Bambi
Corporate brand
UnclaimedSerbian food company known for biscuits and snacks.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
Bambi a.d. is a Serbian food manufacturing company headquartered in Požarevac. It is best known for Plazma, a dry biscuit that became one of the most recognizable packaged-food products in Serbia and across parts of the former Yugoslavia. In some markets outside the former Yugoslavia, Plazma has also been sold under the name Lane. Bambi’s portfolio has historically included biscuits, wafers, and other sweet baked products, with the company’s identity closely associated with accessible everyday food and locally rooted manufacturing. The company was established in 1967 on the initiative of Momčilo Filipović, with later involvement from technologist Petar Tutavac, and with institutional support from the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. Its original concept centered on producing biscuits from domestically grown grains and presenting them as dependable, wholesome food. The business began production of Plazma in 1968. The product was developed as a variation of the Italian Plasmon biscuit, but Bambi altered the formulation and product dimensions. A dispute with Plasmon followed in Greece over the similarity of the recipe and biscuit form; according to the company’s historical account summarized by Wikipedia, the dispute was ultimately lost by the Italian side and the two producers reached an understanding concerning market territories and naming. During its first decade, Bambi expanded to approximately 230 full-time employees and annual production of about 3,100 tons, according to the cited historical account. It received its first recorded quality award in 1979. The company gradually broadened its presence across the Yugoslav market and developed additional products. In 1990 it introduced Bakin kolač, a waffle-style product commonly translated as Grandma’s Cookie, although that line is no longer produced. In 1997 Bambi became the first company in Serbia’s food industry to receive an international ISO 9001 quality-management certificate, marking a significant step in the formalization of its production standards. Bambi’s ownership changed substantially after the transition from Yugoslav-era enterprise structures. In mid-2004 it joined the Danube Foods Group, which was managed by Salford Investment Fund. Salford later sold its interests in Bambi to Mid Europa Partners in February 2015. Mid Europa’s Serbian assets, including Bambi, Knjaz Miloš, and Imlek, were managed by the consulting firm Moji Brendovi. Under Mid Europa, Bambi continued product and brand development, and in mid-2017 it introduced a refreshed logo and new products. In February 2019, Coca-Cola HBC announced an agreement to acquire Bambi from Mid Europa Partners for a reported value of €260 million. The acquisition placed Bambi within the Coca-Cola HBC Serbia organization and connected the Serbian biscuit producer to a larger regional beverage and consumer-goods distribution network. Bambi remains primarily identified with the Serbian market, while its flagship biscuit has wider recognition among consumers in neighboring and diaspora markets. Its current positioning is therefore rooted in a strong national food identity, long product heritage, and the distribution capabilities of an international bottling and consumer-products group.
History
Bambi was founded in Požarevac in 1967 as a Yugoslav food company focused on biscuits made from domestically grown grains. The initiative is associated with Momčilo Filipović, while Petar Tutavac is identified with the company’s early technical and product-development work. Institutional support came from the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. From the beginning, Bambi presented itself as a producer of practical, affordable food rather than as a specialist luxury confectionery business. In 1968 the company began producing Plazma, a biscuit that became its defining product. Plazma was developed as a variation of the Italian Plasmon biscuit. Bambi’s technologist Milos Reljin is credited in the historical account with changing the product’s weight and recipe, including the addition of a new ingredient, so that it would not directly match Plasmon. Plasmon nevertheless brought a challenge in Greece concerning the recipe and form of the biscuit. The account states that the Italian company ultimately lost the dispute and that the two manufacturers reached a gentleman’s agreement under which Plasmon would avoid the Yugoslav market while Bambi would sell the related product in Western markets under the name Lane. This episode helped establish the importance of naming, formulation, and territorial distribution to the product’s early international presence. Bambi expanded during its first decade. Within ten years it had approximately 230 employees and production of roughly 3,100 tons. The company received its first recorded quality award in 1979 and continued expanding across the regions of former Yugoslavia. Its product range was not limited to Plazma. In 1990 Bambi introduced Bakin kolač, a waffle-style product also known in English as Grandma’s Cookie. That product is no longer manufactured, but it illustrates the company’s effort to extend its baked-goods portfolio beyond its core biscuit. A major institutional milestone came in 1997, when Bambi became the first food-industry company in Serbia to receive an international ISO 9001 quality-management certificate, according to the cited company history. The certification represented the formalization of quality processes at a time when Serbian and former Yugoslav companies were adapting to new commercial and regulatory conditions. Ownership shifted after the company entered the Danube Foods Group in mid-2004. The group was managed by Salford Investment Fund, which placed Bambi within a larger Serbian food and beverage portfolio. In February 2015, Salford sold its interests in Bambi to Mid Europa Partners. Mid Europa’s Serbian holdings, including Bambi, Knjaz Miloš, and Imlek, were managed by Moji Brendovi. During this period Bambi continued to develop its consumer-facing identity. In mid-2017 it changed its logo and introduced new products, signaling a modernization of the brand while retaining the equity of its established biscuit lines. By 2018 Bambi was described as one of Serbia’s largest food companies. In February 2019 Coca-Cola HBC announced an agreement to acquire Bambi from Mid Europa Partners for €260 million. The transaction brought Bambi into Coca-Cola HBC Serbia and gave the brand access to the group’s broader commercial infrastructure. Bambi’s contemporary significance rests on the combination of a deeply established Serbian food brand, the regional recognition of Plazma and Lane, and the resources of Coca-Cola HBC. Its historical development spans Yugoslav industrial origins, post-socialist ownership changes, product and quality-system development, and integration into an international consumer-goods group.
