leaving in their droves owing to the unfavourable economic situation, contributing to Croatia's worrying demographic crisis.

Its exceptional traffic position provides great potential for the development of the new port in Slavonski Brod in an intermodal logistics centre, which, according to Cagalj, would work to influence its future strategic role in international container traffic because Brod Port is located on the border of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the crossing of the railway corridor X and the road corridor Vc, which is an international entry port for the EU.

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Click here for the original article by Suzana Varosanec for Poslovni Dnevnik

An economic boost is on its way to Eastern Croatia, more specifically to Vukovar this autumn with the opening of a brand new Pevec sales centre, bringing with it employment opportunities and much more to this otherwise greatly overlooked city.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of March, 2019, Pevec has signed a contract for the construction of a sales centre in Vukovar with a local company from Slavonski Brod, Projektgradnja, which is otherwise a member of the Fortenova Group. The new sales centre will cover an area of ​​almost 5,000 m2. On the first floor, the office space that will be used by the company is set to be done up, Pevec's logistics and potential other tenants will make use of the revamped space.

"We have signed a contract with the Croatian company Projektgradnja, with which we're getting another modernly equipped and well-organised sales centre, employees will get high quality working conditions, and our customers a nice location for good and always competitive purchases. The opening of the new Vukovar sales centre is scheduled for October the 1st, 2019, and Vukovar will get fifty new jobs,'' Krešimir Bubalo of Pevec's management board, said.

Samofino Café will also open its doors within the new Vukovar centre. In the second stage of construction, additional business premises are planned and the retail center Pevec is expanded to a retail park with other retailers and brands.

"It's my great pleasure that Pevec, as the first Croatian trading chain, is investing in the city of Vukovar. We're building two sales centres in Slavonia, with which we want to try to encourage our people to stay here. By increasing the net minimum wage to 5,000 kuna in our stores, for our merchants, warehouse workers and our drivers, we're going to be giving our employees jubilee awards, systematic examinations, Christmas bonuses, child allowance and support for newborns, we'd like to show our employees that we care and that through working for Pevec, they can realise their dreams in Croatia,'' stated the president of Pevec's management board, Jurica Lovrinčević.

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