Franck, the Croatian coffee giant

You have seen Franck mentioned on this blog already, and with good reason - it is the coffee giant of Croatia. We have a large number of roasteries - not only in Croatia but in Zagreb itself, however Franck sells probably more coffee than all the rest of them combined. The majority of cafes in Croatia will sell Franck coffee.

Zagreb factory, 1892.

The brand has a long and interesting history. It started in the year of 1828, in a town near Stuttgart, Germany, called Vaihingen an der Enz where a young enterpreneur called Johann Heinrich Franck started his business, at first called "Landkaffee Manufaktur" to produce a chicory-based coffee substitute. The business grew immensely in the following decades, opening branches in multiple countries. By that time it was already reorganized as Heinrich Franck Söhne OHG, and in 1914. it became Heinrich Franck Söhne GmbH. The Croatian factory was opened in Zagreb, back in 1892., in the same location where it can be found today.

Kneipp barley coffee substitute 1918 ad
Still available today

Company profile in 1890's. Zagreb listed as Agram.
Click to enlarge

Its' growth was slowed after WW1, and it merged with some other coffee substitute companies: in 1930. with Swiss-based Helvetia, and in 1943. with Kathreiners Malzkaffee Fabriken GmbH. After WW2, the Croatian factory was nationalized and no longer connected to others...

The German Franck introduced a new popular substitute, called Caro back in 1954. In 1964., they reorganized themselves under the name Unifranck. Nestlé bought them in 1971., and several years later all factories except the formerly central one in Ludwigsburg were closed. It still operates to this day, employing 114 workers and with a yearly output of 8000 tones of coffee substitutes sold under Nestlé name.

The Croatian factory kept being called Franck despite being nationalized. Since 1950., it switched to workers' management system. However, the Croatian - and Yugoslavian - market needed something less specialized than a coffee substitute producer.

So Franck had to branch out to other products. Soups, house items such as coffee grinders, baking powders, flavors, snacks, puddings, teas, instant foods etc. Not all of these products are still made today.

1960. was crucial, as that was the year when Franck started roasting and selling coffee.

To better understand coffee back then, it should be said that (real) coffee was somewhat of a luxury item back then - much more than it is now. It was expensive, and usually purchased and brewed in smaller quantities.

Today the coffee lovers can afford to be snobbish about coffee - about origins, blends, roast profiles, gear, extraction methods etc. But back then, having coffee was luxury - and Franck was one of the companies that enabled that. They roasted coffee and distributed it to stores. For the first time, it was widely available at peoples' homes.

As the decades passed, Franck brought new coffee products on the market: pre-ground coffee, vacuum-packed coffee and various new coffee blends were introduced.

As the period of communism ended, Franck was the leading producer of not only coffee and coffee substitutes, but also snacks, teas and many other items.

During transition to the free economy, the company was privatized using the model where the shares were sold to workers. However, the model was set up where no single party could control over 25% of shares. The management model was not significantly changed, and there were no huge shocks and downsizing which accompanied plenty of other privatized companies.

However, the free market environment brought in a lot of competition from foreign businesses. The company, however, reacted very flexibly, improving their existing products, increasing product range and expanding flexibly.

To the right is an image of pre-ground, vacuum-packed Jubilarna coffee. The coffee (as a whole bean) was launched in 1972 (with Minas and Prima coffees), but the popular "brick" form was introduced in 1993. It became and remained the best-selling household coffee since that time.

The first post-war decade saw the international expansion of Franck - new facilities were opened in Slovenia and Bosnia, and the range of products grew.

Nowadays they also offer instant coffee, capsule espresso machines, new espresso blends, and much more. In 2008 they bought Gloria, one of their biggest competitors on the home market - and shut them down after they transfered the production (and a few employees) to Zagreb.

Superiore and Stretto are their new premium espresso blends, and a lot of cafes now carry them. This has a lot to do with the coffee distribution strategies in Croatia: distributors entice the cafe owners to sell their coffee, by offering them free machines, cups, etc. if they sign up the multi-year contract. These blends are better than their regular one, and resemble popular Italian blends. It's interesting to see that each blend is marketed separately, and has its' own merchandise.

Franck is often considered to offer "average" coffee - a measuring stick to which everything else is compared. While their history is filled with both success and criticism, they are truly omnipresent in Croatia and they had a lasting impact on the local coffee culture. In any place that serves coffee, it's likely that they're offering Franck. They even have their own app with a reward program for cafes that offer Franck coffee. A brick of Jubilarna, the most commonly brewed Turkish coffee at home, is a typical gift when you visit someone at home.

My recommendations: Jubilarna is one of the best pre-ground Turkish coffee blends available here, and one of the few pre-ground filter blends (I'd still recommend you grind your own beans, but if you don't these are better than most). Superiore and Stretto can make decent espressos, comparable to the popular Italian blends. I'd avoid their regular instant coffee, but their instant cappuccinos compare favorably to many others.

