September the 18th, 2026 – Croatia’s famous brand Zvijezda has celebrated 110 years of doing successful business and engaging in market leadership.
Zvijezda mayonnaise and Zvijezda oil occupy first and second place on the ranking of the strongest brands in Croatia according to Ipsos research. Poslovni reports that the very well known Zvijezda, a market leader and Croatian manufacturing company whose values are founded on tradition, quality and innovativeness, celebrated 110 years of successful business.
The ceremony was held at the Zagreb City Museum, on the day when in 1916 the First Croatian Oil Factory was founded in Zagreb, in the presence of numerous company partners as well as representatives of institutions and the media. Zvijezda’s strong position is also confirmed by data on the habits of Croatian households: every second edible oil used in Croatia is Zvijezda’s, two out of three cakes are baked with Zvijezda margarine, and nine out of ten people, when it comes to mayonnaise, first think of Zvijezda.
According to the BRANDpuls research by the Ipsos agency from spring 2026, as many as five Zvijezda brands are among the 20 strongest brands on the Croatian market, with Zvijezda mayonnaise and Zvijezda oil occupying the first two places.
“I’m proud that we’re the market leader in almost all categories in which we have decided to compete, and the historically high result in the mayonnaise category of more than 70 percent confirms this. Zvijezda has for years been the number 1 brand among all brands of fast-moving consumer goods, and we continuously achieve these results thanks to our consumers, employees and partners,” emphasised Dinko Jurišić, member of the Management Board of Zvijezda. From the very beginnings of production in the First Croatian Oil Factory right up to the present day, the company has over the decades followed the needs of consumers, developed new products and set standards for the domestic food industry.
As such, back in 1956, it became the first producer of margarine in the country, in 1959 it introduced mayonnaise to the market, and in 2016 it launched the production of its own ketchup. The company today operates through the brands Zvijezda, Margo and Omegol. “Today, Zvijezda is a large and modern company, which is best proven by these figures: €150 million in annual revenue, more than 400 employees and presence on more than 15 markets. We look at these 110 years with pride, but even more with a sense of responsibility towards what is coming, therefore we continue to invest in the development of our products, the modernisation of production, the digitalisation of processes and sustainable solutions that will further strengthen Zvijezda’s competitiveness,” stated at the ceremony Karmen Rosan, member of the Management Board of Zvijezda.
Since this year Zvijezda has been operating as part of the Žito Group, one of the leading Croatian food groups. By entering the Žito Group a new development chapter has begun for Zvijezda, directed towards further strengthening of business, market position and the creation of new opportunities for growth.
“Zvijezda is one of the best-known Croatian food brands and a company that for 110 years has had a special place in the lives of generations of consumers. Its entry into the Žito Group represents a great responsibility for us, but also an opportunity to jointly build a new chapter of one of the most successful Croatian business stories, so that in the years to come we remain competitive and recognisable among consumers,” said Josip Bičvić, President of the Supervisory Board of Zvijezda. Zvijezda marked the anniversary also with a donation to the Croatian Down Syndrome Association, with which it has been cooperating for more than ten years, and as part of the cooperation the labels of a special edition of Zvijezda sunflower oil were decorated with drawings by children from the Association.
