ABOUT US
In 1995, the company Pisinium opened a production plant in the heart of Istria – the town of Pazin – with a product range focused on semi-durable products and their placement in the local area.


Dear guests,
It is our pleasure to invite you to the world of gastronomic delights, where eating is not only an immediate satisfaction of the feeling of hunger but also an immersion into the world of superb meat delicacies. Pisinium is a family business founded in 1995. For the Hreljak family who own the company, prosciutto, pancetta, sausages, and dried pork loin have always been an important part of family life. They were the subject of heated debates and family contests: who made the best prosciutto this year, whose nonna made the best sausages, and so on. It goes without saying how important these products are in the diet of families. In the not-too-distant past, the meat of a single pig was the only meat consumed in a given year, and it was therefore viewed as a “family treasure”. When talking about the social aspect of the importance of food, we know that in Croatia, any celebration without prosciutto is not a real celebration! Food has always been the backbone of connecting generations – in other words, it is the guarantee of a good time: where you can eat well, you will have a good time. Our mission is to take you back to a time when you could be completely sure of what you were eating, where the food came from, and how it was prepared. That’s why we stick closely to the tradition of preparing meat delicacies that we learned from our grandmothers and grandfathers. That way, we also bring a touch of the past to your table. Today, Pisinium produces healthy and authentic Istrian meat delicacies of the highest quality using state-of-the-art technologies. We enjoy using modern technologies we have invested experience, knowledge, and funds in to make products that look, taste, and smell as if they just came from an old, authentic tavern. We hope you can feel that with every bite.
Josip Hreljak, CEO (1995-2017)
With the increase in sales, the capacity of the processing plant (which was located on the ground floor of the family house) was no longer sufficient, so in 2000 production was moved to a new building at the address Trošti b.b. in Žbrlini near Pazin, where it is still located today. At this address, the existing building was expanded several times, always with the aim of meeting the increased market demands and implementing new modern technological solutions. The last expansion of the production plant took place in 2013, and Pisinium thus met all the requirements for exporting its products to the EU and third countries. Although the company began its journey 30 years ago with semi-durable products, its development is now based primarily on the production and marketing of traditional Istrian meat delicacies throughout the Croatian market. Pisinium was the first company in Croatia to bring Istrian meat products to the country’s stores, and after many years and much invested effort and funds, it has become the largest producer of high-quality Istrian meat delicacies. The products are manufactured in an idyllic environment, as there is no air and water pollution in the surrounding area. The micro-location is perfect for production: in winter, the bora wind brings dry air rich in scents of plants from Učka, and in summer, the jugo wind from the south brings
the smell of the sea and pines. The products are dried in air chambers, but the chambers are all equipped with (specially designed) windows so that the products can be dried in the fresh air, weather permitting.

The product range includes five autochthonous Istrian products (the Istrian prosciutto, pancetta, dried pork loin, coppa, and sausages), and five products made the Istrian way (the “Ruža” prosciutto, “Ruža” dry-cured ham, Istrian salami, Istrian sausage with truffles, and prosciutto spread with truffles). The product range also includes fresh sausages with the flavours of cranberry, truffle, onion, salt and pepper, spinach, and chili, as well as several types of burgers.
Durable meat products from Istria have many nutritional advantages: they have a low sodium content, are a good source of protein, and have a low fat content. They are also non-carcinogenic, as they are not smoked during the drying process but dried by fresh air circulation. They do not contain gluten, and the Istrian prosciutto with a Protected Designation of Origin does not contain any artificial preservatives or additives either.
In addition to durable meat products, the company also has a processing department, which annually produces 700 tons of various semi-durable products and over 50 tons of fresh products. The products are distributed throughout Croatia using the company’s own means of transport and placed on the shelves of retail chains, small stores, hotels, restaurants, and wholesalers. Pisinium’s products are consumed daily by more than 2,000 people, and they constitute 2% of the total processed
meat products market.
Pisinium contributes to the community through its work and development. The company employs 70 people and treats the environment responsibly. The company built its own biological treatment plant, and production waste is disposed of in cooperation with Agroproteinka, the only Croatian company authorized to dispose of biological waste.
Renewable energy is used for the company’s hot water needs, and water tanks with collected rainwater are used for vehicle and plant cleaning, which helps decrease the consumption and unnecessary waste of potable water.

Product quality and constant investments in the company’s development are confirmed by numerous awards:
– Istrian sausage with Teran, winner in the category of special sausages at the fair S klobasicom u EU 2023, Municipality of Sv. Petar u Šumi
– Istrian prosciutto, winner in the category of Istrian prosciuttos and fair champion, ISAP Tinjan 2022
– Istrian Prosciutto, winner, DHP Dubrovnik, 2018
– Gold medal at the national prosciutto fair in Drniš for the high quality of Istrian prosciutto, 2014
– Gold medal for Istrian prosciutto at the national prosciutto fair, Sinj, 2012, 2013, 2014
– Istrian pancetta voted the best by consumers in Croatia (survey by the daily newspaper 24 sata, 2013)
– Gold medal for Istrian prosciutto at the international prosciutto fair, Tinjan, 2010, 2009
– Gold medal for the quality of Istrian pancetta, Zagreb Fair, 2005
Product safety is ensured by applying HACCP principles, as confirmed by an inspection carried out by the Ministry of
Agriculture. The product safety is also confirmed by the IFS certificate, an internationally accepted "trade" standard
defined by German and French retail chains and today it is one of the most recognized standards for the food sector.
In a business environment with many unknown elements (as there are no prescribed rules for the production of traditional Istrian products) since no one has ever produced them under industrial conditions before, and given that the competition is getting stronger by the minute, Pisinium is laying the foundation for a long-term business with high-quality products and experienced and well-trained staff.