And let's not forget to mention: they still sell various coffee substitutes that their once-parent company started with almost two centuries ago...

Coffee places: Not all of them are alike

In Croatia, coffee is sold everywhere you go. Every cafe or a restaurant usually has an espresso machine, and most of the same espresso drinks will be available everywhere. However, both our coffee places and even names that we use for drinks are somewhat specific to the region, and don't always match internationally recognizable names.

So here's a little guide to Croatian cafes and drinks available there. Hopefully, it will be of use both to tourists to this country and Croats traveling elsewhere, to recognize some differences.

Coffee drinks in Croatia:

• Espresso - a shot of espresso in a tiny cup.
• Macchiato - a shot of espresso in a tiny cup, with a touch of steamed milk and foam on it, similar to Italian version, not the one from Starbucks. You might need to specify "mali macchiato" (small macchiato). This is the most popular drink in many coastal areas. Sometimes it's not on menu, in that case you can still order it - it will be billed as "Kava s mlijekom".
• Kava s mlijekom - "Coffee with milk" is a shot of espresso with milk. Internationally known as flat white. In some places it's known as "veliki macchiato" (big macchiato), and some places would ask you if you want it with hot (steamed) or cold milk. This is the most popular order in Croatia.
• Cappuccino - a shot of espresso with milk and foam. A standard drink. It will usually be similar to kava s mlijekom, but contain more foam on top. Sometimes it will be decorated.
• Kava sa šlagom - espresso with whipped cream. In some places, a frozen whipped cream from Ledo is used instead.
• Bijela kava - white coffee, espresso with a lot of milk. This is usually internationally known as latte or latte macchiato. Ordered in Croatia, it will usually come in a large cup or a mug.
• Produžena kava - "lengthened coffee" is usually a long black or americano. Rarely ordered by locals. Sometimes people don't know how to make it, and simply leave the espresso machine running for a long time. These people are not your friends.

Personnel of any cafe, restaurant or whatever is usually called "konobar". It's used for waiters, baristas, bartenders and pretty much everything else unless they cook too. Remember that it's usually a minimum-wage job rather than a career decision, and the amount of their skills will vary.

Some facts common to almost all establishments:

• There's a table service and it doesn't cost anything extra.
• Menus are available at the table.
• You get free water with your coffee.
• Tips are not required or even expected, but they'll be welcome.

Establishment types:

• Cafe, bar, kavana, coffeehouse, kafić etc. - these are all standard Croatian cafes. They serve coffee, teas, soft drinks, beer, wine, liquor etc. Popular places to hang out. Almost all of them are smoking areas.
• Bistro, pivnica - like above, but they'll typically have something to eat too. Pivnica will focus on beer, but they'll also have coffee
• Slastičarna - apart from coffee, they will typically also offer pastries and ice creams to eat on spot, or to take out - these are in fact their main product, and coffee is just a bonus. Typically no-alcohol and no-smoking areas, though perhaps not if you sit outside. You can often get coffee with ice cream (usually listed as Eiscafe, Icecaffe or something similar).
• Restaurant, konoba, pizzeria etc. - almost all of them have coffee machines, as it's common for people to drink coffee after a meal (after a few minutes pass). If they're not crowded at the moment (e.g. in mornings), most of them will gladly serve you just coffee, but they won't be looking kindly at you if you sit down at their last available table and order just a coffee. Don't do that.

The price and popularity of the location are often linked. Here's what brings the price and popularity up:

• Location - more than anything, you're paying for location. The places where there are a lot of pedestrians - city centres, at the coast, shopping malls etc. often feature the highest prices.
• Decor and music selection (usually related).
• Real and perceived quality - usually by logotypes of coffee manufacturer being present everywhere.
• TV (people commonly watch sport matches in their cafe bars).

This should cover about 99% of Croatian cafes. However, there are always exceptions. Places which are different, or otherwise significant and certainly worth visiting. I will describe some of them in future articles. The link will be available at "Coffee places" link on the right side of this page.

...and a glass of water, please!

In Croatian cafes - and in many other countries as well - it's customary to serve a glass of water with coffee, often without anyone even having to ask for it.

There are many reasons for it. Well, first of all we've got the espresso culture in cafes and Turkish coffee culture at home. Both of these are similar in one way: traditionally, you get a small quantity of highly potent, concentrated and aromatic coffee.

In some other coffee cultures you get bigger coffees (though not usually that strong) which will hydrate you well. If you drink just a small espresso, you might end up thirstier than you left. So water provides hydration - which is always cool, as a lot of people are actually slightly dehydrated.

The other reason to drink water is to clean your palate. You may sip some water before you drink coffee (to feel the full taste of the coffee), or after you drink coffee (to wash it down, especially if it's vile). There's even a legend that Arabs - who used to sip water first - used that fact to identify European spies, who sipped water after drinking coffee.

