As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes on the 9th of November, 2020, in Bacva near Visnjan, the Stefanov family have been producing what has become a famous specialty – white cod, but also various other delicacies produced out of this particular fish. This Croatian cod product has also managed to attract interest from a very rich Western European market – that of Great Britain.
The Baccalà della Mamma brand is based on the owner’s mother’s family recipe from the 1980s, and today they have four types of products – Pikantino, Oliveto and Tartufino, which they sell fresh in jars or in bulk intended for the HoReCa channel. Their new products are creams in tubes with a shelf life of one year.
Direct procurement from Norway
“We started production back in 1986, when we prepared cod as a specialty of the house in Konoba Milena, which was initially in demand before the festive season rolled around, and later on people increasingly ordered it for their own homes. We started the first official production ten years later in a business space which covered 80 square metres behind the tavern itself, and I took over the business back in 2005, six years later, I opened a new plant according to European standards in a space covering 400 square metres,” says the owner, Aleksandar Stefanov.
While these are Croatian cod products, having been finished here, the products are actually made from rich Norwegian cod and sunflower oil without the addition of gluten and glucose. They annually produce about 100,000 kilograms of cod. The fish is procured from the Sverdrup family from Reine in Norway, with whom they came into contact through their Italian partners, continuing their direct cooperation when they opened the new facility back in 2011.
Market expansion
Today, these Croatian cod products of Norwegian origin are also present in leading retail chains, as well as in Kvarner and Istrian stores and various delicatessen stores.
”We cooperate with all hotel houses in Istria – Valamar, Maistra, Plava Laguna, Aminess and with restaurants from Savudrija, Pula and Rijeka to Zagreb. About 30 percent of production is exported to Austria, Italy, Slovenia, and one shipment has just gone to the United Kingdom. We’re planning to expand further on the Italian market, although we’re already present there, as well as that of Serbia,” concluded Stefanov.
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