From food waste, he created a business that is now expanding across Europe

Sven Darrer is not a typical entrepreneur. Under the umbrella of his company, he currently combines four business areas that are quite different: dietary supplements and phytopharmacy, education and development of communication skills, tourism, and sustainable solutions for food waste management. However, he did not enter entrepreneurship with a plan to one day have a company operating in four different segments. He diversified gradually, over more than two decades of gaining experience, and each new area mostly arose from problems he identified in the market.

The largest part of his current business is in the waste management segment. D-Organic, the brand of devices for aerobic digestion of food waste, accounts for as much as 60 percent of the company’s revenue. Last year, it generated €395,496, an increase of 16.59 percent compared to the previous year. For this year, Darrer does not expect a dramatic jump; he would be satisfied with a slight increase.

– I don’t think the company needs to grow at double-digit rates every year. What matters to me is that the business is healthy and sustainable and that we have room for long-term development – says the entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurial family

For a small company, any growth simultaneously means new costs, organizational demands, and the need for additional people. For this reason, he does not want to increase revenue just for the sake of growth, but primarily when there is a business reason for it.

Darrer has been in entrepreneurship for 22 years, but his business lessons began much earlier. He grew up in a family that was engaged in photography, so from an early age, he observed how a small business operates, where creativity, clients, employees, and money must all be considered simultaneously. Photography, he says, was his first school of entrepreneurship. The business required following trends, adapting to the market, and constantly seeking new ways of working. Along with the creative part, it was necessary to organize processes and manage people daily.

– I grew up in a family that ran its own business, and practically everyone was involved. I learned very early that you have to recognize the problem yourself, find a solution, and organize the business – he says.

Before starting his own company, he worked in several large domestic companies. His experience from the family business was thus supplemented by working in larger systems, especially in sales, management, and client relations. Sales became one of the links between all his business areas. However, he entered entrepreneurship primarily to solve problems.

– When I think about a new business, I first ask what problem exists and whether we can solve it. Only after that do I ask whether there is a business opportunity in it – he explains.

Today, he runs the company with his wife, but he leaves most of the work to external collaborators. Sales, graphic design, transport, shipping, and other activities are taken over by partners as needed. This model allows him to maintain flexibility without creating large fixed costs.

Products with a clear purpose

The first business he started to build his own company was related to dietary supplements. In collaboration with a foreign company, he developed the market for products aimed at women’s health. Over time, he assessed that there was room for his own production concept. Thus, Femmi Plus was born, a brand that today encompasses Femmi MACA, Femmi GOLD, and Femmi INOSITOL.

The formulations in the company are developed in-house, and the raw materials are sourced and produced in Croatia. In product development, quality and safety, transparency of composition, origin of raw materials, and reliability of manufacturers are important to Darrer.

– When we develop a product, it is important for me to know what is in it, where the raw materials come from, and whether I would choose it for myself or my family – he notes.

He applies similar criteria when selecting foreign partners and products to include in the portfolio. He does not want to have as many items as possible just to broaden the offer. The product, he claims, must have a clear purpose, market potential, and the possibility of long-term development.

The second branch of the business is tourism. Darrer launched ‘Hello Zagreb‘, a tourist guide and project aimed at visitors to the capital. Later, it expanded to the coast as part of the ‘Hello Croatia‘ project with editions for Poreč, Rovinj, Opatija, Split, and Dubrovnik.

However, the coastal part of the business did not retain long-term. After two years, he decided to concentrate on Zagreb, where ‘Hello Zagreb’ continued to be published in various seasonal editions. In 11 years, 74 editions have been published, and guides and tourist maps have been distributed at high-traffic tourist locations, including the main city square and tourist information centers. Through his work in the tourism sector, Darrer came into contact with hotels, restaurants, the nautical sector, and other business clients. At that time, he began to notice a problem that is not visible to tourists but is concrete for those who prepare large quantities of food daily: what to do with the leftovers?

Solving the problem

Brown bins, unpleasant odors, insects, and frequent pickups were part of everyday life. Food waste was thus not only an ecological issue but also a logistical and cost one. Darrer began looking for a way to solve part of the problem at the source of the waste. Through research, he came across aerobic digestion and devices that allow for the processing of food waste within the facility. Thus, D-Organic was born.

– This was, in fact, a natural continuation of what I was already doing. In tourism, I saw a problem, started looking for a solution, and came to the technology that we then began to develop in the market – he says.

D-Organic distributes devices from a South Korean manufacturer. Darrer does not produce them; rather, he ensures distribution and provides support to users. Croatia is currently the main market, and in other countries, the business is developing with the help of local distributors and partners. Darrer provides partners with materials and initial support, and they open the market, sell devices, and over time can independently take over installation and user support. The technology is intended for hotels, restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes, kindergartens, and other facilities that produce larger quantities of food waste.

