Zvijezda
Croatian food manufacturer and brand best known for edible oils, margarine, mayonnaise, ketchup, and related condiments.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Zvijezda is a Croatian food manufacturing company and consumer brand headquartered in Zagreb. Its principal activities center on edible oils and processed food products, with a portfolio that includes sunflower and other vegetable oils, margarine, mayonnaise, ketchup, and condiments. The company is one of Croatia's longest-established food manufacturers and has played a significant role in the development of the country's edible-oil and packaged-food industries. The business was established on 15 September 1916 as Prva hrvatska tvornica ulja d. d., or the First Croatian Oil Factory. Its formation was encouraged by wartime shortages of animal fats and restrictions on oilseed imports in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia-Dalmatia. Production began in October 1917, initially including pumpkin-seed and sunflower oil. The company later expanded into rapeseed and linseed oils and introduced refined edible-oil production in 1924. During the interwar period it became a major supplier in the Yugoslav market. The company's visual identity developed around a red-star symbol in the 1930s. The symbol became sufficiently associated with the product that the oil was popularly known as Crvena zvijezda, meaning Red Star, and after the Second World War the shorter name Zvijezda became established. The company's facilities and ownership were affected by the political upheavals of the Second World War. Assets belonging to the Alexander family, among the company's early shareholders, were seized during the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia. Production continued at reduced capacity under wartime shortages, while the factory's output was redirected to German military supply during part of the war. After 1945, the factory was nationalised and renamed several times, eventually becoming Tvornica ulja Zagreb, commonly abbreviated TUZ. Under Yugoslav socialist self-management, it modernised its production and logistics infrastructure. A research and quality-control laboratory was established in 1952. The business entered margarine production in 1956 and began producing mayonnaise in 1959. Mayonnaise became a particularly important category: the company was reportedly the sole producer of mayonnaise in Yugoslavia throughout the 1960s and, after Croatian independence, remained Croatia's sole domestic mayonnaise producer as of 2017. The company expanded its production footprint at Žitnjak in Zagreb during the late 1950s. The Žitnjak site became the principal modern operating location, while the older Knez Branimir Street facility was eventually abandoned in the 1990s. The historic building has subsequently been recognised as a Croatian cultural monument and was discussed as a possible site for a Holocaust museum commemorating the Alexander family and other victims of the Holocaust. Following Croatia's independence, the company underwent privatisation. Agrokor acquired it in 1993, and the business adopted the name Zvijezda d.d. in 1995. After Agrokor's debt crisis and restructuring, Zvijezda was transferred in 2019 to Fortenova Group and renamed Zvijezda plus d.d. According to the supplied reference material, Fortenova sold Zvijezda plus and its Slovenian affiliate to the Osijek-based food producer Žito d.d. for €94.06 million in 2026. The transaction placed the company within Žito's food-production group and formed part of Fortenova's divestment programme. Zvijezda remains strongly associated with the Croatian mass-market food sector. Reference data for 2022 reported nationwide Croatian market shares of 57% for oil, 69% for margarine, 65% for mayonnaise, and 47% for ketchup across the company's flagship categories. The brand has also performed strongly in Ipsos BRANDscore rankings, with its oil and mayonnaise products repeatedly occupying leading positions. In 2023 and 2024, Zvijezda mayonnaise ranked first in the cited ranking, following several years in which Zvijezda oil led the list. The Croatian Chamber of Economy awarded the company its Zlatna kuna plaque for 2022 in the large-company category.
