Franck

Franck d.d. is a Croatian food and beverage company headquartered in Zagreb and historically associated with coffee, tea and coffee-substitute production. The business traces its Croatian origins to 1892, when it operated as part of Heinrich Franck Söhne, a German company whose wider operations had begun in 1883. Its early production focused on coffee substitutes, a category that was important in Central European food manufacturing before and around the Second World War. Over time, Franck broadened its activity from substitutes into a wider portfolio of branded everyday food and drink products. Coffee remains the company's central category and the area most closely associated with the Franck name in Croatia. Its ground-coffee range includes Jubilarna, 100% Arabica variants, single-origin coffees such as Costa Rica and Guatemala, espresso products, and the Crema line. Jubilarna, introduced in 1972, is particularly important to the brand's identity. Its red, compact, vacuum-packed format became popularly known as Ciglica, or “the little brick,” and the product developed into one of the most recognizable Franck offerings. Franck also sells instant coffee and cappuccino products under the Franck Café name, including classic, flavored, reduced-sugar and decaffeinated variants, as well as instant blends such as 2-in-1, 3-in-1 and iced coffee formats. Tea is the other major pillar of the portfolio. Franck offers black, green, yellow, fruit and herbal teas, together with lines directed at particular occasions, age groups or consumption rituals. Its fruit-tea activity includes filter-bag products, while later innovations included Coolup!, a tea-based drink designed to be prepared with cold water. The company has also supplied premium tea and coffee products to the HoReCa sector, where selected products are positioned for cafés, restaurants and hotels rather than general retail. The company expanded beyond beverages into snacks and selected pantry products. In 2015, Franck and Intersnack established Adria Snack Company Ltd., a Zagreb-based joint venture focused on the production and distribution of salty snacks. The venture's portfolio included brands such as Čipi čips, Kroki kroket, Tip-top, Chio, Kelly's, funny-frisch and Pom Bar, together with nuts and other snack products. Franck exited the snacks business in 2018 by selling its entire stake in that category to Intersnack. This marked a clearer concentration on coffee, tea and adjacent grocery products. Franck was privatized in 1992 and subsequently undertook modernization and product development intended to adapt its historically established brand to changing consumer habits. Examples include Crema coffee, cold-preparation tea, flavored cappuccino and expanding instant beverage formats. The company has also maintained a presence in products such as spices, powdered sugar, semolina, polenta, sodium bicarbonate, hot-chocolate mixes and coffee substitutes. Its market identity combines heritage, mass-market familiarity and practical preparation formats, with Jubilarna serving as the strongest emblem of its Croatian consumer recognition.

Franck's history in Croatia begins in 1892, when the business operated as part of Heinrich Franck Söhne. The German parent organization had begun operating in 1883, and its Croatian activity developed within the broader Central European tradition of producing coffee substitutes. Before the Second World War, substitute coffee was a major part of Franck's manufacturing identity. The company later evolved beyond that original category as consumer demand and food-processing technology changed. During the second half of the twentieth century, Franck expanded its portfolio into conventional coffee, tea and a growing selection of grocery products. This development transformed the company from a substitute-coffee producer into a broad food-and-beverage supplier. Coffee became its principal consumer-facing category, while tea provided a second major platform. The company also developed products for instant preparation, flavored hot drinks and the hospitality trade. Its products were increasingly designed around convenience as well as traditional preparation methods. A defining moment in Franck's brand history came in 1972 with the launch of Jubilarna ground coffee. The product's red, square, vacuum-packed package became widely recognized and earned the popular nickname Ciglica, meaning “little brick.” Jubilarna subsequently became a key symbol of Franck's Croatian market presence. In tea, the company introduced fruit tea in filter bags in 1991, adding a format that supported convenient home preparation. Franck was privatized in 1992. Following privatization, it pursued modernization and product development while retaining its established Croatian identity. Its later innovations included flavored Franck Café cappuccinos, instant coffee formats, Franck Crema, and products adapted to newer preparation habits. In 2015, Franck introduced Crema ground coffee and Coolup!, a tea-based beverage intended to be prepared with cold water. The company also introduced or expanded premium products for the HoReCa channel, including Superiore Tea and espresso offerings. The company diversified into salty snacks through a 2015 partnership with Intersnack. The partners created Adria Snack Company Ltd. in Zagreb to produce and distribute a portfolio that included Čipi čips, Kroki kroket, Tip-top, nuts and Intersnack brands such as Chio, Kelly's, funny-frisch and Pom Bar. Franck later changed course: in 2018 it sold its entire snack category to Intersnack and withdrew from that business. This decision left coffee, tea, instant beverages and selected pantry products as the core of its activity. Franck's current historical significance rests on the combination of local Croatian recognition and a long manufacturing lineage. Its portfolio spans traditional ground coffee, instant beverages, tea, hot chocolate, substitutes, spices and basic pantry ingredients. The brand's development illustrates a shift from nineteenth-century coffee-substitute production toward a modern branded consumer-goods business, while Jubilarna continues to connect contemporary products with Franck's strongest legacy.

