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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''The most important thing is to have a clear plan and a vision and to be persistent and never give up, because every good idea will find its way to a buyer,'' this was the message sent out to those thinking of becoming Croatian entrepreneurs.

As Ivan Tominac/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of April, 2019, an event organised by Vecernji list and Poslovni dnevnik has the ultimate goal of which is the retention of young educated people in Croatia, and after Osijek, the event will move to Koprivnica, two continental Croatian regions which are often overlooked.

The event will include a tender for student development projects, round tables and forums entitled ''Future in Croatia'' which will be held across six Croatian cities in cooperation with six universities and a traveling exhibition to mark the the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Večernji list. In Koprivnica, the event will be held in cooperation with the North University on Tuesday at 10:00. Croatia's Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli will give his view of Croatia and available opportunities, and before that, the event will be bringing two stories from Koprivnica that prove that you definitely can succeed in Croatia.

Boris Poljak, the owner of the Pobis company, noted at the very beginning of the conversation that entrepreneurship is not easy but challenging as the market does indeed offer countless possibilities, but whether or not we're successful is down to nobody and nothing but us.

"Being an entrepreneur depends on the person, and not on the place he's in. If one has the will and the desire to be an entrepreneur, then he won't care whether he's doing it in Croatia, Austria, Germany, or elsewhere," Boris Poljak said. For success, it's important to abide by the established plan and rules of the game, ie, certain legal frameworks.

According to him, young people aren't going straight into business today, but instead, they're moving into ''entrepreneurial waters'' because they want to ensure a secure existence for themselves. "The statistics on the opening and the closing of companies is proof of this. Unfortunately, many people don't succeed, but there are many who do succeed and who achieve excellent results here, and more and more are doing so internationally. Running your own business today doesn't require that much capital," Poljak stated with a short and clear message that says that without a clear plan and vision there can be no success.

"You have to work really hard with young people, they're most often not prepared for work and have a lot of prejudices towards employers," emphasised Poljak, adding that in his company he recognised that with the effort and investment poured into young people, he was creating quality staff who could compete on the world market level. Young people are increasingly involved in entrepreneurial ventures, and as a result, there are numerous startups popping up all the time across Croatia, leading to more tenders and investments.

Codebox managed to stumble upon such a welcome fat, the core activity of this organisation is the creation of personalised software, web design, computer equipment maintenance, and processing and data transfer. Martin Kolarić and Filip Stojić began on this path through a startup tender, and today they can safely say that it was a great opportunity to gain new experiences, try out their knowledge and skills and also have some fun.

"For all those who want to be successful, our advice is to work on themselves and their knowledge. A great deal of information is available to all of us and we have the opportunity of continuous learning and training. Innovation and creativity are the most important competencies today, which is why we need to work on our own improvement, this is the only path to real success,'' concluded Martin Kolarić.

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Click here for the original article by Ivan Tominac for Poslovni Dnevnik

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

ZAGREB, April 6. 2019 - Agreements on partnership in the implementation of the renovation of Prince Eugene of Savoy's castle in the eastern town of Bilje was signed in the city of Osijek on Friday, setting the conditions for the renovation of this historical building.

The documents were signed by the property's co-owners, Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Ivan Anušić and the Bilje Mayor Željko Cickaj.

The preparation of the project documentation will cost some 2.2. million kuna, and 1.8 million kuna of that amount is to be covered by European Union funds. The preparation of the documentation and public procurement procedures are to take two years.

The project is supposed to usher in a new cultural and tourist route called "The Route of Prince Eugene of Savoy", local authorities reported.

County authorities are collecting funds for the reconstruction of two more castles in the town of Našice.

The projects for the reconstruction of the castles are estimated to cost 75 million kuna. After the completion of its refurbishment, the Bilje castle will offer programmes in connection with hunting and wine tasting tours.

Prince Eugene of Savoy, who was born in 1663 and died in 1736, was a general of the Imperial Army and statesman of the Holy Roman Empire and the Archduchy of Austria.

The Bilje castle was constructed in the 17th century at his request in the vicinity of the Kopački Rit Nature Park.

The municipality of Bilje is a few kilometres north of the biggest eastern Croatian city of Osijek.

More news about Slavonia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

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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Through a project worth 45 million kuna and with welcome co-financing from the European Union, an innovative new product involving Slavonian oak doors is currently being developed in Vinkovci.

