Podravka

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• Zvonimir Mršić CEO
• Dubravko Štimac Chairman

Podravka is a Croatian food company, which is one of the largest companies in Southeast Europe. Products include Vegeta ( seasoning ) and Ajvar ( dip ). For Vegeta there is a branch in Poland and two license companies in Austria and Hungary.

History

The brothers Marijan and Matija Wolf founded the company in 1934 as a fruit factory. With the seizure of power by the Communist Marshal Tito in 1947, the company went over to the State and got its present name.

1952 new products came on the market: the former fruit factory began candies, mustard, ketchup, fruit brandy and canned meat produce. 1957 began the production of instant soups. The rooster on the chicken soups became a cult icon in Yugoslavia.

In 1959 Vegeta was launched on the market, an all-purpose seasoning that is currently sold in more than 40 countries. 1972 Podravka moved temporarily into the pharmacy: in Ludbreg let the communist regime to produce cheap drugs.

After the Croatia War and the collapse of the SFRY Podravka was privatized in 1993 and went on the Zagreb Stock Exchange. Four years later, three new factories were built with 130 million euro profit stock exchange.

Corruption scandal

2009, the company got into a fight against corruption and financial scandal of which several board members were arrested in the course. Here they tried to get through equity and credit transactions, the control of the company. In total, there have been embezzled company funds to 250 million kuna ( 34.7 million euro ). Here also, the Croatian Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec of the Conservative Party Hrvatska Demokratska zajednica (HDZ ) had come under pressure because he was before his political career until 2005 Manager at Podravka. He resigned in late October, Duro Popijac succeeded him as Minister of Economics.