Zlata Bartl
Croatia is known in the world for many things, and one of those things is perhaps unexpected at first glance. One Croatian product is on store shelves and in households across Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia, in more than 50 countries around the world. This Croatian product was produced in production facilities not only in Croatia, but also elsewhere in Europe, but also, for example, in the United States of America or Tanzania, and in Croatian-owned production facilities.
It’s about Vegeta. Vegeta is the most famous Croatian export product and one of the strongest Croatian brands, and the name behind it is the name of a woman who had a difficult life, but achieved extremely great successes. Zlata Bartl was the head of the Podravka development team and most responsible for the invention of Vegeta, which is why she earned the nickname “Aunt Vegeta”.
Zlata Bartl was born on February 20, 1920 in the town of Dolac near Travnik in today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina. She finished elementary and high school in Sarajevo, where she grew up, and as a member of the Croatian nation, she decided to enroll in college in Zagreb.
She entered the then Faculty of Arts and obtained the title of professor of chemistry, physics, mathematics and meteorology.
Her area of interest, as she herself said, was inorganic chemistry, but life led her in a different direction, so she accepted a job as a teacher at a school in Sarajevo, where she worked for a while, further improving her knowledge along the way.
Her youth was filled with many difficulties. In 1942, she took high school girls on a trip to Rome, and because of this, the post-war authorities in communist Yugoslavia sentenced her to eight years in prison. In prison, she contracted tuberculosis of the spine, a disease that followed her for the rest of her life, which is why she was released on parole after 15 months in prison. Also, as a young girl, she lost her fiance who died on the Bleiburg repatriations.
All these difficulties failed to break this strong and ambitious woman, with fragile health, but an indomitable spirit who was persistent in realizing her dreams. She achieved her greatest professional achievements while working in the company
Podravka from Koprivnica, where she encouraged the production of many products, such as soup from a bag, but Vegeta is certainly her life’s work.
The Zlata Bartl team designed Vegeta in 1958, and it began to be sold a year later.
More than 25,000 tons of Vegeta are sold annually, which is equal to the weight of about 180 blue whales, 3,500 African elephants or 2.5 Eiffel Towers. It is important to note here that one teaspoon of Vegeta contains approximately 3 grams.
To this day, this world-famous addition to dishes has undergone numerous variations, but the original flavor is still the most popular and is considered an indispensable part of every dish.
She is the recipient of many awards, she was awarded a high state award for exceptional scientific contribution, she is the recipient of several lifetime achievement awards, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce awarded her the Golden Kuna, and she became an honorary citizen of Koprivnica, the city where she achieved her greatest achievements. scientific achievements.
Zlata Bartl passed away after a long and serious illness on July 30, 2008 in Koprivnica and left behind, in addition to the legendary Vegeta, an inspiring life story and a message that can be a guide for new generations: “I wouldn’t change my life because I was always happy when I was creating something. I was a restless spirit, I liked to study a lot, read, study some things that were not in my field, even at the cost of not sleeping.”