• 2018

  Exit from snacks

  [1]Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Franck sells its entire snack category to Intersnack and withdraws from the business.

• 2015

  Crema and Coolup! introduced

  [1]Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Franck expands its beverage range with Crema ground coffee and Coolup! cold-preparation tea.

• 2015

  Adria Snack Company founded

  [1]Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Franck and Intersnack create a joint venture for salty-snack production and distribution.

• 1992

  Privatization

  [1]Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Franck is privatized and begins a modernization and innovation program.

• 1991

  Fruit tea in filter bags

  [1]Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Franck launches fruit tea in filter-bag packaging.

• 1972

  Jubilarna coffee is introduced

  [1]Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Franck begins producing Jubilarna, the ground coffee later popularly known for its brick-shaped red package.

• 1892

  Franck activity begins in Croatia

  [1]Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Franck is established in Croatia as part of Heinrich Franck Söhne's operations.

• 1883

  Heinrich Franck Söhne begins operations

  [1]Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The German company associated with Franck's later Croatian activity begins operating.

A Croatian heritage food-and-beverage brand centered on accessible coffee and tea, combining familiar mass-market products with convenience formats, flavored beverages, premium hospitality offerings and selective product innovation.

• Ground coffee · 1972

  Franck Jubilarna

  Jubilarna is Franck's best-known ground-coffee line and has been produced since 1972. Its vacuum-packed red package is compact and square, leading consumers to call it Ciglica, or “the little brick.” The product represents Franck's strongest link between long-term Croatian market recognition and everyday coffee consumption.

• Ground coffee · 2015

  Franck Crema

  Franck Crema is a ground-coffee product introduced as part of the company's later innovation program. It is positioned around flexible preparation: the coffee can be prepared in a way associated with instant convenience as well as through regular coffee preparation. The line illustrates Franck's effort to bridge traditional ground coffee and faster preparation habits.

• Instant coffee and cappuccino

  Franck Café

  Franck Café combines instant coffee, cappuccino and powdered beverage formats. Its range includes classic, vanilla, chocolate, Irish cream, coconut, white chocolate, Jaffa, reduced-sugar and decaffeinated cappuccinos, alongside classic, gold and decaffeinated instant coffee. The portfolio also includes 2-in-1, 3-in-1, cocoa and iced-coffee blends, as well as child-oriented hot drinks such as Bananaccino and Jagodaccino.

• Tea

  Franck Tea

  Franck's tea portfolio covers black, green, yellow, fruit and herbal teas. Sub-lines include Voćni+Moćni fruit teas, Trag prirode herbal teas, Fora products aimed at children and Ritual products organized around time of day or occasion. The range also includes Coolup!, a tea-based drink designed for preparation with cold water, and premium Superiore Tea products for the HoReCa channel.

• Ground coffee

  Franck 100% Arabica

  The 100% Arabica range extends Franck's ground-coffee offering beyond its mainstream blends. It includes a standard Arabica product and a hazelnut-chocolate variant, alongside premium single-origin coffees identified with origins such as Costa Rica and Guatemala.

• Hospitality coffee and tea

  Franck HoReCa products

  Franck supplies products developed for hotels, restaurants and cafés, including Superiore Tea, Stretto and Superiore espresso, as well as Classic and Bonus espresso brands. These offerings are associated with professional preparation and are not necessarily distributed through the ordinary retail assortment.

• 2014CROmpiri

  Croatia

  Franck's Čipi Čips campaign used the CROmpiri concept to promote the snack brand and received the Grand Prix and a Gold Effie in the food category.

  Outcome. The campaign won the Grand Prix and Gold Effie in the food category.

  Source
• 2014Get creative

  Croatia

  The campaign promoted Franck Café Cappuccino and emphasized the variety and creative possibilities of flavored instant cappuccino products.

  Outcome. It received a Silver Effie in the drinks category.

  Source

• 2018

  Withdrawal from the snacks businessStrategy

  Background

  After participating in Adria Snack Company, Franck reassessed its portfolio and business focus.

  Action taken

  Franck sold its entire snack category to Intersnack and withdrew from snacks.

  Aftermath

  The company concentrated more clearly on coffee, tea and related grocery products.

  Source

• 2015

  Launch of Crema and Coolup!Product launch

  Background

  Franck was expanding beyond traditional preparation formats and seeking product innovations in coffee and tea.

  Action taken

  The company introduced Crema ground coffee and Coolup!, a tea-based drink designed to be prepared with cold water.

  Aftermath

  The launches broadened Franck's convenience-oriented beverage portfolio.

  Source

• 2015

  Formation of Adria Snack CompanyM&A

  Background

  Franck sought a long-term strategy in salty snacks and partnered with international snack producer Intersnack.

  Action taken

  The partners established Adria Snack Company Ltd. in Zagreb for snack production and distribution.

  Aftermath

  The venture brought Franck and Intersnack brands into a shared regional snack operation before Franck later exited the category.

  Source

1. 1Franck (company)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Franck official websitefranck.hr