When people from Koprivnica say they are going to PRC, it is not frivolous, nor does it indicate a demographic measure, but they are heading to Podravka’s recreational center in the suburban settlement of Starigrad, on the slopes of Bilogora. There are two of Podravka’s three hospitality facilities there – the recently renovated Štagelj and the currently closed Podravska klet. At the P.R.C. is also the most beautiful viewpoint in Koprivnica-Križevci County, from where we see the panorama of Koprivnica, dominated by Podravka’s complex, but also further, all the way to the Drava River about 15 kilometers away, and Prekodravlje, and on a clear day, the view cannot be stopped even by the Hungarian razor wire that still – just in case – reminds of Orbán’s reckoning with the migrant crisis from 2015.
However, from there, Đurđevac is not well visible, especially not the Križevci part of the county, which is actually a kind of copy of the former triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia. This small triune functions in a triangle between the cities of Koprivnica, Križevci, and Đurđevac, along with their respective municipalities. Koprivnica is dominant, Križevci is trying to catch up, and the power in the county is determined by the party that achieves the best result in Đurđevac.
Nevertheless, the three cities and their entrepreneurs are not just competitors, but primarily collaborators and partners. Thus, with a stronger binocular from the P.R.C., one could see the workers of Križevci’s Radnik, who are working full steam on the thorough reconstruction of Podravka’s administrative building, the so-called seven-story building. The work should be completed by June. After that, the interior will be equipped, and a return of employees to the Administrative Building is planned for September.
Otherwise, of the 6600 Podravka employees, about 3500 are employed in Koprivnica, mostly in the original complex on Starčević Street, and in the industrial zone at Danica, around the Belupo complex. Data on business operations in 2021 will be unavailable to the public for another ten days, until the official announcement on the stock exchange. However, the company is satisfied with what has been achieved in the first three quarters, as sales have increased by 1.6 percent, and profit by as much as 23 percent. Additionally, Podravka’s CEO Martina Dalić emphasizes that the share price has risen from 485 kuna to 664 kuna in a year by September 30. Last week it closed at 684 kuna.