As Suzana Varosanec/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 11th of March, 2019, Vinkovci's Spačva wood industry, with its 865 employees, is going from strength to strength

Last year, the industry achieved fifteen percent higher revenues than it did back in 2017, and the same positive trend is set to continue throughout 2019. With a net profit of seven million kuna in 2017, Spačva's profit in 2018 was higher than fifteen million kuna.

A new phase of development, based on innovation and further competitiveness, has now been launched, and our struggle for raw material is going to lead us to the abandonment of the unlawful distribution of raw materials which is breaking the market and the transition to a market model,'' Spačva's Josip Faletar said, adding that the majority of the wood and the processing of it would be done in Slavonia, and in that case, the Vinkovci-based Spačva would employ 200 new workers in a boost to Slavonia's dwindling economy.

The company has been deprived of its old, burdensome commitments, and since last year it has been primarily focused on development projects, two of which are currently under way, and they're also preparing other new projects, which are of an innovative character and have been carefully developed in close cooperation with the scientific community.

The largest project in progress is worth 45 million kuna and is being co-financed by the EU, the project in question is the development of a new product made from sturdy Slavonian oak, which, with its charm, looks and high quality would likely easily conquer the demanding European market. This project has been in the works for four years now and is going according to plan, said Faletar, and along with experts from Spačva, a dozen scientists from the Zagreb and Osijek forestry faculties are also working hard on it.

Moreover, by the end of this year, Vinkovci's Spačva will announce the completion of a project worth more than 30 millio kuna which has been financed entirely from its own sources and loans. Namely, the company plans to achieve better raw material utilisation, at higher speeds and with greater flexibility in the process of tailoring customer requirements to the EU's single market.

Revenues from this Vinkovci company's sales in 2018 amounted to close to 230 million kuna, out of which on foreign markets in thirty countries, sales amounted to 73.08 percent, in the amount of 167.6 million kuna. The most important export countries are Italy, Serbia, France, Germany, and Romania. In the period from 2013 to 2018, Vinkovci's Spačva invested more than 100 million kuna into its machinery, equipment and infrastructure, and in 2019 it plans to invest a further 50 million kuna.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for much more on doing business in Croatia and the overall investment climate in various sectors within the country.

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

During my visit to Požega last month, I was impressed by the enthusiasm with which Igor Marač, the owner of the Luks Bike Adventure agency, spoke about an event he was organising on the occasion of the day of the town of Požega, which he named the Bike & Hike Grgurevo. It was a good reason for me to spend the second Saturday in March in Požega, the largest town in central Slavonia.

Požega is hidden in the hills, somewhat isolated, but for that very reason surrounded by a slightly mystical aura. Other major urban centres in Slavonia are located in the lowlands of the great rivers, the Danube (Vukovar) and its direct tributaries, Sava (Slavonski Brod) and Drava (Osijek), while Požega has the Orljava river and the Golden Valley.

After Našice, we leave the flat Slavonia and follow the winding road over Krndija. After the Gradac pass at 355 metres above the sea level, we descend on the Slavonski Brod road and turn left towards Požega. At Bektež, a village known for sparkling wines produced by the Josipović family, we descend southwest towards Požega, crossing the Golden Valley and enjoying the views offered by the surrounding hills. To the right or north of us are Krndija and Papuk, behind which there is the Podravina plain, and to the left or south is the Dilj hill, behind which is the Posavina plain. Unlike some other roads in Slavonia, this road is excellent, with occasional bends and windings breaking the monotonous driving experience.

At the entrance to Požega, large crowds, commotion, bustle. It is not surprising, given that this is the day of this town. We find out that there is also the oath-giving ceremony for the 24th generation of volunteer conscripts, some 360 of them, which has brought additional visitors to the town. On our way back, we will hear more about this event on the radio, including the fact that this is the second largest generation of female volunteers since the beginning of voluntary military training. It is appropriate news given that the day before was the International Women’s Day. Emancipation of the female gender has (finally) reached the Croatian armed forces.

The town centre hosts a local delicacy fair, bringing together producers from all over Slavonia (and Baranja). I meet Petar Dobrovac from Kneževi Vingradi, and Pero immediately offers me his sausages and pork rinds. He is always on the move, and in a couple of days, he will go to a fair in Dubrovnik.

