The celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Medvedgrad Brewery, the oldest and largest Croatian small independent brewery, took place last week on Huzjanova Street in Zagreb, gathering numerous guests from the brewing industry, clients, and media representatives. At the same time, the brewery’s main beer, the pale lager Golden Bear, celebrated its 30th birthday, and its redesign was presented on this occasion. Medvedgrad Brewery was founded in 1994 by spouses Ljerka and Ivo Nauković, who were engaged in metalworking before expanding their business into brewing. The step into brewing was not unexpected as they produced items for large facilities in the oil industry, as well as for breweries, and today about twenty breweries work with their products.
The first brewery and pub of the Nauković family was located at the corner of Savska and Vukovarska in Zagreb and was supposed to be named Four Guys. However, that name was abandoned, and it was named according to Bavarian tradition, which dictates that it should be named after the brewery closest to a medieval town. Since that is Medvedgrad, the brewery was named after it, and the beers were named after characters from legends. Instead of the names Herc, Pik, As, and Bela as initially planned, Medvedgrad Brewery produces beers named Grička Witch, Black Queen, Golden Bear, Fakin, Baltazar… In addition to its pubs, the beer is sold throughout Croatia. Ratebeer named Medvedgrad Brewery the best brewery in Croatia in 2014 and 2015, and in 2017 it received the ‘CROPACK’ award for the design of its labels.
Second Generation
Medvedgrad Brewery is 100% owned by the company Pikar, which also includes Medvedgrad Pubs, located at three locations: in Ilica, Tkalčićeva, and Samoborska Road. However, for several years, 15% of the company belonged to the Finnish startup Funderbeam, through which crowdfunding was used to raise money for the expansion of the factory, but that part was eventually bought back. Since 2022, the company has been managed by the second generation of the Nauković family, brothers Ivan, Nikola, Petar, and Luka, while their father Ivo remains a procurator. There are 96 employees in the pubs and brewery, and by this year, more than 25 million liters and around 90 different types of beer have been brewed according to traditional brewing recipes, achieving a fullness of flavor that cannot be obtained in large beer industries.