- 2019
Coca-Cola HBC announces acquisition
[2]Coca-Cola HBC announces an agreement to buy Bambi from Mid Europa Partners for a reported €260 million.
- 2017
Brand identity refresh
[1]Bambi changes its logo and introduces new products.
- 2015
Acquired by Mid Europa Partners
[1]Mid Europa Partners purchases Salford Investment Fund’s interests in Bambi.
- 2004
Joins Danube Foods Group
[1]Bambi becomes part of Danube Foods Group under Salford Investment Fund management.
- 1997
ISO 9001 certification milestone
[1]Bambi becomes the first Serbian food-industry company identified in the historical account as receiving an international ISO 9001 quality-management certificate.
- 1990
Bakin kolač is introduced
[1]The company adds a waffle-style product known as Bakin kolač, later discontinued.
- 1979
First recorded quality award
[1]Bambi receives an award recognizing consistency in product quality.
- 1968
Plazma production begins
[1]Bambi starts making Plazma, which becomes its signature biscuit and most important long-term product.
- 1967
Bambi is founded in Požarevac
[1]The company is established on the initiative of Momčilo Filipović, with Petar Tutavac later associated with its early development.
Products and positioning
A Serbian everyday-food manufacturer built around trusted biscuit brands, domestic production heritage, broad household familiarity, and accessible sweet baked goods.
Biscuit · 1968
Plazma
Plazma is Bambi’s signature dry biscuit and the product most strongly associated with the company. It entered production in 1968 as a modified variation of Plasmon, with changes to the recipe and product dimensions. It became a major Serbian household product and expanded into markets connected with the former Yugoslavia. Plazma’s long production history gives it an unusually strong heritage position within Serbia’s packaged-food sector.
Biscuit
Lane
Lane is the name used for the Plazma-related biscuit in some Western markets outside the former Yugoslavia. The naming arrangement emerged from an early dispute and subsequent understanding involving Plasmon, with Bambi using Lane for western-market distribution. It represents the international-market expression of Bambi’s best-known biscuit rather than a wholly separate corporate brand.
Waffle · 1990
Bakin kolač
Bakin kolač, translated as Grandma’s Cookie, was a waffle-style product introduced by Bambi in 1990. It formed part of the company’s effort to broaden its baked-goods offering beyond biscuits. The product is historically significant to Bambi’s portfolio but is no longer produced.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Bambi visual identity refresh
Serbia
Bambi changed its logo and introduced new products as part of a broader brand and portfolio update.
Outcome. The update modernized the consumer-facing identity while preserving the established Bambi name.
Brand decisions
2019
Agree to Coca-Cola HBC acquisitionM&ABackground
Mid Europa Partners decided to sell Bambi after owning the company as part of its Serbian consumer-brands portfolio.
Action taken
Coca-Cola HBC announced an agreement to acquire Bambi and integrate it into Coca-Cola HBC Serbia.
Aftermath
Bambi became part of a larger international consumer-goods and distribution group.
Reported transaction value. (2019 announcement)
2017
Refresh the Bambi brand and broaden the product rangeStrategyBackground
Under Mid Europa Partners, Bambi pursued a more contemporary consumer presentation and continued product development.
Action taken
The company changed its logo and introduced new products.
Aftermath
Bambi retained its established Serbian identity while presenting a more modern visual profile.
1968
Develop and launch PlazmaProduct launchBackground
Bambi sought to create a biscuit based on the Plasmon concept while adapting the recipe and dimensions for its own production and market.
Action taken
The company modified the formulation and product weight and began production under the Plazma name.
Aftermath
Plazma became Bambi’s flagship product and later appeared as Lane in some Western markets.
- Plasmon — Plasmon challenged Bambi over similarities in the recipe and biscuit form; the dispute was later followed by an understanding concerning market territories and naming.
Recent events
- 2019
Coca-Cola HBC announces acquisition of Bambi[2]
M&A
Coca-Cola HBC announced an agreement to acquire Bambi from Mid Europa Partners in a transaction reported at €260 million.
- 2017
Bambi refreshes its logo and launches new products[1]
Campaign · Product launch
The company updated its visual identity and introduced additional products while under Mid Europa Partners’ ownership.
- 2015
Salford sells Bambi to Mid Europa Partners[1]
M&A
Mid Europa Partners acquired Salford Investment Fund’s interests in Bambi as part of a wider Serbian consumer-brands portfolio transaction.
- 2004
Bambi becomes part of Danube Foods Group[1]
M&A
Bambi joined Danube Foods Group, which was managed by Salford Investment Fund, beginning a new phase of private-equity ownership.
- 1990
Bambi introduces Bakin kolač[1]
Product launch
The company began producing Bakin kolač, a waffle-style product that was later discontinued.
- 1979
Bambi receives an early quality award[1]
Other
The company received its first recorded award for consistency in quality, reflecting the growing importance of production standards in its expansion.
- 1968
Bambi begins production of Plazma biscuit[1]
Product launch
Bambi launched production of the biscuit that became its signature product and the foundation of its long-term brand identity.
Plasmon dispute over Plazma biscuit similarity[1]
Lawsuit
Plasmon challenged Bambi over similarities in the biscuit’s recipe and shape. The dispute was conducted in Greece and, according to the historical account, concluded with Bambi prevailing and the companies reaching an understanding on market territories and names.
Sources3 sources
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