History
The company is run today by the ninth generation of the Gavrilović family. It is precisely this long-lasting family legacy that distinguishes Gavrilović from all the other companies in Croatia, making it one of only a handful of such family-owned businesses in the world. The Gavrilović meat-processing company is equipped with state-of-the-art industrial machines and production lines.
how it all started?
1690
As early as the 16th century, Turkish invaders built a fortress where the town of Petrinja is located today. After banishing the invaders, the new town of Petrinja developed on the delta of the Petrinjčica and Kupa rivers, where it became an important military and mercantile centre of the Military Frontier. The first Gavrilovićs arrived in Petrinja in the middle of the 17th century; after fleeing from the Turks, brothers Ivan and Petar started their meat trade.
1775
After the banishment of the Turks, Petrinja began to thrive. In the year 1773, Empress Maria Theresa decided on Petrinja as a centre for a craft guild, which included the entire territory of the Military Frontier. Among the many guilds in Petrinja, the founders of the butcher’s guild included the Gavrilović brothers.
1809
From 1809 until 1813, Petrinja was part of Napoleon’s Provinces of Illyria, and Napoleon’s Marshal Marmont made Petrinja his regiment. The Gavrilović brothers became the main suppliers for Napoleon’s troops located in the former Military Frontier.
1822
Together with several other butchers and merchants from Petrinja, Ivan Gavrilović established the first manufactory.
1848
Butchers Josip and Ivan Gavrilović were the main fresh and processed meat product suppliers of Governor Jelačić’s army during their annual military exercises.
1883
The industrious sons of the late Mate Gavrilović established a company named Mate Gavrilović and sons. Fifty employees worked at the factory where 50 pigs were slaughtered daily. The recipe for the Winter salami was devised.
1889
Towards the end of 1889, the company was registered in a court register under the name The First Croatian Salami, Sausages and Cured Meats Factory in Petrinja - M. Gavrilović’s Sons. A report from Zagreb’s Chamber of Commerce points out: “the young Gavrilović brothers reorganised and in 1889 established a large factory for salami, bacon and cured meats, and built an own-account grange, which they intend to gradually expand as the industry develops.”
1891
Press reports began emerging on how The First Croatian Salami, Cured Meat and Lard Factory was surpassing the foreign competition with the help of their premium products such as cured meats, bacon and lard. Croatian salami, a predecessor of today's Winter salami, tied with a Croatian tri-colour ribbon, received an honorary diploma at the Jubilee Trade and Forestry exhibition in Zagreb.
1894
That year’s winter was particularly harsh, which was beneficial in terms of the quality of the Winter salami, helping it win the gold medal for quality bearing the name of the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph at the international exhibition in Vienna.
1906
The factory with a total of 120 employees at the time, selling its products in regions such as Hungary, Germany, Bosnia, Switzerland, Asia Minor, Palestine and Egypt, went through a full modernisation cycle. A well-equipped and fully modernised butchery opened in Vienna.
1912
In 1907, an electrical power station was built and Petrinja became an electrically illuminated town, while in 1912, the factory was expanded with a dedicated salami production line due to the ever-increasing demand.
1921
In a newspaper advert, we read: “I guarantee, through the affirmed excellence of my products, that I will serve my respected customers only in the utmost manner. In my daily stock of various cured meat products, bacon and lard, I will include the I-Salami, fresh horseradish sausages, saveloys, kranskys, Paris sausages, Prague salami, blood sausages, etc. All will be perfectly fresh, delivered from the factory every day...”
1926
Petrinja saw an annual production rate of 60 boxcars of salami, 20 boxcars of lard and 5 boxcars of canned meat products. Andrija Maurović devised the character of Jelica, named after the company owner’s niece, who can be seen to this day on all of the company’s products.
1933
In honour of the 50th anniversary of the Gavrilović Company, journalists from various daily and weekly newspapers in Zagreb visited the factory. They wrote articles entitled e.g. From a Small Sausage Shop to a Corporation in Central Europe, 50 Years of Intensive Effort, Domestic Capital, The National Character of the Factory, etc.
1938
Gavrilović specialities included the Gavrilović La Salami, Planinarska Salami, Milanska Salami, La Mortadella and the brand new liver pâté.
1945
World War II ended. The factory was confiscated and publicly owned. The Gavrilović family emigrates.
1952
Gavrilović started exporting again to Germany, Austria, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Great Britain.
1965
A new, modern factory opens.
1968
Gjuro II Gavrilović returned to Petrinja as technical advisor, and in the same year, the following products won the gold medal of quality at the Zagreb Fair: Gavrilović Salami, Budjola-dried pork neck (capocolla), Petrinja-style sausages, Frankfurt-style sausages, Gavrilović pâté and beef stew.
1991
Gjuro III Gavrilović purchased the “Gavrilović” company, saving it from bankruptcy.
1995
Production is re-established in the Petrinja production plant.
2003
Winter Salami and Kulen were awarded the “Originally Croatian” Quality label by the Croatian Chamber of Economy. Liver pâté and Luncheon Meat received the CCE “Croatian Quality” label.
2008
In the Brandpulse survey conducted by the Puls market research company, Gavrilović was the most recognisable and top-rated Croatian brand name in the food industry: 98,796 consumers in Croatia say they recognise Gavrilović.
2012 - 2019
In the period from 2012 to 2019, DLG, a Germany-based European umbrella organisation for the independent testing and assessment of the quality of foods awarded its gold medals to our Winter Salami, Di Gusto salamis Romana and Divina, Srijem Sausage and Tea-pâté, as well as for our Panonica Croatica Salami with chili pepper and Panonica Croatica Salami with peppercorns. The same organisation awarded its silver medals of quality to our Tea-sausage, Graničarska Sausage, Gavrilović Kulen and liver pâté. Their bronze medal of quality went to our Sudjuk sausage and Luncheon meat.
2018 - 2019
As part of the first and second Croatian survey of consumer satisfaction with products and services, where the products available in the Croatian market were rated by Croatian mothers, Gavrilović took the victory in the categories of long-life salamis, long-life luncheon meats, pâtés, ham in casing, Tyrolian Salami and Frankfurters, and was awarded the “Mom’s Choice” label.
2020
Coolest Brands Awards, a large-scale survey conducted by the JoomBoos YouTube channel in collaboration with the Ipsos market research company, related to brands that are considered to be COOL by members of the Generation Z. In the category of salamis, they picked Gavrilović!
2021
The owner of the Gavrilović meat-processing company Georg Gavrilović Sr. signed an agreement to donate the Gavrilović school building and associated land to the Petrinja Secondary School. In addition to the 2400 m2 school building, a courtyard with an area exceeding 8000 m2 and equipment for the computer lab have also been donated.
2021
DLG, a Germany-based European umbrella organisation for independent testing and assessment of the quality of foods, has since 2021 been awarding its gold medals to our Winter Salami, Tea sausage, and Srijem sausage, and to our new range of Art Hen Classic, Chicken Roasty, and Chicken Classic pâtés, as well as to our first-ever Tuna fish pâté.