Since ancient times, propolis has been known as an effective remedy for sore throats, allergies, and various other ailments, as well as for boosting immunity, but who would have thought that this miraculous gift of nature could also positively affect the health of our beloved four-legged friends? This is proven by the Radić family from Split, led by scientist Saša Radić, who is also the initiator of the idea of producing propolis-based dietary supplements, but without adding alcoholic solutions that cause a loss of 30 to 40 percent of otherwise more than 400 beneficial compounds in propolis.
Since 1989, when he first opened a medicinal cosmetics craft, and soon after the company Hedera, he has built a successful business of dietary supplements for people from propolis. A few years ago, Apipet was created, a special brand and line of products for pets. The family tradition is now successfully continued by Saša’s son Ivan Radić, co-founder of Apipet.
The other son, Božo, is not operationally involved in daily business, but is, for example, responsible for product development. Their motto is simple: they want to provide customers with the best of science and the best of nature. Ivan actively joined the business five years ago, while he was still a student of business economics at the Faculty of Economics in Split, primarily because of his Staffordshire Pru.
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—At that time, I enrolled in the marketing program, and during that period, Pru was diagnosed with a pancreatic tumor with a prognosis of only six months to live. Shortly before that, Hedera launched a new line and brand for animals, namely Apipet. Pru underwent standard therapy along with Apipet and ultimately lived more than three years after the diagnosis, and I fell in love with Apipet and wanted it to be my project. That’s why I always say that everything I did in Apipet started with Pru; I can say she was my inspiration to begin – Ivan Radić starts his story.
Special ‘know-how’
From their production facility in Split, they send their products to France, Austria, Germany, Finland, Norway, Japan, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. About ten people work in Split, six in production, three, including Ivan, in marketing and sales, and they have several students whom they hope will stay with them after finishing their studies.
Interestingly, they do not have their own bees, but rather propolis, which, thanks to a secret technology, remains the same in their final products as it is in nature, sourced from beekeepers across Croatia. It is quite challenging to procure because it is produced by a small number of bees to protect the hive from pests, and if humans take it, their bio-balance is disturbed, which is why not many beekeepers collect it.
– As our business expanded, we had to broaden our collaboration with beekeepers across Europe to have enough raw material for production – explains Radić.
Just last week, they released a new product from their factory, a shampoo for cats and dogs in the spa-line, and they strive to launch something new at least twice a year. This week, they introduced a new product for calming pets, useful in the upcoming period of firecrackers and fireworks.