Some people drink sparkling mineral water, but it can have a different effect: the CO2 bubbles can deaden the tastebuds. Which is probably not what you want to do if you're enjoying a good coffee. Also, to clarify one potential misunderstanding: in Croatia, if you order a mineral water a sparkling one will be assumed. In other countries, not necessarily so. Keep this info in mind if you're either traveling to Croatia or outside of it.

Some local cafes around here will sometimes have a combo offer - instead of water, you can get a Coca-cola or a Cedevita (instant, fruit-flavored drink). If your cafe has that offer, it's usually best to take it.

Coffee culture in Croatia

Note: I originally posted this on Reddit's /r/Coffee. This is an edited and expanded version.

Coffee culture in Croatia would be considered rather strange by others who are not from the region. We have a mix of Italian espresso culture (specially strong on the coast), Austrian coffeehouse culture (visible in how our caffes are organized), and Turkish coffee culture (especially at home).

First of all, we have no coffee chains to speak off - the only one being McCafé, and it survives only because it's attached to McDonald's. No Starbucks. We had Costa Coffee, but it failed after a few years.

But we have an independant coffee shop on every corner. In a five-minute circle around my workplace, there's around 30 of them. No food is served there, but alcohol usually is. Similar to Italy, you can get an espresso, macchiato (small and large, with the small one being in an espresso cup), cappuccino, and "white coffee" which has much more milk. Cups are typically small, usually 1 dL or smaller. Unlike in Italy, we tend to drink our coffee very slowly (20 min - 1 h or more) and socially... we drink it with water on side (usually comes free), and usually with friends. "Let's go out for a coffee" is a typical way of saying "let's hang out and talk".

Coffee quality in a cafe can vary from awesome to horrible, depending on skilled barristas/waiters (they're typically one and the same). Some place great emphasis on the quality of their coffee, but others place way more emphasis on just being a popular place to hang out, and people still drink their coffee just because the place is trendy, well decorated or because that's where their friends go to.

There is a small artisan coffee scene, limited to a few coffee shops. Americans usually call it "third wave", but that doesn't really apply to Croatia since our coffee history is very differnt from American first and second waves as they're described. Around here, it has no official name but it's sometimes described as "new wave" or as "those who actually know stuff about proper coffee".

Take-out coffee is rare, and you usually won't find it in cafes but in bakeries or kiosks. It's rarely good, and sometimes it's instant stuff. But sometimes you can get surprized by a well-maintained Lavazza superauto that actually makes better coffee than you'll get in some of the posh cafes.

The most popular local pre-ground blend

At home, the most popular coffee is Turkish. Stores are full of pre-ground Turkish coffee - apart from instant, it's the only one which you're guaranteed to find in any store. To most people over here, the producer is more important than bean origin, and they're usually arabica/robusta mixes, dark roasts. Minas taste is very popular - that's not usually considered quality coffee, but people around here like it because it's cheap and it's what they were getting used to for the past half century or more.

The turkish coffee pot is called "džezva" around this parts (pronounced similar to Turkish word for it - "cezve"). Very few of them are fancy, tiny copper ones - most of them are larger, cheaper and more practical stainless or enameled steel ones. In a pinch (or when cooking for a large number of people, or when camping), we can also make a coffee in a large pot. This is how we usually prepare it:

• pour water
• add sugar per taste (since it can be sweetened after, if you're cooking for multiple people you always sweeten it according to the tastes of person who wants least sweet coffee - or no sugar at all, if someone prefers unsweetened)
• add a single heaping teaspoon of coffee for every cup
• put on stove and wait... don't take your eyes off it, because it will pick the moment you do to boil over :)
• when the coffee "raises" take it off and wait a minute before pouring into cups
• add any additional sugar or milk to taste (some consider milk to be sacrilege in a Turkish coffee)

I prepare it a bit differently though, I use electrical kettle to bring the water to boil. Much faster results :) Although, it's probably not best to do it that way if you have decent coffee. Then stick to the instructions.

Filter coffee (drip) is very rare. Manual stuff was never known. Machines were sort of popular back in 80's and 90's as a status symbol, but nowadays it's very rare. The novelty of drip machines wore off, filters were an extra cost and people weren't usually fans of the filter coffee taste which was often burned, badly extracted and from the bad coffee in the first place. Still, a small selection of machines are often sold, as well as a few preground coffee brands.

Instant coffee rose in popularity in the 2000s and captured a large part of the market - especially former Turkish or filter drinkers. It's more expensive than many Turkish blends, and as a result it's more of a status symbol (though highest status symbols are probably pod and espresso machines - in the eyes of the general population).

Moka pots are somewhat rare in the continental Croatia, they're more of a thing down by the coast. Everything else is virtually unknown and unused (we got a French press as a gift for Christmas and we love it - though it's pretty much unknown piece of gear around these parts).

That's basically it... hope you found it informative, if you have any questions, feel free to ask :)