The Podravka Group recognized the importance of participating in the use of EU funds and has been actively involved in their preparation and implementation for many years.
Five projects were submitted to the Modernisation Fund call, four of which were submitted by Podravka d.d. and one by Belupo d.d.
The projects relate to the construction and equipping of the following solar power plants: Podravka Danica, Belupo – Danica, Kokteli and warehouse, Kalnik, and Dugopolje. The total value is €5,553,377.76, of which 60% is supported by the Modernisation Fund, amounting to €3,330,106.66.
Through the Rural Development Programme, Podravka was granted non-repayable funds for a “drip irrigation” system. The total eligible project costs amount to €319,703.63 (HRK 2,408,807.00), of which Podravka was granted support in the amount of €99,749.15 (HRK 751,559.97).
The plots are located in the municipalities of Hlebine and Koprivnički Bregi, and the total net area covered by the irrigation system amounts to 63 ha.
Through the Rural Development Programme, Podravka was granted non-repayable funds for project 2.M.4.2.1 “Investment in the modernization of the Kalnik factory”. The total project value was €3,748,204.92 (HRK 28,240,850.00), and support in the amount of €1,874,102.46 (HRK 14,120,425.00) was approved for it.
This investment, which included the renewal of equipment for the production of sterilized and pasteurized vegetables and the modernization of the canned vegetable production line, resulted in reduced electricity and water consumption, which, together with the reduction of CO₂ emissions, increased the positive impact on nature and environmental preservation.
This project, implemented within the Rural Development Programme, included improvements to the quality of agricultural land, the arrangement of production plots, and the procurement of specialized agricultural machinery, thereby enabling the relocation of agricultural production from outsourcing partners to in-house production.
The total value of this project was €1,074,884.87 (HRK 8,098,720.12), for which support in the amount of €564,748.15 (HRK 4,255,095.00) was granted.
For this project, with a total value of €5,395,232.17 (HRK 40,650,376.79), support in the amount of €2,571,306.54 (HRK 19,373,509.18) was granted through the Rural Development Programme of the Republic of Croatia for investments in new products, pepper-based sauce/ketchup and ajvar in squeeze bottles, as well as for investment in the procurement of new equipment for grinding lines, fruit receiving and processing, aseptic filling lines, modernization of the squeeze packaging line relocated from the Umag tomato processing factory, and the procurement of additional vacuum kettles.
This also included construction works for the reconstruction of existing warehouse spaces to be repurposed into production areas, as well as investments needed for upgrades related to increased energy consumption.
Through the rural development project worth €588,691.11 (HRK 4,435,493.24), which invested in the construction of the Podravka Kalnik solar power plant, support in the amount of €217,594.94 (HRK 1,639,469.12) was secured.
These funds co-financed the costs of constructing a power plant with a grid connection (maximum output) capacity of 350 kW, as well as replacing roofing at two locations (two buildings) to support the installation of photovoltaic modules prior to their assembly.
For the project “Investment in the construction of the Podravka Danica solar power plant”, whose total value was €1,579,103.42 (HRK 11,897,754.72), also financed through the Rural Development Programme of the Republic of Croatia, support in the amount of €685,388.18 (HRK 5,164,057.27) was secured.
Through this investment, a solar power plant with a grid connection or maximum output capacity of 2,400 kW was built on the sloped roofs of existing business-purpose buildings of the production facilities of the Baby Food and Cream Spreads Factory, the Soups and Vegeta Factory, and Danica Production (meat industry) of Podravka d.d.
Through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026, the research and development project “Production and development of compostable packaging from waste biomass for packaging industrially processed food products”, implemented from 2022 to 2026, was granted EUR 1,488,082.51. The project applicant is the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology in Zagreb, while Podravka d.d. participates as a partner. The project aims to develop biodegradable and compostable active packaging for the food industry in accordance with good manufacturing practice. For this purpose, secondary biomass will be used as a food source for microorganisms that will produce the biopolymer polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) within the cell. The production, extraction, and purification process of PHA from waste biomass will be optimized, and the life cycle of the resulting active packaging will be assessed.
Through a research project with a total value of HRK 6,899,956.33 (EUR 915,781.58), Podravka explored the potential of utilizing vegetable processing bio-waste. Nutritionally valuable components were innovatively isolated from the bio-waste, from which completely new and innovative high value-added food products were developed, falling into the category of ”upcycled” products. These are products made from materials that would otherwise be waste, but are returned to use. In addition, technical and technological documentation for a biogas production plant was prepared, based on a two-year analysis of the potential of all waste streams at the Kalnik Factory, Varaždin. A patent was filed and a trademark was registered, and laboratory equipment was procured.