A parade of historical units followed the modern soldiers. We sit at a nearby cafe and watch the show: people from Herzegovina, Lika, historical groups from all over Slavonia. This militarisation of the town’s celebration is quite understandable. According to the folk tradition, on 12 March 1689 (on Grgurevo), f. Luka Ibrimimović expelled the Ottomans from Požega. After a living history performance at the cathedral of St. Teresa of Avila, which evokes this historical period, it is the finally time to head to the Požega Hills to enjoy the wines and local delicacies.

After passing by the St. Vid chapel and enjoying the town panorama, we first visit the Jurković wine house. Tamburitzas, čobanac, wine, brandy, cakes... a winning combination. However, the čobanac stew was mild, not as spiced with paprika as I am used to, but quite delicious. Besides, there is no accounting for taste. A mild čobanac can always be spiced up, but the spicy hot čobanac can be made any milder. What is important is for it to be delicious to as many visitors as possible, and there were a lot of them.

The entry ticket for this event was a glass in a convenient canvas wrap which cost just 25 kuna and included the food, wine and music at three locations. The next site was the Sajfert wine-house. There, in addition to the wine and brandy, we also tasted the traditional dish called gojtani with jam. It is an old-fashioned dish preserved thanks to the "Museum in the Pot" project implemented by the Požega Town Museum since 2012, developed by ethnologist and museum director Maja Žebčević Matić. The three essential ingredients needed to make the gojtani are flour, milk and eggs, prepared by frying them in the lard, and you will need a funnel as well. It is a particular dish of Cvelferija, the southernmost part of Vukovar-Srijem County, brought there in the 18th century by immigrants from the German-speaking countries.

After tasting the gojtani, I pour the house wine, and the boss, Sajfert, leads me to the terrace of the wine house which features beautiful views. He offers me his own “kulenova seka” sausage, which is really great. And it has to be, given that he used to work as a food technologist for the Papuk meat industry in Požega, after being educated in Petrinja where the practical part of the courses was done together with the Gavrilović meat industry. We discuss the tourist potential of the Požega area, and I jokingly tell him that it is somewhat selfish from him that he is keeping these views just for himself and that he did not open the accommodation facilities in the house. He explains that it is not impossible something similar might happen in the future, and the participation in this event is actually the first step toward that. He also tells me that his cousin is successful in tourism, through the Zlatni Lug complex, which includes a restaurant, a bed and breakfast, and a campsite.

The third venue is the Vukušić wine house. There, the visitors are obliged to make a very difficult decision. They can either choose to grill their own bacon and sausage on a stick over the open fire, or they can just eat the ones made beforehand by the hosts. Of course, the tamburitza band and the wines in large quantities were also there.

We chose to walk along this route, but there were many cyclists and even horse riders who joined us. Cannon shots could be heard from the hills, probably so that the Ottomans would not come back and spoil the party. Who knows, if they had a more liberal attitude towards wine, they might have stayed longer in these parts.

More news about Slavonia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Eastern Croatia is presented among 10,000 exhibitors from all over the globe at the leading European tourism fair ITB in Berlin. In addition to ITB, which will be visited by almost 200,000 visitors this weekend, the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) has organised, in cooperation with the Croatian Embassy in Berlin, the presentation of the tourism potential of the Osijek-Baranja County at the Baden-Wurttemberg Representative Office. The county presented the tourist potential of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem with a film, songs and its ethno- and gastronomic offer, reports Lokalni.hr on March 9, 2019.

“Eastern Croatia is becoming a more desirable destination on the German market. Tourism is no longer just the sea and the sun. The Danube is an excellent base on which we can build an exceptionally high-quality ethno- and gastronomic offer. Vineyards, cycling routes, river cruises are just some of the opportunities offered by the Danube,” said County Prefect Ivan Anušić at the presentation.

“Although our focus is still on the Croatian tourists, Germany is also a market we need. Also, this is an excellent opportunity for us to learn from colleagues from other countries and share experiences,” said Tatjana Roth, head of the Department of Continental Tourism of Osijek-Baranja County.

