When fashion on table dictates fashion in nurseries - Iceberg Salat Centar is the only one in Serbia producing Iceberg salad

When I was starting, no one wanted to buy Iceberg salad since no one knew what it was. In the year of bombing, in 1999, when McDonald's restaurants stopped working, I was selling it at the market and I could not sell almost anything. Only foreigners and our people who live in the West knew about it. I sell 50 salads a day and the other guy who sells other kind, sells 500 pieces. It was the only salad Serbia knew about, Predrag Popovic, the owner of Iceberg Salat Centar, the only company in Serbia producing Iceberg salad.

Everything changed when Mercator came since it was the first chain which made a part “garden” in the self-service where all kinds of salads were. People started buying salads so they started eating green salads even during the summer and only in the spring in the time of celebration.

The story of Iceberg Salat Centar started in 1990, in Surcin, when it was founded to supply McDonald's restaurants with Iceberg salad which has not been grown in Serbia until that time. Today, Iceberg Salat Centar apart from Iceberg salad, produces other kinds of salads as well as other exclusive vegetables.

The company delivers its products to McDonald's chain whose exclusive vegetable distributor it is, and other renowned restaurants, hotels, cafes, catering services and larger supermarkets in the area of Belgrade.

Products sell well at the market, both fresh and processed where vegetables are cut, washed and packed in bags such as Iceberg salad, salad mixes - "Mediteranea", "Toscana", "Zeleni miks, etc. Salad and other vegetables are grown in more locations in Serbia, the main one at the end of Novi Beograd in Vinogradska street. The production section with cold storages where preparation washing and packing of products for distribution is carried out.

The company has 30 people who annually produce some 250 tons of Iceberg salad and more than 800.000 pieces of other kinds of salad. They daily process1,5 - 2 tons of Iceberg salad and they are already thinking about the expansion of the section, the company told us.

Fresh, washed and packed

In order to provide maximal product safety, Iceberg Salat Centar uses GLOBALGAP standards for monitoring of vegetables production in the field and ISO 9001:2008 and HACCP standards in the processing process.

The basic product of Iceberg Salat Centar is salads of all varieties, colors and taste as well as other vegetables. The main salad is Iceberg salads the company was named after and which can be fresh for a long time, it is crispy and easy to digest.

Salads and vegetables are sold fresh at the market as well as processed vegetables – cut, washed and packed in bags with inert gas to keep freshness and other characteristics.

When it comes to green salads, the company produces: Iceberg, Endivia uskolisna, Endivia sirokolisna, Hrastov list zeleni, Lollo Bionda and Romana. As for red salads, Surcin delivers Lollo rosso, Batavia, Hrastov list crveni and radish.

Fresh salads are delivered washed and packed in cardboard boxes, wrapped in plastic foil o keep them fresh as long as possible. Every box has a label and it contains 12-18 salads depending on kind and size. As for other vegetables, the company produces tomato, pickles, carrot, broccoli and spinach.
Plans

Iceberg Salat Centar does not stop with innovations when it comes to salads. So they are soon planning to start production of "one cut ready" salad. This means that one move removes root and the salad spreads into small leaves so it does not require additional cutting.

The company says they are still not planning organic production and export since all attempts failed. As for Serbia, they almost do not have competition since except from them mainly those who have production for their own needs deal with it.

The company has a long-standing cooperation with the Belgrade zoo where they send all organic waste.

J.DJ.

Iceberg salat centar Beograd

Iceberg salad

Predrag Popovic

salad mixes

Mediteranea

Toscana

Zeleni miks

spinach

baby spinach

salanova

matovilac

broccoli

McDonalds

Lollo rosso

Batavia

Hrastov list crveni and radish

Endivia uskolisna

Endivia sirokolisna

Hrastov list zeleni

Lollo Bionda

Romana

ZOO