UNIQUE FLAVOURS WITH
A SOLID TRADITION
Kostelecké uzeniny is the largest Czech meat producer, boasting a 100-year tradition. Its unique products, superb quality as well as the benefits of being a member of a strong group have cemented its prime position in the central European region. Romana Moares reports.
T
he story of Kostelecké uzeniny began 100 years ago, in 1917. As one of the major players in the central European region, the company supplies fresh meat and a comprehensive range of meat products to the markets, with focus on high quality salamis. It is currently one of the leading producers of dry salami, especially cured salami with natural fine mould – the company’s flagship product – as well as frankfurters, soft salami, smoked meat and canned ham. “Our core business is animal slaughter, meat processing and the packaging and production of meat semi-finished and finished products and canned meat,” explains managing director Michal Jedlička, and points out that next year the company will celebrate an important anniversary – one hundred years of operation. In 2007, the Kostelec plant was acquired by Agrofert Holding, one of the largest agricultural and food processing groups in central Europe. Several mergers with other meat processors followed, making Kostelecké uzeniny the biggest meat processing company in the Czech Republic. In 2015 the company achieved a total turnover of nearly 5 billion CZK.
Premium quality Kostelec, in the middle of the Czech Republic, provides ideal conditions for making meat products of the highest quality: it has the clean environment of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, a modern
production base as well as a traditional approach to the butchery trade which has been passed on from generation to generation. “Our flagship product is the Premium range, including the cured salami with natural fine mould on the surface, sold under the names of Kostelecký uherák, Křemešník, Čeřínek and Hermín,” says the managing director. “Our product portfolio also includes fresh beef and pork of Czech origin, produced locally in our own slaughterhouses in Kostelec and Planá nad Lužnicí. About two years ago we enriched the product range with a new line of products with a minimum meat content of 90 per cent,” he adds. An example of a gourmet product with an exceptional ripening time is Reserva 1917. Salami 1917 Reserva has a unique flavour, underlined not only by the natural high-grade mould on the surface but also by the spices used. Recently a new, more practical size of 1.8kg was introduced. Another unique product is the round salami with cheese, made only from selected pork meat. It is completed with a blue cheese flavour, which makes it a culinary speciality. The round salami with cheese is also produced during the process of fermentation. This natural process, used for food production for over 2000 years, gives the product a fantastic flavour of salami and cheese in one. From this year onwards, the round salami with cheese is also available in a wooden box emphasising its uniqueness. Industry Europe 97
