Štark

Infobox Company
company_name = Štark A.D.
company_
company_type = Public
foundation = 1922
location = Zemun, Serbia
key_people = Danilo Ivanović, CEO
industry = Branded food
products = candies, chocolate, biscuits
revenue = N/A
num_employees = 2,483 (2002)
homepage = [http://www.stark.co.yu www.stark.co.yu]

Štark (Serbian Cyrillic: Штарк) is a food manufacturing company located in Zemun, Serbia. Main products of the company include candies, biscuits and chocolates. It is one of the most stable companies in Serbia, surviving at times, very turbulent political and economical environment. One of its hallmark products is "Najlepše Želje" chocolate (in Cyrillic Најлепше Жеље) meaning in Serbian language "Best Wishes".

History

The factory dates back to 1922 when a French soldier, upon returning from the Thessaloniki front, founded it under the name of "Louit" and then changed it to "La cigogna". The firm over time grew into factory and witnessed many political upheavals, starting as a privately owned enterprise and finally being nationalized by the state and joined with other smaller firms, creating one large food company in 1966 and changing the name to “Nada Štark”. Being in socialist Yugoslavia, the company was managed by workers' organization, with workers themselves having say in the company's running. In 2001 the company changed its status to stock company at the Belgrade's Trade Court and entered the public stock market. It also went through another name change and is now called simply “Štark”. Stark products are imported to the United States by A.B Company, Inc.

Product line includes:
*Assorted chocolates in Boxes
*"Najlepse zelje", the hallmark chocolate in various forms (plain milk chocolate, hazelnut creme filled chocolate, raisin filled chocolate, strawberry-yogourt creme filled chocolate) and in various sizes (50 g, 100 g, 200 g, 300 g)
*Lady fingers
*Biscuit and Tea cookies
*Turkish delights
*Chocolate Cream Bananas (they are not actually bananas, but rather a foamy desert covered with chocolate creme in the shape of a banana)
*Jelly beans
*Salty products (most notable "Smoki" and "Prima" salty sticks, colloquially known in Serbian as Grisine)
*Chocolate and/or Hazelnut filled Wafers (most notable "Napolitanke")

Miscellanea

*According to Štark 23 million of "Prima" salty sticks are produced annually, with 45 sticks on average per bag. Each stick is approximately 12 cm long.
*According to Štark, Chocolate Cream Bananas are their best selling product, and on average 66 millions are sold annually.

External links

* [http://www.stark.co.yu/index.html Štark company]
* [http://www.ekonomist.co.yu/sivo/300najvecih2002.pdf#search='%C5%A0tark%20Revenue' The 300 largest companies in Serbia - 2002, The Economist publication]
* [http://www.abcoimport.com/ Homepage of USA importer]