According to HTZ director Kristijan Staničić, the HTZ and the government consider Slavonia as an undiscovered tourist gem. That is why they have announced additional investments in infrastructure that will enable eastern Croatia to have better transport connections. “We are in constant contact with the Osijek Airport, where we now cooperate with Wizzair, and I believe that we will intensify our cooperation with other airlines and tour operators with respect to Slavonia and the continental part of Croatia,” said Staničić.

The largest Bavarian tour operator, Selimir Ognjenović, the owner of the I. D. Riva Tours company, also spoke about the recognisability of Slavonia. He was among the first to offer Slavonia as a tourist destination to his clients.

“People from Dubrovnik asked me why Slavonia is so visible, can we talk about the coast a little bit? Now that the global tourism sector is sometimes accusing us that we have overdone certain tourism segments, especially on the coast, Slavonia demonstrates innovation and its tourist power, and I think that is great for the whole of Croatia. Last year, we had 890 people who travelled from Munich through our agency exclusively to Slavonia. Perhaps this is not too many in comparison with the millions of tourists who come, but I always say that we should treat each guest like they are the only one, because until the first and the second come, there will not be the third one and the millionth one. They are all ambassadors of continental tourism because, when they returned to Germany, they all said they wanted to visit Slavonia again. They often tell me that Slavonia is as beautiful as Bavaria was twenty years ago. That is what makes Slavonia unique,” said Ognjenović.

Translated from Lokalni.hr (reported by Suzana Lepan Štefančić).

More news about Slavonia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

On Thursday, a discussion was held at the Museum of Taste in Osijek on tourism and local food products, with an emphasis on the Istrian experiences. Slavonians welcomed their Istrian partners involved in the agriculture and tourism sectors through the organisation of events, protection and promotion of original products and dishes, and the creation of tourism products related to enogastronomy.

The discussion was attended by Ezio Pinzan, Ph.D., head of Agriculture Department of the Istrian County, Sanja Kantaruti, director of Central Istrian Tourist Board, and Mario Bratulić, Ph.D., Mayor of the Municipality of Sv. Petar u Šumi and founder of the "With Sausage to the EU" fair. The panel was moderated by Davor Šišović, a journalist with Glas Istre, a publicist and a promoter of enogastronomic events who emphasized in his introductory remarks that “tonight we are discussing food, not for subsistence, but food as one of the basic tourism identifiers, we are talking about gastronomy as an art, as a tradition. We are also talking about the policy that must ensure that all these things are not forgotten and have an active, creative and productive function.”

In addition to the experiences of Istria, the participants also discussed creating links between family farms and catering and hospitality facilities in the area of Osijek-Baranja County and further plans for linking the agriculture and tourism sectors. Since food and hospitality is one of the first associations about Slavonia, the Istrian experiences are precious in the process of creating and establishing Slavonia and Baranja as an enogastronomic destination. Along with the representatives of Istria, the panellists included Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Ivan Anušić, the chef of the Croatian Football Federation and Osijek Hotel Tomica Đukić, the head of county Agriculture Department Silva Wendling, and Director of Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board Ivana Jurić.

The topics were the role of local and typical products in forming a tourist experience, the importance of supporting the local production sector, enogastronomy as an essential tourist product of Croatia and the expertise of Istria, the philosophy of zero kilometres "in the kitchen", the recognizability of a destination created through tastes and smells, the importance of educating catering staff on local wine ranges and typical dishes, the protection of products such as the Istrian boškarin or black Slavonian pig, and other related topics.

Ezio Pinzan emphasised that almost twenty years ago there were just a few boškarins in the whole of Istria, who had the status of pets, and that today there is no serious family farm which does not offer meat of the Istrian cattle. The Istrian County efforts also helped turn the focus on the boškarin. He also noted that substantial progress has been made in the field of winemaking through the establishment of the Vinistra association and the eponymous event and that the county has invested heavily in the reconstruction of abandoned olive groves. “For the fourth year in a row, we are the best olive growing region in the world. Just yesterday we received a protected designation of authenticity for our extra virgin olive oil” said Pinzan and continued, “Truffles are something we are yet to exploit in our gastronomy. Istrian prosciutto is the first product that we protected with a designation of origin, and it took us fifteen years,” which shows that success will not come overnight.

