About us

Sardina d.o.o. is a company that deals with fishing, processing and preserving fish, and the cultivation of mariculture products at their breeding sites. With 100-year tradition of conducting business, Sardina is one of the leading Croatian companies in the fishing and fish-processing sector and has a strong emphasis on the export of their products.

The company was established its headquarters in Postira on the island of Brač. Its new manufacturing facilities are a further confirmation of its continuous efforts to provide its buyers from all over Europe and world with the best possible products. The company uses the latest technology in fish production, while also taking care of the environment and natural resources. It closely follows the highest ecological and quality control standards, as demonstrated by its many certifications (ISOO 9001, HACCP and ASC).

Sardina has a diverse production, which includes canned fish, fish pâté, frozen fish and fresh aquaculture products as well as fishmeal and fish oil. The manufacturing process is based on sardines and other varieties of small and large oily fish caught with our own fishing fleet. Annual production capacities amount to 40,000,000 fish cans and patés, 500 tonnes of fish meal, 100 tonnes of fish oil and 1500 tonnes of high quality farmed fish.

Sardina is a modern, successful company that strives to leave its mark in a range of activities on all five of the continents to which it exports its products and to maintain high quality, at the level of world famous fish producers.

A successful team of managers and experts, decades-long experience in mariculture and processing, and continuous development ensure the quality of production to the satisfaction of the consumers of Sardina products.

Vision and mission

Mission

To produce completely natural, healthy and high-quality products, while respecting a century-old tradition and high quality standards, all of which ensure long-term satisfaction by consumers.

Investing in our manufacturing process and innovative business solutions, which enables professional development, provides employee satisfaction, and widens our network of business partners.

Vision

Maintaining our leading position in the regional market, relying on tradition and quality, and strengthening our brands with continuous investment in the development and growth of our company.

History

In 1907, a Viennese industrialist, Karl Varhaneck, built a fish-processing factory in Postira on the island of Brač. It was comprised of two buildings covering an area of 2,184 square meters. By 1911, production in the factory reached a level of 426,300 pieces of canned fish per year. That might look very modest compared to today’s multimillion level of production, but given the conditions and available technology of that time, this was a significant level of production. Factory operations were suspended during the World War II, but started up again in 1948.

In 1957, the company began to form its own fishing fleet, buying the ships Jadran and Zora. It continued in 1961 with the purchase of two more ships, the Palamida and the Balkun. The first significant renovation of the production plant was carried out in 1983 with the installation of a new production line with a capacity of to process 3,000 tons of fish and producing 18 million cans. Two years later, the company acquired a large refrigerator with the capacity of 800 tons with a tunnel for deep-freezing 40 tons of fish per day and a production plant for fishmeal. In 1993, Sardina changed from a public enterprise to a joint-stock company, Sardina d.d. It was bought by the Swiss company Ambeco AG of Lucerne three years later. In that same year, the company started farming fish in Maslinova Bay on the island of Brač with a capacity of 10 tons, 50 times less than production today.

In 2006 the company was privatised and registered as a limited liability company – Sardina d.o.o.

The company today

The year 2013 is the beginning of a new era for Sardina, marked by the opening of a new factory, covering more than 12,136 square meters, and counted among one of the most modern facilities of its kind in Europe. Overall production has been raised to a higher level, from achieving maximum quality to energy efficient production.

Sardina has its own fishing fleet of 7 fishing boats and an annual production capacity of 40 million canned products. Each year at least 1200 tonnes of tuna and whitefish are produced in its farms. Fish freezing capacity in the new factory is 150 tons of fish a day, while storage capacity can be as much as 4,000 tons of frozen fish. With the new factory in operation, an increase in production and the introduction of new products can be expected.

We should point out that our employees deserve the most credit for the company’s success and its leading position on the market. Their competence, dedication, motivation and professional development are key factors in the business growth of Sardina Ltd.

Sardina in the region

Sardina Ltd. holds a leading position in the regional market and is a strategic supplier for all of the retail chains in the region. Sardina’s products are offered on markets in countries around the world; Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Montenegro, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Israel, Japan, Canada, Kazakhstan, China, Kosovo, Hungary, Macedonia, New Zealand, Germany, Russia, USA, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine. The company’s significant foreign market orientation is demonstrated by that fact that it exports 70% of its production per year.

Our activities

Fish processing

• Canned fish
• Fish patés
• Frozen fish
• Fish meal and fish oil

Mariculture

• Farming of whitefish (sea bass, sea bream)
• Farming of bluefin tuna

Fishing

• Catch of oily fish with our own and our subcontractors’ ships
• Retail sale of our products in the company’s fish market