Badel 1862

Badel 1862 is one of Croatia’s historic beverage companies, based in Zagreb, with a tradition dating back to 1862, when Franjo Pokorny took over a city beverage factory and founded his own distillery producing liqueurs, Croatian fruit spirits and vinegar. Pokorny is credited with creating Pelinkovac, whose products reached European markets and even the French imperial court of Napoleon III.

Throughout the 20th century, several historic Zagreb companies, such as Patria, Arko and Vinoprodukt, joined forces, culminating in 1991 in the creation of Badel 1862, which bears the year of its founding in its name. As early as 1867, the company had earned its first accolade, a silver medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Since 2018, Badel 1862 has been part of the Meteor group.

Alongside liqueurs and spirits, wine plays a leading role. The Korlat project, launched with the 2004 plantings, is located in the Benkovac-Stankovac winegrowing area, in the Dalmatian hinterland: vineyards overlooking the sea, between Ravni kotari and Bukovica, surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and rock, with intense sun and poor, wind-swept soils. This is where Korlat Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are produced, wines that have garnered recognition at international competitions such as Decanter, Vinitaly, in Paris and in Brussels.

The range also includes wines tied to other Croatian territories, such as Vezak Sauvignon and Graševina, Ivan Dolac barrique and Križevačka Graševina. The company also focuses on sustainability, with energy-efficiency measures and a 480 kW photovoltaic system on the roof of its Zagreb headquarters.

Over 160 years of history, major brands and wines that express the character of Dalmatia and continental Croatia make Badel 1862 a leading name in Croatian tradition.