January 27, 2021 – To facilitate the operations of local family farms, which have faced numerous challenges due to the coronavirus crisis, local products are just one click away on the e-marketplace of Sveta Nedelja.

When the first lockdown started in the spring of last year, many were forced to turn to online solutions in their businesses, but due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus, to also consider the importance of a healthy diet for overall health. We had witnessed the forced rise of technology use, while online delivery services and online sales of food and other necessities have flourished.

The City of Sveta Nedelja adapted to the situation turning to online solutions for the benefit of many local family producers, but also their citizens. Namely, in April last year, Sveta Nedelja launched an online market project within the city to provide family farms and citizens with a common platform for selling and buying fresh groceries and homemade products.

„For our fellow citizens and for our family farms, we have introduced an e-marketplace system, an online store boasting domestic products, thus enabling the direct purchase of fresh and healthy ingredients and products,“ said Dario Zurovec, the Mayor of Sveta Nedelja, in a recent interview with TCN.

Organic essential oils, immortelle hydrates, soaps, balms, and more

Fruits, vegetables, cereals, pumpkin seeds, oil, liqueurs, jams, cheese, are just a part of the offer at the e-marketplace of Sveta Nedelja. Using the e-marketplace is very easy. In just a few clicks, customers can search for the groceries they need, then find a family farm that they like because of price or quality. Also, each local family farm has its own profile which shows its products, contact information, OIB, and information on delivery to the doorstep.

For easier navigation, the online offer is divided into categories according to the type of food (fruits, vegetables, dairy products, beverages...).

In addition to the listed products, on the e-marketplace of Sveta Nedelja, you can find various types of vinegar, pumpkin oil, barley porridge, lavender hydrates, organic essential oils, soaps, balms, and even souvenirs at prices equal to or even lower than those on the city market.

"We want to enable our fellow citizens to buy healthy and fresh products as easily as possible on the e-marketplace, but also to make it easier for our family farms to sell in a situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic," they say in Sveta Nedelja.

While people and organizations from many parts of Croatia launched online markets on Facebook groups and other social networks on their own initiative, the City of Sveta Nedelja is one of the first cities in Croatia to provide its citizens with an online platform to sell and purchase products from local family farms. Apart from Sveta Nedelja, this way of administrative assistance to local family farms was also provided by Istria County, Zagreb, Poreč, Čakovec, Velika Gorica, Rovinj, and many other Croatian cities.

January 13, 2021 – In order to help family farmers from the earthquake-hit area, Zagreb City Online Market has recently included products from Banovina in its offer.

Family farms in Banovina, the area struck by the recent earthquake, are currently facing many challenges. With many damages to houses, the inhabitants of that part of Croatia who are engaged in food and beverage production must still ensure their livelihood. Help is more than needed, and in addition to already collected food donations and hygiene supplies, they will still need help to recover successfully.

To make family farms from Banovina even more visible, a large project, "Let's buy from Banija," was recently launched, encouraging people from Croatia to buy their products. Likewise, the City of Zagreb recently decided to help Banovina producers by including their products on its Online Market pages.

Namely, the City of Zagreb launched the Online Market application at the beginning of April 2020 to help domestic food and beverage producers to market their products. It is a platform that connects producers and buyers to promote local family farms that are struggling due to the coronavirus epidemic.

After the devastating earthquake that hit Petrinja, Sisak, Glina, and the surrounding towns, the City of Zagreb decided to include family farms from that area in the Zagreb City Online Market offer. All producers from Banovina received the heart label, and they can be found on the Zagreb City Online Market website.

Since April, the Zagreb City Online Market has been operating continuously, and the fact that customers have accepted the project is shown by the website's 60,000 visits per month.

"We invite all citizens to support our small producers from Banovina, as they constantly support Zagreb producers within the application Zagreb City Online Market," said the Zagreb City Administration.

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