About us
A little something about us
Our business story begins in 1986 when we opened our family tavern Milena in the village of Bačva in the vicinity of Višnjan.
As specialty of the tavern we started preparing and offering our guests cod "in bianco", which they liked so much that they began ordering it for to go. The continually growing demand inspired us to start producing cod and distributing it wholesale.
The first production facility for cod processing was constructed in 1996, when we introduced our product to the Croatian market. As demand grew, we gradually expanded the production and assortment of our cod products. In June 2006 we introduced the HACCP food production quality control system, which took us a step further in product quality and customer satisfaction.
Five years later, a contemporary plant was built in line with the strictest European standards, which allowed us to present and export our quality cod products to new markets. In the beginning we produced cod "in bianco" in bulk packaging, but continuous research and wish to offer something new on the market prompted us to expand our product assortment.
Cod "in bianco" was enriched with new flavours and new top products were conceived: Bakalar pikantino (Cod pikantino, with chilli and red pepper), Bakalar oliveto (Cod oliveto, with olives and olive oil) and Bakalar tartufino (Cod tartufino, with black truffles). In 2010 our offer was additionally enriched with another specialty – Bakalar šugo (Cod in "brodet" sauce). Our products are currently divided into HoReCa and Gourmet line packaged under controlled conditions.
The history of cod
We owe our gratitude for cod in these regions, especially Istria, Kvarner and Dalmatia, to the Venetian aristocrat and merchant Piero Querini.
On April 25, 1431 he set sail from Crete, which was at the time, just like our own country, under Venetian rule. As owner and captain of a Venetian commercial ship, he set sail for the ports of Bruges and Antwerp to swap commercial goods. When he passed La Manche, there was a terrible storm and shipwreck, so that Querini and surviving sailors had to continue their adventure in lifeboats. The storm carried them to the northern part of Norway, the Lofoten islands, where their hosts took them in and offered them what they had most of – fish STOKVIS (cod – GADUS MORHUA).
Being a true merchant, when returning to his country Piero Querini took large quantities of cod, opening new commercial paths. The adventure of Piero Querini can be considered an ideal beginning of the introduction of cod into the Mediterranean cuisine.
The real history of the cod voyage begins in the XVIth ct. when systematic importation of cod into European countries began. Excessive poverty in Europe lead to the exploitation of cod. At the time, the rich ate fresh and the poor ate dried fish. Things changed over time, and cod ended up on the tables of the rich as a delicacy prepared in hundreds of different ways, especially in the holiday season or during fasts. The best known ways of cod preparation in these parts are cod "in bianco" and cod in "brodet" sauce.
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