Croatia doubles tomato production with Podravka’s new factory

This year, Podravka has made a major step forward in strengthening domestic agricultural production, particularly in the tomato processing sector, with the opening of a new, modern facility within the Fruit and Vegetable Factory in Varazdin. This facility, inaugurated in July, represents a key part of Podravka's strategy, which is based on continuous investment in domestic production and close cooperation with local agricultural producers.

The new tomato processing facility enables Podravka to significantly increase its capacity, up to 40,000 tons of seasonal processing, while ensuring premium product quality. Investment in technologically advanced tomato processing systems allows for greater efficiency and reduced environmental impact, in line with Podravka’s Business Sustainability Strategy. Additionally, the new facility allows for faster processing and the preservation of tomatoes' nutritional value, ensuring high quality and freshness in the products Podravka delivers to its consumers.
 
 “The investment in the new facility is central to our project of increasing tomato production and achieving self-sufficiency in this raw material. This means that all tomatoes in our key products, which we export worldwide, will come from Croatian fields. Moreover, these are tomatoes of the highest quality, as they will be processed in this facility within just a few hours of harvest,” said Martina Dalic, President of Podravka’s Management Board, during the facility’s opening. With the new facility, Podravka has not only increased its processing capacity, but has also reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable development and product quality enhancement.

As part of this year’s activities aimed at strengthening cooperation with local producers, Podravka hosted more than a hundred of its agricultural producers at the traditional gathering held at the Varazdin Fruit and Vegetable Factory. This event was organized to deepen partnerships and create even stronger ties with those who are essential to the success of domestic agricultural production. Agricultural producers, whose hard work and dedication form the foundation of Podravka’s product quality, had the opportunity to learn more about the company’s plans and share experiences with Podravka’s experts and colleagues.

At the gathering, discussions also focused on the challenges facing local producers, as well as opportunities for further development and improvement of tomato production. It was emphasized that the stability and security Podravka provides to its partners are of utmost importance in ensuring a steady supply of high-quality raw materials, which is a key factor in Podravka’s market success. It was also highlighted that cooperation with agricultural producers will remain a primary focus for the company, alongside ongoing investments in technology and production process modernization.
 
This gathering with agricultural producers once again demonstrated how important close collaboration with local producers is to Podravka’s business model. Through long-term partnerships with agricultural producers, Podravka ensures top-quality raw materials for its products and contributes to the sustainable development of agriculture in Croatia. By investing in domestic production, Podravka also strengthens the local economy and creates new jobs.
 “All the tomatoes coming into our new facility are produced in Croatia. We’ve organized production across the country, thus diversifying it in a way that will further stabilize production in the future. Throughout this process, we focused on providing strong support to our agricultural producers, as for many, this was their first season of tomato production. Next season, we aim to do even better and fully utilize the capacity of our new facility,” said Ivan Ostojic, Management Board member in charge of agriculture, during the cooperative gathering. He also pointed out that this year, Podravka produced about 30,000 tons of tomatoes, both from its own fields and those of its agricultural producers.

 With all that has been achieved this year, 2024 will be remembered as a pivotal year for Podravka in the tomato production segment. The opening of the new facility, the introduction of advanced technological solutions and the deepening of cooperation with local agricultural producers will result in even higher-quality products for the market, as well as further development of domestic agricultural production. Through initiatives like these, Podravka reaffirms its role as a leader in the food industry, focused on sustainability, quality, and close collaboration with domestic producers.

Source: Podravka, Sloboden Pecat, freshplaza.com