The Croatian unit of Germany wholesaler Metro Cash & Carry has introduced products from the first commercial farm where poultry is grown under strictly controlled conditions.
The first commercial farm with controlled rearing of poultry is located in Veliki Bukovac and is owned by Marinka and Željko Orehovec.
Thanks to cooperation with Metro, PG Orehovec doubled its production to more than 9,000 birds a year, and Metro Cash & Carry purchases the entire production of poultry that is sold under the Premium Farm brand name.
Free range poultry rearing in Croatia mainly takes place on small family farms. Metro Cash & Carry has developed the first commercial farm in order to ensure availability of superior poultry meat from controlled cultivation, which until now could only be purchased on local markets, to professional customers, primarily hoteliers and caterers.
The quality and taste of the meat is influenced by factors such as genetic background, age, and composition of fattening food.
During the development of the premium farm brand were selected special breed poultry that are grown in nature, in an environment free of industry pollution and traffic with at least two square meters of space per bird.
Nutrition is entirely of vegetable origin with a high share of cereals, while breeding on average lasts about 80 days, twice as long as in intensive breeding.
According to Robert Kuhta, Director of Procurement for Food for the Fresh and Ultra-Fresh Program at Metro Cash & Carry, the retailer plans to work on additional capacity expansion as the long-term goal is to expand the Premium Farm product line in Metro wholesale stores outside Croatia.
