The halal certificate is a prerequisite for cooperation in certain markets.

Everything starts with education. We are invited to schools to show how we can all function together. Children who lived with children who consumed different diets will emerge as very tolerant businesspeople ready for cooperation, regardless of any worldview, and they will also be ready to think about what they can do to satisfy the target group in their environment, who will then become their clientele. In this way, we have a beneficial effect, and through halal diet, the world becomes more tolerant, emphasized Ljiljana Klinger, principal of Matija Gubec Elementary School in Zagreb, in an interview with PoslovniFM.

The Croatian business community has not yet widely recognized the halal certificate as added value, as a generator of numerous opportunities in business and in various activities. A more proactive approach to the market and presentation of numerous benefits is important, especially since in some markets the halal certificate is a prerequisite for cooperation, stated Violeta Pomahač, brand manager at Anamaria Company, and Goran Perčić, sales manager for the sports segment at Terme Sveti Martin, appearing on the unique podcast Halal Business Info, edited and hosted by Boris Živković.

Klinger, Pomahač, and Perčić, presenting the systems they come from, spoke in more detail about the halal certification process, the advantages it brought them, and the necessary changes in people's awareness, because the halal certificate, regardless of religious affiliation, is confirmation that food, for example, is controlled and healthy and contains no GMOs.

Ahead of the HALAL BUSINESS FORUM, in partnership with the Centre for Halal Quality Certification, Poslovni FM brings inspiring stories and conversations with Croatian entrepreneurs for whom halal has also brought new business opportunities.

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– At Terme Sveti Martin, which has held the certificate since 2017, we adapted to halal requirements, and this resulted in a noticeable increase in the number of sports teams, especially football teams from Asia, coming for training camps, and we expect this to continue in the coming years, emphasizes Perčić. Possessing a halal certificate is mandatory for all of them and an almost decisive factor when choosing a destination.

– The benefits of the certificate for Anamarija, a producer of coffee and coffee-based beverages, included expanding the end consumers in the Croatian market. In exports, we are in the process of launching certain business ventures, having achieved success in the regional markets of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro. We plan to expand further and truly utilize the halal certificate, which we have held since 2014, in the export segment as well, emphasizes Pomahač, adding that the halal certificate in the coffee industry, when talking about foreign markets, is actually a must-have, because manufacturers and exporters to foreign markets must have both halal and kosher certificates. She proudly states that they were the first company to display the halal certificate on coffee.

– If we respect health and societal openness, if we respect different dietary habits related to worldview and religious affiliation, then the halal certificate is a logical next step, emphasizes principal Klinger. She is not surprised that her elementary school is the only one in Croatia with a halal certificate because, she says, someone has to start, but she is surprised that they are the only such school in the region.

All emphasize that the education process went smoothly. Nothing was hectic, nor too long that they would lose their passion for implementation, it was said.

– The halal certificate is certainly well-known enough for those who are interested. It is a subspecialization, but there is room for learning what it actually is. What HACCP is in one part, halal is in another, and nothing is done that does not correspond to quality, high hygiene standards, and is oriented toward religiously based tradition. Everything that serves the preservation of health and hygiene is acceptable, emphasized Klinger.

Perčić added that halal food should be introduced in tourism regardless of guests from the Arab world, while Pomahač believes that in the coffee and coffee substitutes industry itself, all manufacturers should utilize the halal certificate to show and convey to the end consumer that they are purchasing a quality product.

Authors: Boris Živković and Darko Buković Photo: Darko Buković/PoslovniFM

A unique monthly show about the fastest-growing market in the world today – products and services with halal certification, prepared in cooperation with the Centre for Halal Quality Certification. Do you know which products and companies hold the halal certificate – check here.

Published March 17, 2023. All rights reserved PoslovniFM.

Bosna Bank International d.d. Sarajevo and the Centre for Halal Quality Certification, in cooperation with partners, invite the business community and entrepreneurs from Croatia to participate in the 3rd International Halal Industry Fair Sarajevo Halal Fair 2023, which will be held from May 17 to 19, 2023.

Sarajevo Halal Fair 2023 will be the largest halal industry fair in the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe, as part of which the International Congress on Halal Quality will also be held.

Taken from the PoslovniFM portal:  https://www.poslovnifm.com/podcast-emisija/mjesecne-emisije/halal-business-info/halal-2/