History
Zvijezda traces its origins to Prva hrvatska tvornica ulja d. d., founded in Zagreb on 15 September 1916. The factory was created during wartime conditions, when restrictions on oilseed imports and shortages of animal fats increased the importance of domestic vegetable-oil production. It began commercial operations in October 1917, producing pumpkin-seed and sunflower oils. The company subsequently added rapeseed oil, initially used for lighting, and linseed oil. Refined edible-oil manufacturing began in 1924, helping the business become a major participant in the developing Yugoslav food market. The original business was first located on Junije Palmotić Street and moved fully to Knez Branimir Street in 1920. In the interwar period, the company modernised its extraction and processing methods and expanded its production halls. By the 1930s, daily output was reported at approximately 35 tonnes. Graphic designer Sergije Glumac developed the company's red-star visual identity during that decade. The symbol became a defining part of the product's public identity, and the oil was known as Crvena zvijezda, or Red Star. The Second World War brought major disruption. The Alexander family, which included early shareholders and was predominantly Jewish, lost its assets through wartime seizure; many family members fled or were killed in the Holocaust. The company was transferred to another joint-stock entity and operated with limited access to raw materials. Because of the red star's association with the Yugoslav Partisan movement, wartime authorities replaced the symbol with a black circle. In 1943, the factory came under German Wehrmacht control, and its oil production was directed to Germany and the Eastern Front. After the war, the factory was nationalised by the new Yugoslav state. It was initially called Tvornica ulja – Crvena zvijezda and later Tvornica ulja Zagreb, or TUZ. Postwar development included the modernisation of raw-material handling, including a transition from horse-drawn transport to conveyor systems. Workers elected the company's first workers' council in 1950 under Yugoslavia's self-management model. In 1952, TUZ established a production-control research laboratory. The laboratory supported the introduction of margarine in 1956, described in the reference material as a new product for the Yugoslav market. A new hydraulic station and expanded production area were developed at Žitnjak in 1957 on a 56-hectare site. The Knez Branimir facility continued to operate and was upgraded alongside the new location, remaining active into the late twentieth century. In 1959, TUZ introduced mayonnaise, another product described as a first for the Yugoslav market. It remained the country's only mayonnaise producer during the 1960s. By the early 1970s, TUZ accounted for more than one-third of Yugoslavia's edible vegetable-fats consumption and competed with Dijamant, a producer based in the Socialist Republic of Serbia. During the transition to an independent Croatia in the early 1990s, the company was privatised. Agrokor acquired the business in 1993, and the company was renamed Zvijezda d.d. in 1995. The name formalised the brand identity that had developed around the historic star symbol and its oil products. The former Knez Branimir site was eventually abandoned by 1995, while operations continued at Žitnjak. The old building later became the subject of proposals to create a Holocaust museum dedicated in part to the Alexander family. A performance of the children's opera Brundibár was held outside the building on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2018, and the structure is recognised as a cultural monument. Agrokor's financial problems and associated restructuring led to another ownership transition. In 2019, Zvijezda was transferred to Fortenova Group and became Zvijezda plus d.d. The supplied reference material states that Fortenova subsequently sold Zvijezda plus and its Slovenian affiliate to Žito d.d. Osijek in 2026 for €94.06 million. The deal made Žito the company's owner and parent group. In the contemporary Croatian market, Zvijezda's principal strengths remain edible oils, margarine, mayonnaise, and ketchup. The supplied 2022 figures place the brand in a leading position in each of these categories. Its products have also received repeated high rankings in Ipsos BRANDscore results, with oil leading from 2018 through 2022 and mayonnaise leading in 2023 and 2024 according to the cited reference. The company received the Croatian Chamber of Economy's Zlatna kuna award for large companies for 2022.
- 2026
Acquired by Žito
[1]The supplied reference states that Žito d.d. Osijek acquired Zvijezda plus and its Slovenian affiliate from Fortenova Group.
- 2019
Transferred to Fortenova Group
[1]After Agrokor's restructuring, the business moved to Fortenova Group and became Zvijezda plus d.d.
- 1995
Renamed Zvijezda
[1]The company adopted the name Zvijezda d.d.
- 1993
Acquired by Agrokor
[1]The privatised company was acquired by Agrokor during Croatia's post-independence economic transition.
- 1959
Mayonnaise introduced
[1]TUZ began producing mayonnaise and remained the sole producer of mayonnaise in Yugoslavia during the 1960s.
- 1957
Žitnjak production site expanded
[1]A hydraulic station and expanded production area were built at Žitnjak in Zagreb.
- 1956
Margarine production begins
[1]The company's research and production functions supported the introduction of margarine to the Yugoslav market.
- 1950
First workers' council elected
[1]TUZ workers elected a workers' council following the introduction of Yugoslav self-management.
