Micro-breweries are on the rise in Croatia and gaining in popularity.
In the last few years, small breweries are being opened all over Croatia and have recently spread to the Remetinec neighbourhood in Zagreb. In addition to traditional annual celebration of small breweries held in that city district, it has recently got its own beer as well. Fulir a German lager produced by Dino Konta and Sanja Cvetanović, reports Vecernji List on November 6, 2015.
“We had some money and have decided to invest it in our own business. Since I have been dealing with beers for some time, it was no brainer to turn the hobby into a business”, explains Dino who himself designed the brewery in Naletilića Street, only a few hundred metres from the well-known Remetinec prison. “So far, I have produced about 70 batches of beer of different styles, and now I am producing Fulir in this plant which has a capacity of 2,500 litres per month”, Dino explains.
So far, the only other worker at the 30,000 euro worth facility is his girlfriend Sanja. “Our daily schedule is the same: when we get back from work, we take a short break and then head towards the brewery. Fortunately, we have started well so we are not lacking in motivation”, Sanja explains while showing us a Fulir bottle which is very easy to recognize. Vintage label with a moustache which may belong only to a gentleman from Zagreb and a view of the Maksimir Park demonstrate that this is a beer which comes from Zagreb. Fulir was first officially presented at the First Beer Festival in Sisak.
“We are now available at several locations in Zagreb, and our only ‘problem’ is how to meet the demand. In our small brewery we do everything manually, so it takes a while, because the quality of each batch must be the same, just like the ingredients always have to be the best. The timing can sometimes be difficult since we personally control every stage of production”, says Dino who hopes the production will soon be expanded. “In my professional life I deal with finances so we were able to find the necessary funds and begin work without any stress. This somewhat small-scale start allows us to expand slowly.”
“Fulir is primarily intended for beer connoisseurs so we offer it mainly in specialty shops and pubs which offer craft beer. Thankfully, there are more and more such pubs, and more and more people who are interested in such beers. We have no reason to doubt that our beer will go well. We have decided for go with this style of beer because we are a nation of lager lovers, and it seems to us there is room for something new and good in that segment”, Dino concludes.