Mario Bratulić, who has a doctorate on the topic of Istrian sausages and autochthonous products, pointed out that Sv. Petar u Šumi is the demographically youngest Istrian municipality, a small, but active and propulsive community, and that they wanted to create a gourmet event that would go beyond the local community. They came with this idea to the county. “As part of the fair, we enabled producers from Slavonia to come with their products. Last year, one Slavonian producer sold a full van of charcuterie products! We have established cooperation with fifteen sausage events and associations from Central Europe.”

The head of Agriculture Department of Osijek-Baranja County Silva Wendling emphasised that since 2015 the county has been co-financing service providers in catering and tourism sector who buy food from local producers and added that "when tourists come to a certain area, they want to experience this region, among other things, through taste.”

Director of Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board Ivana Jurić stressed that Slavonia combines agrotourism, wine tourism and active tourism, and added that "we are only starting to realise that we are a tourist destination, but the demand for Slavonia is on the rise.”

More Slavonia news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Slavonska Krv (Slavonian Blood) is followed by Slavonsko Zlo (Slavonian Evil). Slavonska Krv was the first series of hot chilli sauces from Slavonia, followed by Ljutoteka from Vinkovci, and now Slavonsko Zlo. The idea has been conceived by Matko Maltar from Belišće. An old Latin saying states that “laziness is the beginning of every evil,” but this Evil is an exception since it is not a fruit of laziness but of extra work filled with enthusiasm.

Although he works for a family printing company, Matko apparently needed new business challenges, so he threw himself into this project. He shares his story with great optimism: “We use Bhut Jolokia, Naga Viper, Carolina Reaper and certain milder varieties. The sauces are free of preservatives and other additives, completely natural. The peppers are not fermented, and everything is fresh. They are produced locally and organically; just the sun and water in a forest near Petrijevac. For smoked sauces, we use the natural condensate of smoke, while family farms supply garlic and onions.”

So far, there are three versions of the sauces; classic, smoked and reaper, each having a different hotness gradation level, so the classic is rated as 3/5, the smoked as 4/5, and the hottest one (as the name suggests) is reaper with a rating of 5/5.

After tasting, I can just say that the sauces are really hot but edible. It is refined hotness that fortunately does not leave any negative consequences on the digestive tract. And I am not just saying this because Matko used to be my neighbour. After all, try it yourself. You can order it by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or come to Ljudevita Posavskog St. in Belišće. It is perhaps better to go there personally since it is also a chance to visit Belišće.

Belišće is an industrial town built in 1884, like a town in the American Wild West. A real greenfield startup; wealthy industrialist S.H. Gutmann came with money, bought the forests and land, built a sawmill and a narrow railroad, and was then followed by immigrants from the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Belišće used to be the home for people of over twenty different nationalities.

Within a few years, once empty fields were filled with modern industrial plants and residential buildings; a town was born. The spirit of that times can be felt in the town museum located in one of the oldest residential buildings in the town. The surrounding area is ideal for cyclo-tourism (for example, Drava Bike Tour), hiking (for instance, Belišće-Podravina Hiking Trail), canoeing on numerous Drava branches, or birdwatching at the Jugovača pond, where bird watching huts have been set up. After returning to the town, you can refresh yourselves at the Kanu pub which offers over 120 kinds of beer.

As everyone knows, Slavonia and Baranja is the hottest Croatian region in the gastronomic sense. In October last year, Goran Vrabec saw that for himself when he visited the Paprika Fest in Lug. He was the first who started making hot food additives in Croatia and thus became an inspiration to others who tried to follow in his footsteps.

After Medulin, Čakovec and Zagreb, Lug hosted a meeting of spicy food fans. In Medulin and Čakovec, the contestants came up to Caroline Reaper, but no one was able to eat it, while Zagreb was a complete disappointment, since among the 800,000 inhabitants there was nobody who could eat Bhut Jolokiu, let alone Carolina.

A sensation took place in Lug; as many as three contestants managed to eat three Carolinas, so the competition had three winners – Igor Horvat, Zoran Majstorović and Branko Dvorski, which points to Slavonsko Zlo having a strong local market.

With the appearance of the Slavonsko Zlo series of hot sauces, following Slavonska Krv and Ljutoteka, we can say that there is now a hot sauces industry developing in Slavonia and Baranja, the industry of producers of hot dietary supplements, which is excellent news since only healthy competition can stimulate better (and ever hotter) new products.

More news about Slavonia and Baranja can be found in the Lifestyle section.