Slovenia's Rastoder last week signed a co-operation deal worth €70m-€100m with Croatian food conglomerate Agrokor, according to the Slovenia Times.
According to Agrokor's CEO, Ivica Todorić, his company's agreement with the fruit and vegetables wholesaler is a result of its monitoring of Rastoder and the latter's quality work and products.
'The trial period, in which we examined not only its supply, but also the experience of its customers in other countries, has concluded with an excellent mark,' he said.
And further efforts to expand the business appear to be in the pipeline.
'There are more such companies in Slovenia and elsewhere in the region that we keep an eye on and whose products we intend to include in our system to further expand the offering to our customers,' said Todorić.
Agrokor is also reportedly in talks to take over Slovenia's biggest retailer, Mercator.
Rastoder's owner, Izet Rastoder, expressed satisfaction with the deal with Agrokor, thanking the Croatian group for recognising its quality.
'Such deals are a result of years of good work,' said Rastoder, adding that the anticipated tie-up between Agrokor and Mercator offered an excellent opportunity for Slovenian firms offering high-quality products.
Rastoder boasts one of the largest distribution centres in Europe, from which it sells a whole range of fresh produce to markets in central and eastern Europe.
According to the company, the deal makes it the third largest banana wholesaler in Europe and the fourth in the world.
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