Published 28. September 2020.
This spring, Valamar opened a unique Central Kitchen in Vinež near Labin, which consists of the largest production plant and distribution center for hotels and restaurants in Croatia. It is also the cornerstone for Valfresco Direkt, the new Valamar online delivery service available in Istria since June, and more recently in the area of Rijeka and the Opatija Riviera.
The central kitchen and distribution center Vinež is the main location for purchasing and processing fresh local food, which guarantees the daily use of fresh products, and the preparation of finished and semi-finished products. This modern facility equipped with the latest technology covering an area of 3,400 m2 can prepare up to 25,000 meals a day, including finished and semi-finished meals, following the highest food health and safety standards.
“This summer, the Central Kitchen processed about 40 tons of potatoes, 40 tons of meat, about 20 tons of fish, 6 tons of fresh carrots, and prepared more than 20 tons of soup, 5.000 trays of cake and 8.5 tons of pizza dough. In peak-season, 100 employees worked in the Central Kitchen, and in the winter months, around 30-40 employees will be preparing food and meals for the Valfresco Direkt online store ", said Branko Knežević, Central Kitchen Vinež manager.
Central Kitchen Vinež is eco-friendly and uses a cooling chamber monitoring system with environmentally friendly CO2 instead of freon, a sustainable system of central water preparation and softening, and selective waste sorting and recycling. There are separate food processing departments such as vegetable, meat and fish, which provides the kitchen with cleaned raw materials ready for further preparation. Thermally processed foods are immediately cooled in fast cooling devices (so-called shockers), packed and stored at the appropriate temperature until transport. All vehicles ensure transport at required temperatures, thus ensuring the continuity of the cold chain. Food is packaged in special packaging, most of it in a modified atmosphere to ensure product freshness. All food is labeled with appropriate declarations before being placed on the market.
Valamar invested HRK 29 million in the Central Kitchen and Distribution Center Vinež giving Valfresco Direkt a technologically advanced space with the potential for future growth and development.