The best Croatian pršut in 2024 has been revealed 

(Photo credit: Anto Magzan)

Zagreb, April 19, 2024 – Vjekoslav Žužić, owner of Žužić Meat Markets, officially has the best Croatian prosciutto (pršut) this year. 

The champion title for his perfect Krk prosciutto was awarded to him at the 10th Croatian Pršut Days held in Zagreb this year. 

He competed for the title of the best among 12 other producers of Istrian, Drniš, and Dalmatian prosciutto, who submitted samples for evaluation this year. 

Vjekoslav Žužić collects the award (Photo credit: Anto Magzan)

This is the second time Žužić has won this recognition. He was also the champion two years ago in Split when he impressed strict judges and demanding lovers of this highly esteemed Croatian delicacy.

In Zagreb, Dalmatian prosciuttos Voštane and Pivac Brothers Meat Industry, Istrian prosciuttos Pisinium and Dujmović, and Drniš prosciutto Bel-Cro were adorned with gold medals.

Silver was won by Istrian prosciuttos Pruštane and Buršić and Jelenić estates, Dalmatian prosciuttos Kulina Nova Sela and Smjeli, and Drniš prosciutto from Maran Drniš Delicacies, while bronze went to Dalmatian prosciuttos Barić-Opskrba Trade and MIK Lukin.

(Photo credit: Anto Magzan)

Special recognition for their contribution to the prosciutto industry was given to Vlado Prančić, owner of Smjeli Prosciutto, whose Dalmatian prosciutto has won the most champion titles at this competition, and to the Croatian Chamber of Economy, which works intensively on promoting Croatian protected prosciuttos and educating producers.

Vlado Prančić and Zdravko Barać (Photo credit: Anto Magzan)

“Over the past ten years since the Croatian Prosciutto Cluster was established, we have elevated prosciutto production to a higher level – from rich experience and tradition in production, top producers who have significantly invested in new facilities and technology, to a strong synergy of science and expertise resulting in the improvement and standardization of quality. 

We have top-quality prosciuttos that can compete on par with the best European ones, but we certainly need to work on increasing production capacity and doubling production volume to reach a million pieces annually and meet the needs of the domestic market and the gastronomic offerings in tourism,” said Dragan Kovačević, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy for Agriculture and Tourism.

Dragan Kovačević (Photo credit: Anto Magzan)

Production Continues to Grow Despite Challenging Years

Darko Markotić, president of the Croatian Prosciutto Cluster, the organizer of this most delicious event, congratulated the champion and the awarded and emphasized that ten years ago, prosciutto producers were making 250,000 pieces, with a modest share of domestic raw materials of only ten percent, and production was at a low technological level.

“Today, we have reached production of about 500,000 pieces, with a share of domestic raw materials exceeding 70 percent. During this period, two new highly technologically equipped prosciutto factories have been built in Croatia, other prosciutto producers have made serious investments in their productions. All of this has led not only to an increase in production but also to the standardization of the quality of our prosciuttos.

These results would have been even better if we hadn’t faced a pandemic in the last four years, followed by extreme inflation and the appearance of African swine fever in Croatia. I would like to mention that this is a production process that lasts over a year from the entry of raw materials to the exit of the finished product, and for our top-quality prosciuttos, this production takes over 18 months. 

Over such a long period, in these challenging and uncertain times, it was not easy to secure capital for continuing production. And that continuation and preservation of production continuity are the greatest success of us prosciutto producers in Croatia because in the last three years, we have maintained and increased production, while at the same time, the largest producers in the world – Spain and Italy – are stagnating and declining,” Markotić emphasized.

Dragan Kovačević, Velibor Mačkić, Zdravko Barać, Darko Markotić (Photo credit: Anto Magzan)

We Still Consume Twice as Much Prosciutto in Croatia as We Produce

Speaking about the sector’s perspectives, Zdravko Barać, director of the Livestock and Food Quality Directorate at the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the fact that a million prosciuttos are consumed in Croatia while only about 500,000 are produced indicates enormous potential for production growth.

“On the one hand, we have consumer demands for larger quantities of these quality-labeled prosciuttos, which show the traceability of the product from pig to table, and on the other hand, we have an increasing number of inquiries related to the possibility of modernizing existing production, investing in expanding capacities, or building new ones.

I would like to emphasize that in the second year of implementing the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy, we have been emphasizing that measure 73.10 relates precisely to investments in processing available in this programming period, and within that, we have secured 160 million euros. In the fourth quarter of this year, there will certainly be a call related to processing where prosciutto producers will be eligible beneficiaries,” Barać pointed out.

(Photo credit: Anto Magzan)

Special envoy of the President Milanović, Velibor Mačkić, emphasized that the Croatian Prosciutto Cluster is a great example of collaboration. Everyone, from large to small producers, participates in it, and prosciuttos are a good example of added value, especially in tourism.

“Why wouldn’t we offer tourists more than just swimming? The most important thing is what we can do and know. The most important thing is to develop what there is expertise in, where there is tradition, and the most important thing is to elevate that to a level where we can boast about it worldwide,” Mačkić concluded.

(Photo credit: Anto Magzan)

The awarded prosciuttos will be presented tomorrow at the European Square in Zagreb from 9 am to 3 pm, and the most sought after to try will surely be the champion – Krk prosciutto by Vjekoslav Žužić.