Hrvoje Matijević is one of the producers of Croatia’s traditional sausages, Baranjski kulen. ©Hrvoje Matijević
Traditionally eaten on special occasions and often included in holiday gift baskets, Baranjski kulen (Croatian for a delicatessen sausage from the Baranja region) is now gaining popularity as an international delicacy.
That’s in no small part thanks to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) who worked with the Croatian government to help Baranjski kulen gain its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status from the European Union (EU) over 10 years ago.
Today, this mark of quality helps producers make more money for their hard work and keep culinary traditions alive.
Miodrag Komlenić is the Head of the dried meats division at the Belje company and Member of the Baranjski kulen Producers Association, which supports its members—from small family producers to larger companies—in producing, processing and marketing the sausage.
The Baranjski kulen Producers Association was created under the FAO-EBRD project to develop and register the sausage as a PGI. That involved teaming up and agreeing on a shared vision and strict criteria for the product.
FAO, the EBRD and the Croatian authorities supported the association throughout the lengthy process.
Miodrag says that since the PGI was awarded, membership in the association has quadrupled and continues to grow. Sausage production and revenues are also on the rise.
“The PGI means only sausages made according to a rigorous set of specifications, including traditional production methods, can be sold under the label,” Miodrag said.
Hrvoje Matijević quit his management job in Zagreb six years ago to focus full-time on growing his budding sausage business.
Career changes can be risky. But for Hrvoje, it came down to his passion for the product, his willingness to create his own business and the prospects of a good income while helping develop rural Croatia.
“In 2017, my income from making sausage surpassed my salary at my office job,” Hrvoje said.
Thanks to the PGI, consumers know that what they are buying is the real deal, a premium product made in a controlled environment “using top local ingredients, with no added preservatives and no compromise on quality or taste,” Hrvoje added.
Hrvoje mainly sells his sausages directly and in speciality food shops in Zagreb. But food shops in other parts of Croatia, as well as in Austria and Germany, now also carry his product.
Linking people, places and product
Origin-linked labels like PGI bring numerous benefits. For one, they recognize the link between a product’s unique qualities and its place of origin, reflected in the geographical name and protected as an intellectual property right. They cater to a market willing to pay for quality, authenticity and tradition—which pulls in nearly EUR 80 billion a year in global trade. In an FAO and EBRD study covering international origin-based labels, the PGI label was found to have added as much as 30 per cent to the sampled products’ value.
But Miodrag says smaller producers in the association have even obtained a 50-percent price premium. “These premium prices are partly due to market forces but also because of the PGI,” he added. The PGI gives consumers an added official seal of approval—a symbol of trust—which helps sales.”
During the project, study tours were organized to Italy– a country that is successfully managing hundreds of PGIs – giving industry insiders a chance to share their knowledge and draw inspiration.
FAO and the EBRD also provided training and technical assistance to public authorities on setting up certifying commissions and complying with EU food quality and safety standards to help the Baranjski kulen industry boost its export opportunities.
“Our goal is to continue expanding production, diversify into retail markets and export more,” Hrvoje said.
The benefits of PGI certification extend far beyond producers. Protected food products can revitalize local communities by creating jobs, boosting incomes and opening new opportunities in such areas as sustainable agritourism.
For nearly 120 years, farmers in the northeastern region of modern-day Croatia have been making and enjoying artisanal dried sausage from high-quality local pork. The sausage is seasoned with ground paprika, garlic and white pepper, and then stuffed into a natural casing. Its extended fermentation process gives it a distinct smoky and spicy flavour.
Now, the Baranjski kulen Producers Association has also worked with the local tourism industry and winemakers to place Baranja on the gastro-tourism map. The Kulen Festival held yearly in May, was launched in 2023 in cooperation with the local tourism board to showcase local wines and gastronomy, including Baranjski kulen.
They are also linking with origin-protected ham and wine producers in Croatia’s western Istria region to cooperate on promoting their products globally.
Sausages and beyond
Along with the Baranjski kulen certification, FAO and the EBRD have worked in Croatia with producers to register Neretvanska mandarina (mandarins from the Neretva Valley) for a Protected Designation of Origin status, which has even stricter requirements than the PGI.
As a result, the EU now officially recognizes and protects the name and reputation of Croatian Neretva mandarins Neretvanska mandarina and Baranjski kulen sausages.
Marina Deur, Head of Service for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture of Croatia, recalled getting Croatian products registered at the EU level for the first time:
“They [FAO and EBRD] helped us set the right governance system in the Ministry, paving the way for 49 other registered products to date,” she said. Such products include cabbage from Ogulin (Ogulinski kiseli kupus / Ogulinsko kiselo zelje), salt from Pag (Paška sol) and potatoes from Lika (Lički krumpir).
FAO and the EBRD also support developing and registering sustainable PGIs in Georgia, Montenegro, Serbia and Türkiye, among other countries.
Source: The FAO News And Media Office, Rome
– global bihari bureau
