SBF: Klas named Company of the Year

Bosnia and Herzegovina's food industry Klas d.d. Sarajevo was named 'Business of the Year' in the region at the Sarajevo Business Forum. The award, which is being presented for the first time to a company, was handed over today to Klas director Rusmir Hrvić, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

This decision was made by a jury consisting of Amer Bukvić, director of Bosna Bank International (BBI), Stjepan Mesić, former President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Danilo Türk, former President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Ivo Komšić, Mayor of Sarajevo, Prof. Dr. Iztok Seljak, President of Hidria, Dr. Murat Yülek, professor of economics at Istanbul Commerce University, Dr. Duško Knežević, founder and president of Atlas Group, Ante Todorić, deputy president of Agrokor Group, Nijaz Hastor, owner of ASA Prevent Group, and Franjo Bobinac, President of the Management Board and Director of Gorenje.

- I am very pleased with the award we have received, all the more so because this is the first time that SBF has presented awards for successful entrepreneurs and companies. We took over Klas at a time when it had been written off by many, and when it found itself among struggling companies. I also congratulate all the workers of Klas, as well as AS GROUP, then the customers and consumers who supported us on the path of our company's return to the throne. The leading position in food production in BiH is an opportunity for the entire food industry in our country, but also a responsibility to push this entire sector even more strongly. Our strength lies in our brands. We are proof that investments in BiH can and should be successful. Therefore, I invite domestic and foreign investors to invest in production, and in that way to use our advantages in domestic and foreign markets - Hrvić said on that occasion.

Klas brands are today an indispensable part of every store in BiH, and the company exports to 28 countries around the world. Zlatni puder, Sarajevski somun, Klasova tjestenina, jufka, baklava, hurmašice, tahan halva, Bosanski lokum, Sarko, Fit, raspberries, frozen fruit, Klasove pite, pastries, etc. are increasingly the choice of retail chains in foreign markets.

With the most modern mill whose daily grinding capacity is 450 tons of wheat, and total annual production capacities of 140,000 tons of food, Klas ranks among the most significant food producers in this part of Europe, and as such is a trusted partner for the largest customers and retail chains.

The business system of Klas and AS GROUP, with thousands of professionally managed cooperatives, enables a safe and stable development of the food production sector, from primary agricultural production, through the processing industry, to brands on the table. Klas has about 500 products in its production portfolio, and every day around two million people consume some of Klas's brands in their homes.