Vispak celebrates 44th birthday: Exports its products to 25 countries on four continents

Bosnian-Herzegovinian food industry Vispak d.d. Visoko and its most famous brand Zlatna džezva today mark 44 years of existence and successful business, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

Vispak d.d. was founded on April 7, 1972 in Visoko as an integral part of Velepromet, one of the largest trade chains in the former Yugoslavia. The initial facilities were in Ozrakovići, not far from the current business building and Vispak's plants. It employed 50 workers, and Vispak has been in the new building, i.e. the current one, since 1980. In the same year it was founded, production of Zlatna džezva, the company's most famous brand, began.

- Last year was the most successful for Vispak since the company's founding. In 2015, the company achieved sales of nearly 45 million KM. For comparison, in 2010, when AS GROUP acquired Vispak in December, total revenues of nearly 18 million KM were recorded. Since AS GROUP took over Vispak, in five years of operations, Vispak's revenues have increased two and a half times - said Rusmir Hrvić, former director of Vispak, who, due to the acquisition of Klas d.d. Sarajevo, took over the leading position of this company and the presidency of the AS GROUP Management Board.

In the past year, the investment in a new roastery and mill was also successfully realized, so the equipment is already operational. With the previous facilities, Vispak had reached over 90% capacity utilization for the production of Zlatna džezva, so with the new equipment, the production of Zlatna džezva has practically doubled. This is the most modern technology that can be seen today in modern coffee factories in Europe.

Zlatna džezva is now sold in 28 countries, in the markets of the region, Central European countries, Scandinavia, the USA, and the Middle East. It is important to note that in the past five years, the number of sales points where Zlatna džezva was previously available has drastically increased, so for example in Slovenia, the number of sales points where Zlatna džezva is available has already exceeded 1,000, in Croatia as well, and similarly in the USA, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, etc.

Likewise, it should be said that alongside Zlatna džezva, both Vispak and the entire AS GROUP are increasingly exporting to these markets brands from the product line of “Bosnian cuisine” such as Begova čorba, Tarhana, Tajna, as well as Klas's jufke, Sarajevski somun, baklava, hurmašice, domestic branded frozen forest fruits, tahini halva, etc.

- We will further develop Vispak in the context of its competencies for real Bosnian coffee and Bosnian cuisine, because we truly have no competition there. At the same time, our goal is for Vispak to become a modern European company, technologically impeccably built, with strong Bosnian brands that will open even more doors for us in domestic, European, and even global retail chains. In the past five years, a lot has been done that we can all be proud of. Nevertheless, our goal is to build Vispak as a company that will make us proud in the world, and which, by its example, will be able to tell a successful story by which we, as a country, will also be recognized for our rich culinary heritage - stated Hrvić.

Two years after the company's founding, production of Vispak's Espresso coffee was launched, followed by tea packaging on the then most modern IMA machines. With the relocation of the plant to the new building in 1980, new lines for packaging coffee, snacks and powdered products, as well as spices and meal additives, were installed. This was followed by the rise of brands such as Stampi, Čoko milk, Choco club, Vispak teas, Bosnia coffee.

The development of the production program “Bosnian cuisine” with Begova čorba, Tarhana and Sarajevska čorba deserves special mention. In the last four years, Vispak has developed new brands such as Tiru – Liru, Tajna, Laganini powdered products, hot drinks Mr&Mrs Vi, and the development of new ones is planned.

Vispak today employs 180 workers, 40 of whom have a university degree, and exports to 25 countries on four continents. Vispak is the owner of three certificates for food safety and quality management: ISO 9001:2008, HACCP and HALAL. After breaking the Guinness record in 2004 together with the citizens of Mostar, by brewing and drinking coffee from the world's largest džezva, Vispak officially received the Guinness certificate in 2005, entering the book of records.