A classic Croatian chocolate brand, Zvečevo was founded in 1921 in Požega, Slavonia. Now a new exhibition just opened at the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum in Zagreb covers a hundred years of their activity, featuring beautiful retro advertising and an insight into production techniques.
The exhibition Sweet Life runs until December, traditionally the busiest time of the year for venerable Zvečevo. Best known for its unique product Mikado, the world’s first rice chocolate launched in 1964, Zvečevo was originally a strong drinks company, Stock Cognac Medicinal, set up by the Italian concern, Distilleria a vapore Camis & Stock.
Italian industrialist Lionello Stock was, in fact, born in Split, and his market was the Habsburg Empire. When everything collapsed after World War I, Stock managed to find business opportunities across the region.
One such was in Požega, known for the quality and diverse range of its fruit, and skilled workforce in need of employment. Stretching the brand to chocolate in 1924, Stock became the exclusive supplier of cocoa products to the then royal family of Yugoslavia.
The economic crash of the 1930s closed down the business before Stock entered into a business partnership with global brand, Nestlé. Nationalised under Communism, it became the brand Croatians know so well, Zvečevo, in 1951.
The exhibition is divided into four parts, each picking out a specific aspect of the history and development of the brand.
Nikola Tesla Museum, Savska cesta 18, Zagreb. tmnt.hr/en-gb/Visit. Open Tue-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 9am-1pm. Admission for main museum valid.