Major companies
The largest private companies
In Croatia there are several large companies under private ownership which play a significant role in foreign trade. Some of them are significant technological innovators.
The Fortenova Group , established in 2019 after the restructuring of the Agrokor group of companies. It is one of the largest companies in Southeast Europe, and its basic core activities are retail and wholesaling, food and agriculture; it has over 50,000 employees. Jana water is one of its most important export products.
Orbico Group is one of the leading companies for the distribution of consumer goods. It has an international distribution network in 20 European countries with about 8,000 employees.
The Atlantic Group is one of the leading food companies in the region, the leading distributer of consumer goods in Southeast Europe and owner of a pharmacy chain. It employs about 2,250 workers in 7 countries. Its product, Cedevita (an instant vitamin drink) is one of its export brands.
Podravka , one of the leading food companies in Southeast, Central and East Europe; it is active worldwide (over 60 countries) and has around 2,300 employees. Its product, Vegeta (invented in 1959 under the leadership of Zlata Bartl), is a food supplement that is well-known throughout the world.
The Vindija food industry has over 4,000 employees in Croatia and the region. The company's prestigious brands include Cekin , z'bregov and Kvaliteta Vindija , a brand encompassing over 1,000 products.
Kraš is a chocolate and sweet manufacturer, with nearly 2,300 employees. The chocolate confection Bajadera is one of the most recognisable Croatian products.
Končar, the electronics company, has almost 3,500 employees. In cooperation with the company Gredelj, it produces trains and trams that compete worldwide for regional, suburban and city transport. Končar has developed many technological innovations at its plant, for example, wind turbines used for constructing wind power stations.
The Adris Group consists of four strategic business units: tourism, insurance, healthy food and real estate, with about 6,000 employees. It developed from the Rovinj Tobacco Factory (Tvornica duhana Rovinj) .
Public companies
Public companies of exceptional interest for the country, mainly in the fields of transport, energy and municipal utilities, and for the management of natural resources, are under state ownership, or in mixed ownership under state control. Some of them are:
Croatian Forests (Hrvatske šume), a company founded in 1991 to manage forests, which cover about 40% of the country. It takes care of the economic and protective aspects of the use of forest assets.
Croatian Water (Hrvatske vode), a water management company, was founded in 1996 for the protection of the water assets of the country and to ensure the constant availability of water for the needs of the population and industry, on the basis of the principles of sustainable development.
The Croatian Electricity Company (Hrvatska elektroprivreda), was founded in 1990 to work in the production, transmission and distribution of electricity, and the supply and distribution of gas and heating. It has 27 hydroelectric power stations and 7 thermal power stations, which use heating oil, natural gas and coal as fuel.
Croatian Railways (Hrvatske željeznice) , the railway company, founded in 1990. Its units are: Passenger Transport, Cargo, and Infrastructure, and deal with the maintenance, modernisation and construction of the railway infrastructure.
The Adriatic Oil Pipeline (Jadranski naftovod), a company for the management of the oil transport system for domestic and international users, for the storage of oil and oil derivatives, and for the transhipment of liquid cargo. It was founded in 1974.
Croatian Roads (Hrvatske ceste) was founded in 1991 to manage state roads, for their maintenance, protection and the planned development of the road network.
Croatia Airlines, the national airline, was founded in 1989.
Jadrolinija , a passenger shipping company, was founded in 1947. It has a fleet of 55 ships (3 large passenger ferries for coastal transport and international lines, 38 ferries for local passenger transport, 10 catamarans and 4 classical ships).
Adriatic Croatia International , nautical company, established in 1983; manages 22 marinas along the coast, the longest such system in the Mediterranean.
Croatian Motorways (Hrvatske autoceste) , was founded in 2001 for the management, construction and maintenance of motorways; it manages a network of 1,105.53 km of motorways.