Mislov started off as a fishing company, an activity that today forms the basis for the supply of raw materials, sardines and anchovies, to the newly opened processing plant.
Mislov, a family-owned pelagic fishery, expanded its operations in 2015 beyond catching fish when it opened a new processing plant in Policnik, Croatia. The company has been in business since it was founded in 2001 in Kali, on Island Ugljan. It is run by the Mislov family, who have extensive experience in fishing tuna and small pelagic species. The fishery’s main activity is catching anchovy and sardines. With the addition of the factory, it is now involved in processing and wholesale as well, and plans for further expansion of available products are being discussed for the near future.
Building processing plant was a long-held dream
The creation of the processing plant for pelagic fish comes after numerous years of planning for the company. The family had been involved in catching fish, but always had the desire of someday opening up their own processing plant. They began taking steps toward this goal in 2009, drawing up ideas for the factory and applying for loans. Construction began in 2014, and on 8 June 2016, Mislov celebrated its first year of processing and working at the factory. The business continues in its tradition of being family-run, with the Mislov family managing all aspects of the business, from the fishing boats to sales and quality control.
Mislov has three vessels used for pelagic fishing, measuring approximately 24, 28, and 32 meters long. A third vessel, M/V Molo, was added to the original two vessels M/V Roso and M/V Cicilo in order to ensure a proper quantity of small pelagic fish. The company aims at self-sufficiency; its own vessels are able to supply about 95 percent of its needs. 35 employees work at the facilities year-round, and an additional 15 staff members are brought on during the salting season.
The company’s production is made up of a range of products based on anchovy and sardines. These include marinated anchovy, with marinated sardines being a new addition to their product line. In addition, their frozen line includes whole frozen sardines, H and G sardines, HG and T sardines and small quantities of butterfly sardines that are individually quick-frozen. Mislov has machinery that it uses in this production process for cleaning sardines, removing the heads, and making filets, as well as marinating. Anchovy, due to their small size and sensitive nature, require human hands for these tasks. Frozen sardines make up the majority of the company’s exports. Frozen anchovy are not sold to consumers, but are instead used in the production of marinated anchovy. Thus, Mislov can continue to produce goods even when the fishing season is over. In addition, this strategy enables the company to employ its workers continuously through the year.
Production emphasises quality control and freshness
Mislov’s owners stated that their desire when opening their own operating facility was to add value to their catch. The family has been catching fish for generations, and have a high-quality product that they now manage from vessel to customer. Cooling starts on board the vessels to guarantee freshness, and the business has its own refrigerated trucks to deliver its products to clients. While Mislov does not sell its fish in very large quantities, its aim is to focus instead on the quality of its products and ensure excellence from when the fish is caught at sea to when it is delivered to customers. It hopes that the market will recognize the quality of its products and better value relative to other producers in the sector, and that this may translate to higher prices in the future. Most other companies, Mislov notes, are partially or entirely dependent on other vessels to supply their catch. Since the family has essentially two enterprises, their fishing vessels and their processing plant, they are able to provide for nearly all of their needs, giving them more of a competitive advantage in the industry.
Most of the fish produced by Mislov goes to the markets of Western Europe, primarily Spain and Italy, though some production also goes to Portugal, Greece, Malta, and Albania. Albania mostly receives its salted products. Some production is also sold locally in Croatia during the summer tourist season, though in relatively smaller quantities. The company has been doing research on the possibility of expansion into new markets. Representatives from Mislov attended the past Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, which enabled the company to promote itself and raise awareness about the products it offers. There are also negotiations on certification in the works, which should hopefully be completed by the end of the summer, or at the most by the end of the year. Traceability has also become a standard for the business, which keeps logbooks of its catch and production. As a producer, it must report information on catches, such as which of its vessels caught what, and when. It also keeps such information on vessel and date for its frozen products, utilizing its own program to track production from the fresh catch to the end recipient.
Consumer-sized products lie in future
Though Mislov does have ambitions for broadening the scope of its business, the processing plant is still very new (it was inaugurated in May), so there has been a period of adjustment and learning. The plant has only had one season of salting so far; much of the time since establishment was also spent working on training employees and setting up the business. Mislov’s owners noted that most of their employees were new to the processing procedures when they arrived at the company, and thus it was necessary to provide training to these employees so that they could be prepared for food production. Now, the employees are familiar with fish and the procedures used, and the company is ready to move forward into expansion.
Total quantities of anchovy and sardine amount to approximately 2500 tons of catches and up to 2000 tons of factory production. The company says that it is satisfied with this level of output; it is not seeking greater capacity at the moment, but instead wishes to increase the types of products that it offers. Currently, Mislov only produces its frozen products in 15 kilo packages, and marinated in 21 kilo packages. Its customers at the moment are thus primarily importers. The business hopes to expand into producing smaller-sized packages, creating prod
ucts that are consumer-sized and can be distributed at supermarkets. Mislov has desired to make such products available from the beginning, but in their infancy of the past year it was difficult to work on this smaller scale.
| Mislov d.o.o. | |
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Grabi 44 Tel.: +385 23 281186 Director: Milivoj Mislov | Activities: Fishing, processing Species: Sardines, anchovies Vessels: Three Products: IQF whole sardines, H and G sardines, HG and T sardines; marinated and salted anchovies Volumes: 2,500 tonnes of raw materials, 2,000 tonnes of products Markets: Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Malta, Albania |
The next steps that will follow with this diversification will be for the company to create its own brand and distribution chain. Further branding will enable the processor to set itself apart from the competition, as some other companies, especially those that supply products in large packages, do not always sell to consumers under their own brand. A clear Mislov brand identity will allow the company to showcase their image as a family-run, high-quality producer, and reinforce its strengths that help it stand out in the industry.
