SPAR Croatia is championing local produce by expanding its cooperation agreements with 60 additional small-scale agricultural producers, who are facing challenges marketing freshly harvested produce due to the current COVID-19 outbreak. SPAR is purchasing salad ingredients, tomatoes, leeks, chard, parsley, spinach, and onions from small-scale producers, thereby securing placement of their fresh produce on the shelves of SPAR and INTERSPAR stores nationwide.

SPAR is also expanding its existing cooperations with a large number of domestic suppliers. The products, such as beans, apples, garlic, cauliflower, and broccoli, will be sold under SPAR Croatia’s popular Own Brand Gardens of Croatia. These domestic products will be available in all SPAR Supermarkets and INTERSPAR Hypermarkets nationwide.

SPAR is appealing to small producers of fruit and vegetables, who can no longer market their products, to contact SPAR directly so that their products can be packaged and delivered through SPAR Croatia’s distribution network if they are not able to do so themselves.

In addition to the cooperation with fruit and vegetable producers, SPAR Croatia is also purchasing flowers, seedlings, and spices from domestic suppliers, to avoid food wastage and secure the financial viability of these producers. In larger stores, customers can find pelargoniums, rosemary, lavender, various perennials, summer houses, and other types of flowers that can make balconies and gardens a more enjoyable place.

Through the Own Brand Gardens of Croatia, which has become popular with customers since being launched in the second half of 2018, SPAR Croatia already offers an extensive choice of fruits and vegetables of small domestic producers in its stores.

Further demonstrating its commitment to supporting local producers, SPAR Croatia runs a campaign called “Yes, Local!”, encouraging the purchase of local goods.

Source: SPAR Croatia

About SPAR Croatia

The first SPAR store opened in Croatia in mid-2005, following the signing of the licence agreement between ASPIAG (Austrian SPAR International AG) and SPAR International in 2004.

As a member of the ASPIAG group, SPAR Croatia has access to a wide range of own brand products. Brand development has primarily taken place through SPAR Supermarkets and INTERSPAR Hypermarkets, both through the take-over of existing chains and the opening of new stores.