The company Prvi križevački paromlin i paropila Hinko Švarc i sinovi (The first steam-powered mill and sawmill in Križevci Hinko Švarc and Sons) was established in the old royal free city of Križevci in 1903, when the milling industry started to develop in this northwest Croatian region. Building the steam-powered mill business in subsequent years, and reconstructing it after a fire, through constant modernisation and technological and technical upgrades, Mlinar’s legal predecessors and the company itself were the drivers of economic development in the Križevci region, especially in the period from 1953 to the present.
In 1953, the company was integrated into Žitni fond, a grain trading and processing company, operating from a nationalised mill with a milling capacity of 20 tonnes of grain per day. Next year, the mill’s capacity was increased through modernisation and electrification. In 1958, the company changed its name to Mlinar, mlinsko poduzeće (Milling Company).
Mlinar had as many as 245 employees, a product range of 55 different types of products, and an output of 14,330 tonnes. Its bakery plant in Zagreb was distinguished by its state-of-the-art design, technical equipment, and technological procedures. By purchasing a two-speed kneader, the company intensified and accelerated its dough preparation process and increased its flour utilization rate. The process also freed up some plant space, where new ovens and dough rising chambers were installed, increasing the company’s capacities by about 80%.
Mlinar’s widely recognised mascot Mlinarko continued its breakthrough in the market, having become one of the most popular advertising video characters, and a trademark on the packaging of Mlinar’s products. Mlinarko was developed by Milan Blažeković, an esteemed Croatian animated film author, animator and director, and the most distinguished Croatian member of Disney’s team, who learned his trade at the celebrated Zagreb School of Animated Film. The legendary promotional video featuring cute Mlinarko was titled Iz Mlinareva mlina sva su jela fina (roughly translates as: Mlinar cooks the most delicious foods).
Mlinar built a new production facility in Zagreb in 2011, the largest bakery production facility and distribution centre in this part of Europe. This was followed by a state-of-the-art burek and pizza production facility in this part of Europe, which was built in Osijek in 2014, with a capacity of 100 million pieces of burek and 40 million pizzas a year. In addition to the facilities in Zagreb and Osijek, Mlinar acquired production facilities in Poreč and Šibenik. The facility in Poreč joined Mlinar’s family in 2009, when the production modernisation and range expansion process began. The facility in Šibenik joined Mlinar in 2017, after the company took over a local bakery.
In the summer of 2019, MidEuropa Partners, a renowned investment fund based in the United Kingdom, acquired the controlling interest in Mlinar in one of its most important investments in Central and Eastern Europe.
In 2020, MidEuropa continued to successfully expand its investment portfolio and join forces with top brands, this time in Belgrade. The addition of the very popular bakery chain Hleb & Kifle to the Fund was a major business breakthrough.
