Bambi (company)

Bambi a.d.
Native name
Бамби
Company typeJoint-stock company
IndustryBranded food
Founded11 December 1989; 34 years ago (1989-12-11) (Current form)
1967; 57 years ago (1967) (Founded)
Headquarters
Požarevac
,
Serbia
Key people
Dragan Stajković (General director)
ProductsBiscuits, chocolates
BrandsPlazma, Wellness, Zlatni Pek, Josh
RevenueIncrease €128.61 million (2023)[1]
Decrease €27.7 million (2023)[1]
Decrease €22.78 million (2023)[1]
Total assetsIncrease €135.47 million (2023)[1]
Total equityIncrease €46.8 million (2023)[1]
OwnerCoca-Cola HBC Serbia (100%)
Number of employees
664 (2023)
Websitebambi.rs
Footnotes / references
Business ID: 07162936
Tax ID: 100436827

Bambi a.d. (Serbian Cyrillic: Бамби а.д.) is a food manufacturing company headquartered in the town of Požarevac, Serbia. One of its signature products is a biscuit called Plazma, also known as Lane outside of former Yugoslavia. It is currently owned by Coca-Cola HBC Serbia.

In 1968, the company started production of their now famous Plazma biscuit, originally a variation of Plasmon biscuits, and today it is one of their best selling products. In that time, "Plasmon" sued "Bambi" for stealing recipes and forms of cookies. That dispute, which was conducted in Greece, was lost by the Italians. Milos Reljin, a technologist, reduced the weight so that it did not match the "plasmon", and he also changed the recipe, because he added a new ingredient. At that time, a gentleman's agreement was made between the two factories. That "plasmon" bypasses the Yugoslav market, and that "plasma" goes to the western market under the name "lane". The font of the text "Bambi" was also used by the very small Yugoslav band "Bambi band".

History

Bambi's former logo
Bambi's facility seen from outside in Požarevac

The company was founded in 1967 on initiative of Momčilo Filipović and later Petar Tutavac, with support of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.[2][3][4] From the start, the company's focus was on manufacturing biscuits made out of domestically grown grains with an emphasis on healthy food. Within the first ten years of its existence the company had 230 full-time employees and manufactured 3,100 tons of products. In 1979 it received its first award for consistency in quality. Over the years the company grew and expanded to different regions of former Yugoslavia.

In 1968, the company started production of their now famous Plazma biscuit, originally a variation of Plasmon biscuits,[2] and today it is one of their best selling products. In 1990 the company started production of another well-known product called Grandma's cookie (in Serbian, Bakin kolač) type of waffle, which is no longer produced. In 1997 the company was the first in the country to receive international certificate for the standard in quality management ISO 9001 in food industry.

In mid-2004 Bambi became part of the Danube Foods Group, managed by Salford Investment Fund.[5] In February 2015, Salford Investment Fund sold their interests in Bambi to Mid Europa Partners.[6] Since 2015, assets of Mid Europe Partners in Serbia which include Bambi, Knjaz Miloš and Imlek, are managed by "Moji Brendovi" consultant firm.[7]

In mid-2017, the company changed its logo and introduced new products. As of 2018, Bambi is one of the largest food companies in Serbia.

On 18 February 2019, the Coca-Cola HBC announced a deal valued at €260 million to acquire Bambi from Mid Europa Partners.[8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "KONCERN BAMBI A.D. POŽAREVAC". companywall.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Istorija Bambijevog Plazma keksa". edukacija.rs (in Serbian). 3 March 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  3. ^ Matijević, J.; Caranović, B. (4 September 2016). "MISTERIJA "SMOKIJA", BANANICA I PLAZME: Recepturu krili kao najstrožu tajnu". novosti.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  4. ^ Garčević, Srdjan (31 October 2020). "Treats and Tricks: A Brief History of Serbia's Favourite Sweets". The Nutshell Times. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Bambi, History". Archived from the original on 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  6. ^ "Imlek, Bambi i Knjaz Miloš dobili novog vlasnika". blic.rs (in Serbian). 9 April 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  7. ^ R., E. (20 February 2019). "Od "Plazme" porez ode u Holandiju?". novosti.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  8. ^ Scully, Jules (18 February 2019). "Coca-Cola HBC acquires Serbian company Bambi for 260m euros". foodbev.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  9. ^ Dimitrioski, Zarko (18 February 2019). "Serbian Condiments Producer Sold For €260 Million To Coca-Cola HBC". forbes.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.