Zagreb, Slovenia Village, Star Kapela, and Osijek
We began our day visiting the American Embassy just outside Zagreb. We were greeted by Andreja Miser, Agricultural Specialist, Foreign Agricultural Service – USDA. We received a surprise visit by the new U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, Robert Kohorst. He was excited to see Americans visiting Croatia and added our group to his schedule at the last minute. He shared the top diplomatic priorities for the U.S. in Croatia. Ms. Miser has worked in her role for fifteen years and is of Croatian descent which allowed her to provide a unique perspective on issues, strengths and challenges facing Croatian agriculture. Since becoming a member of the European Union in 2013, Croatia, like all EU countries do not accept any GMO products in their country. Unlike the U.S., Croatia does not have the ability to compete on a large scale, so they focus on high quality products. (photos of the embassy visit later)
Following the Embassy, we were off to SANO, an animal nutrition company, where we toured the factory, and heard from SANO CEO, Branimir Kampl. Our visit to SANO was made possible by a Minnesota connection through Land O’ Lakes. Much like many start-ups in the U.S., SANO began in a garage and has grown to be a large and successful company which ships product nearly all the way around the world. While successful now, SANO faced many challenges along the way, including government pressures.
Since arriving in Croatia on Sunday we have spent all our time in the city of Zagreb. Today, we experienced our first visit to the countryside and rural Croatia as we traveled to the village of Stara Kapela, which is in the Slavonian Region. Most people who live in this region are farmers, which they refer to as peasants. This is a very poor region of Croatia, but the people carry great pride and provide fantastic hospitality. We were greeted by Dr. Ante Tucic, a local doctor who rebuilt his childhood Slavonian village. The space we ate in was once a stable and now is being marketed to tourists as a bed and breakfast, along with biking paths and the sale of local crafts and liquors.
We ended our day in Osijek, near the Eastern border of Croatia and Hungary. With each day, we deepen our understanding of the Croatian culture, people and of agriculture. We even had the opportunity to taste many of their specialty products for ourselves.
Submitted by Mary Kay Delvo and Patrick O’Connor
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