The device applies the process of aerobic digestion. Waste is placed in a digester where, in the presence of oxygen, water, microorganisms, and enzymes, along with the appropriate temperature and mixing, organic matter is decomposed. The process, depending on the type and quantity of waste, typically lasts up to 24 hours. It does not function like a classic grinding machine. Food is not ground but decomposed through biological processes. In the end, a liquid residue remains that can be discharged into the wastewater system, respecting local rules and conditions.

Darrer sees the advantage precisely in the fact that waste is processed where it is generated. Instead of food leftovers remaining in bins for a while waiting for pickup, they are processed continuously.

– For the user, the most important thing is that the device is not complicated to use. In terms of connection, it can be compared to a washing machine: it needs water, electricity, and drainage – he explains.

Cost-effective sustainability

There are 17 models of different capacities available, from the smallest devices for about ten kilograms of waste to large systems with a capacity of several tons. One of the key elements of sales has become the demonstration of the device in real conditions. Darrer set up a device with a capacity of fifty kilograms in a hotel so that the user could see how it works – after four days, the hotel decided to buy it. He applies a similar approach today. Potential buyers can visit users and see the technology in everyday operation.

– When you explain new technology to someone, presentation is one thing, but when a person comes to a hotel, sees the device, and what happens to the waste, they much more easily understand the value of the solution – emphasizes Darrer.

The company has sold more than forty devices so far, and its users include Adriatic Luxury Hotels, Aminess, Terme Jezerčica, Falkensteiner Zadar, as well as hospitals in Vinkovci and Duga Resa, the Lepoglava Correctional Facility, nursing homes, and kindergartens. Darrer does not want to build D-Organic solely on the argument of sustainability because he believes that ecological solutions must also have economic logic. The price of the devices depends on their capacity.

The smallest models cost around €10,000, hotel models can reach €20,000, and systems with a capacity of 300 to 500 kilograms cost around €30,000. How profitable the investment will be depends on the amount of waste, the cost of disposal, the operating costs of the device, and other conditions at the user’s site.

– When we talk about sustainability, we must also talk about business interest. The user must see what they specifically gain and what business effect they get back from the investment – he says.

Proving that calculation is one of the bigger challenges. Introducing new technology also means changing employee habits, and Darrer believes that the market needs more education on how such systems work in practice.

Croatia is the main market for D-Organic, but the plan is to continue expanding the business abroad. With the help of partners, it is already in several European markets, including Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and North Macedonia. The distribution model allows him to expand without creating a large organization. Local partners take on part of the market work, while Darrer’s team provides initial education and support.

Organic growth

Along with D-Organic, dietary supplements, and tourism, the fourth part of the business is ‘The Art of Speaking’. This involves training focused on public speaking, presentation, and communication skills, aimed at business people, managers, sales teams, and anyone who often has to present, negotiate, or lead meetings in their work. This business also grew out of previous experience. Darrer worked for years in sales and negotiation, so he began to view communication as a business skill, not just a matter of public speaking.

– It is not enough to have a good product. You must know how to explain its value and understand what the other side actually needs – he conveys.

This is where the connection among the four seemingly unrelated businesses is best seen. In each of them, it is important to understand the client, recognize their needs, and be able to offer a concrete solution. Darrer does not plan to add a new business area just for the sake of diversification. He believes there is enough room for growth within the existing activities, primarily D-Organic. He sees the greatest potential in expanding technology for processing food waste, but he does not want to stop at just selling devices. The goal is to develop knowledge, consulting, installation, service, and long-term support for users.

– I want not only to sell the device but also to provide the user with knowledge and support so that they can use it effectively and benefit from it in the long term – he emphasizes.

He is in the final testing phase of a new solution related to hybrid composters, which he claims to have patented. However, for now, he does not intend to expand the company into another completely new area.

Plans exist

As for future plans, he has an idea of which direction he wants to go, but he does not have a set vision of the company for ten years. As he claims, it would be irresponsible to say that he does.

– If my previous business experience has taught me anything, it is that the market can change much faster than we expect. I would like Darrer to remain a company that can make quick decisions, recognize good opportunities, and enter projects that we truly believe in. I do not want to build a large organization just so we can say we are big – explains the entrepreneur.

As a family business, he claims that long-term sustainability is key; they do not look only at the next quarter or the next year.

– If in five or ten years Darrer is a financially healthy company with quality people, satisfied clients, and products and services behind which we can stand confidently, I will consider that we have done a good job – concludes Sven Darrer.