PEKAR: The Largest Croatian Exporter of Bakery Products

After launching the first pilot project for the development of its own retail and new product offerings in Vinkovci last December, Vinkovci’s PEKAR continues its retail openings. A sales outlet has just been opened in Županja, and by the end of the year, two more will be opened in Vinkovci, as well as sales outlets in Slavonski Brod and Vukovar. Next year, further retail expansion will continue, marking a shift in PEKAR’s business policy that will enhance its market presence and reach a larger customer base. This specialist in production primarily supplies its bakery products to retail chains in Croatia but also exports to more than 25 countries in the European Union and beyond. Continuous investments in new products and modern production lines have led to impressive company growth. Today, PEKAR is the largest Croatian exporter in the bakery industry.

Reliable and Fast Delivery

PEKAR’s offering is particularly tailored to the HoReCa channel (hotels, restaurants, and cafes) and also enables the production of private labels. In addition to expanding retail, it is strengthening its product offerings for caterers in Zagreb and the surrounding area to meet the growing demand in that region. Faster delivery with its own delivery vehicles has been enabled since last September by the new wholesale logistics-distribution center HoReCa 360 Zagreb. Thus, reliable delivery of fresh products is ensured for the HoReCa channel, which will arrive on time to customers.

With over 1,000 employees and production in three manufacturing facilities in Vinkovci and Slavonski Brod covering more than 35,000 square meters, PEKAR is the largest facility for the production of all types of lepinjas and somuns in the Croatian neighborhood and beyond. It is also the largest Croatian producer of bread crumbs. To achieve the necessary production volume, modern production lines have a capacity of over 53,000 tons per year. With 165,000 pallets of frozen products per year, 5,500 trucks per year transporting frozen products, and over 8,000 pallet spaces with a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius throughout Croatia and Europe, guaranteed delivery of bakery products is established to all parts of Croatia and abroad. In Croatia alone, about thirty delivery vehicles deliver frozen and fresh products daily to over 500 destinations.

Selection of the European Market

The European market has recognized the capacities and quality of PEKAR’s services and products, so today nearly 70 percent of the volume consists of exports. Most products are sold to retail chains, but also to distributors across the European Union and beyond.

PEKAR also stands out with its easy-to-use products. The bakery offering includes various types of somuns and lepinjas, somun sandwiches, burek, bread crumbs, and slances… The grill lepinjas are particularly tailored to the needs of the catering industry due to their long-lasting freshness and quick preparation. Although frozen, their quality remains consistent, and they stay soft. PEKAR’s frozen products must rest at room temperature for 45 minutes before preparation or finishing as desired. All frozen products can be reheated or toasted, and to further facilitate preparation, they are easy to handle, designed for quick and easy preparation.

A significant market success has been achieved with PEKAR’s somun sandwich, which has been available since 2022. Its quality was confirmed the same year when it won the ‘Superior Taste Award’ for exceptional taste and quality of food products. The predecessor of PEKAR’s somun sandwich is the PEKAR somun, which was the first of all PEKAR’s products to conquer foreign markets precisely due to its original recipe and long-lasting freshness despite freezing.

Sliced bread packaged without artificial atmosphere is another popular product on the market, and among the wide range of bread, the Golden Mold stands out.

Quality and Health Labels

Regardless of the investments PEKAR makes in modern technologies that speed up and automate production, some products are made by hand. This emphasizes the tradition and quality that have been nurtured since its founding in 1989, when PEKAR took its first steps as a small family bakery. Handcrafted products carry the handmade label, all products possess the IFS certificate that proves the quality and safety of the products, and almost all products are marked with the Clean Label because they do not contain E-numbers. Additionally, almost all of PEKAR’s offerings have a halal certificate that guarantees quality, health safety, and clear origin of ingredients. Many of the products have the Vegan Ready label, making them suitable for vegans and vegetarians, as well as Palm Oil Free, a certificate indicating that palm oil was not used in production.