- 1930
Red-star identity established
[1]Sergije Glumac developed the red-star trademark and visual identity that shaped the company's later Zvijezda branding.
- 1924
Refined edible oil introduced
[1]The company began refined edible-oil production, which became a substantial part of consumption in Yugoslavia.
Products and positioning
A leading Croatian mainstream food brand with strong heritage, broad household recognition, and category leadership in edible oils, margarine, mayonnaise, and ketchup.
Cooking oils · 1917
Edible oils
Zvijezda's historic and principal category includes sunflower oil and other vegetable oils. The company began with pumpkin-seed and sunflower oils, later adding rapeseed and linseed oils and then refined edible oils. Oil remains one of the brand's strongest Croatian categories and a central part of its identity.
Spreads and cooking fats · 1956
Margarine
Margarine became part of the company's portfolio in 1956 after the development of a production-control laboratory and related manufacturing capabilities. It is one of Zvijezda's leading domestic categories and was reported to hold a 69% Croatian market share in 2022.
Sauces and condiments · 1959
Mayonnaise
Introduced in 1959, mayonnaise became a defining Zvijezda product. The company was the only mayonnaise producer in Yugoslavia during the 1960s and was still described as Croatia's sole producer of mayonnaise as of 2017. The category has repeatedly achieved leading consumer-brand rankings in Croatia.
Sauces and condiments
Ketchup
Ketchup is part of Zvijezda's broader sauces and condiment portfolio. It extends the brand beyond its historical oil and mayonnaise base and was reported to have a 47% Croatian market share in 2022.
Cooking oils
Olive oil
Olive oil is among the brand's flagship offerings within its edible-oil range. Specific launch details and product variants are not established in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
2026
Sale to Žito d.d. OsijekM&ABackground
Fortenova Group pursued a divestment programme involving selected food businesses.
Action taken
Fortenova sold Zvijezda plus and its Slovenian affiliate to Žito d.d. Osijek.
Aftermath
Žito became the reported owner and parent company of Zvijezda. The supplied reference gives a transaction value of €94.06 million.
Transaction value. €94.06 million (2026)
2019
Transfer to Fortenova GroupM&ABackground
Agrokor's debt crisis led to a restructuring of its businesses under the newly created Fortenova Group.
Action taken
Zvijezda was transferred to Fortenova and renamed Zvijezda plus d.d.
Aftermath
The brand continued operating within Fortenova's food portfolio until its later sale to Žito.
1993
Agrokor acquisitionM&ABackground
Croatia's transition to an independent market economy brought the former state enterprise into a privatisation process.
Action taken
Agrokor acquired the company and subsequently retained and developed the Zvijezda brand.
Aftermath
The company was renamed Zvijezda d.d. in 1995 and continued as a major Croatian food producer.
Recent events
- 2026
Žito acquired Zvijezda plus from Fortenova[1]
M&A
According to the supplied reference, Fortenova Group sold Zvijezda plus and its Slovenian affiliate to Žito d.d. Osijek for €94.06 million as part of a divestment programme.
- 2024
Zvijezda mayonnaise again led the cited BRANDscore ranking[1]
Other
Zvijezda mayonnaise again occupied the leading position in the BRANDscore results described in the reference material.
- 2023
Zvijezda mayonnaise led the cited BRANDscore ranking[1]
Other
The supplied reference material states that Zvijezda mayonnaise ranked first in the cited Croatian BRANDscore ranking after several years in which Zvijezda oil had led.
- 2022
Zvijezda reported strong Croatian category shares[1]
Other
Reference material reported Zvijezda as the Croatian market leader in its principal categories, including oil, margarine, mayonnaise, and ketchup.
- 2022
Zvijezda received a Golden Kuna award[1]
Other
The Croatian Chamber of Economy awarded Zvijezda its Zlatna kuna plaque in the large-company category for 2022.
- 2019
Zvijezda transferred from Agrokor to Fortenova Group[1]
M&A
Following Agrokor's restructuring, Zvijezda became part of the newly established Fortenova Group and was renamed Zvijezda plus d.d.
Sources2 sources
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