Dr. Oetker Stories

It has to taste like homemade

Two decades of Dr. Oetker Serbia. In February 2021, our colleagues celebrated the birthday of their national company. What makes Dr. Oetker Serbia special? We'll tell you!

It has to taste like homemade

5.5.2022 Company and Culture

Ambient assortment is dominant in the Serbian portfolio while frozen assortment is important but makes small part of it. Why is it like that? Don't Serbs like pizza?

Serbien Dr. Oetker Ristorante

Dr. Oetker offers Ristorante Mozzarella, Quattro Formaggi and Pollo in Serbia.

Lots of competition for frozen pizza market

"Oh yes, they do," says Managing Director Sanjin Laganin, ‘but due to swine flu, we are not able to import pizzas with pork meat for more than two years, and we are currently trying to find a solution. So, at the moment, we offer Ristorante and Feliciana in varieties like
Mozzarella, Quattro Formaggi, and Pollo. Besides that, the frozen pizza market is small compared to RTE pizzas. "With bakeries, pizzerias and restaurants, we have a lot of competition that offers pizza everywhere at very reasonable prices," says Laganin. The Serbian market is also dominated by other manufacturers offering cheaper frozen pizzas. When shopping, the price is a key factor for consumers, and Ristorante and Feliciana are premium pizzas. Another key factor is the taste, of course. And that's what Laganin and his team of 200 employees rely on: Alternative flavors are expected to make the category even more attractive to consumers’ needs in the future.

Dr. Oetker Sanjin Laganin

Managing Director Sanjin Laganin: he spent 5 years at Dr Oetker Malaysia as an MD before returning to Dr. Oetker Serbia.

Market leader in cakes and desserts 

Dr. Oetker, on the other hand, is the market leader in almost all areas of the cake and dessert world. And in Serbia, it is indeed "one" world, because people here only know cake as a dessert. Brownies, cupcakes, various decorations, the classics Backin, vanillin sugar and dry yeast, pudding and tiramisu: the Dr. Oetker range for baking enthusiasts and connoisseurs of sweet and savory delicacies is large.


State-of-the-art production in Šimanovci

Dr. Oetker products are manufactured on state-of-the-art equipment that meets the very highest standards. The motivated team makes for impressive figures: "We produce over 100 different products under the Dr. Oetker brand and about 60 under the 'C' brand, of course, always in compliance with all implemented standards, policies and procedures ," says Marija Boljevic, Quality Control Team Leader.

The "C" stands for "Centroproizvod". When Dr. Oetker took over the then Serbian market leader of baking ingredients, desserts and frozen pizza in 2011, its products had been known for decades.

Creating a Taste of Home - Stvaramo ukus doma

"Our brand Dr. Oetker is always also about emotions. Our purpose, 'Creating a Taste of Home,' puts this into words and it also describes the Serbian mentality quite well. Family and our home mean everything to us. That's why the Purpose is so well received here." 

Maja Mrkalj, Human Resources Manager Dr. Oetker Serbia


Translating the "home-made taste" into recipes

What do Serbs generally like to eat? Well, people love pastry dishes in any form and at any time of day. When it comes to desserts, pudding is at the top of the list.

"Our range covers all consumer needs for the preparation of cakes and desserts. Consumers have been loyal to us for decades because they appreciate our products as being of high quality, easy to prepare and of course tasty." 

Jasmina Vucetić Tovilović, Product Manager

Tasty! For the Serbs, this means it should taste like homemade. For product development, this means transforming the 'homemade taste' into the recipe and creating a product that anyone can prepare easily and quickly. In the future, Dr. Oetker Serbia would like to further strengthen its position as a market leader by developing new cake and dessert categories. And of course, the same applies then: it has to taste like it was homemade.

For further information please contact us:

Christina Langner

Communication Expert Internal Media