With his many boxing trophies, Mohawk-stripe haircut and occasional inclination for philosophising, Željko Mavrović is no ordinary farmer. Yet he is likely Croatia’s most famous one. In early 2010, he received a commendation for his work by Bill Gates, as the Croatian press reported fondly. A Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded project by the Wallace Center at Winrock International listed Mavrović’s eco-estate among 24 best eco-ethno practices in food production globally. It was the only one in Europe, Croatian press underscored.
Founded in 2000, the Mavrović eco-business venture supplies organic bread to a large part of Croatia. Its many other organic grain and meet products are also widely known in the country. The rise of the culture of organic food consumption in Croatia is often connected to Željko Mavrović’s name. With around 450 hectares, the Eko-Mavrović estate in the village of Sloboština in the Požega valley is the largest eco-estate in Croatia and one of the largest in Europe.
Mavrović was recently elected President of the Croatian Villager’s Union. A local NGO also awarded him the title of the most creative manager in Croatia. In 2004, the Croatian Ministry of Environment awarded Eko-Mavrović for its special contribution to environmental protection. Mavrović’s donations have made it possible to construct a facility for drug addicts in the community of Orle, near Velika Gorica. Once cured, substance abuse patients are also given a job and a chance for reintegration in one of his companies.
This is enough of achievement to cause awe and admiration. Yet, it is not even half of the story. Željko Mavrović helped build the drug users’ centre by donating his boxing trophies, some of which belong to the most precious awards in the history of Croatian sports. From 1995 to 1997, he held the title of European heavy weight champion, defending it against seven opponents. In 1998, he lost the world championship to Lennox Lewis in the 12th round. Some said his defeat was due to his no-meat diet. By that time he was already fascinated by healthy nutrition.
After the end of his starlit boxing career, he re-emerged as an innovative social entrepreneur who dedicated himself to promoting eco-farming, care for the land and the environment, and healthy living in harmony with nature. The Mavrović Eko-Centre runs educational programs, does research, organises promotional events, all of them furthering the mission to “create a better world inhabited by people who are aware of their need for peace, health, and balance... a world in which the production of food is based on environmental principles and standards.”
Regular events organised by the Eko-Centre include an annual Pumpkin Festival [Bundevijada], and global tributes such as the World Health Day, Earth Day, or International Day of Biodiversity. The Eko-Centre started the Pumpkin Festival in 2004 in order to give producers the opportunity to present their products to the wider public. One part of the festival is dedicated to producers and their methods of growing, aiming to diffuse the knowledge about squash cultivation. The other part aims to popularise the pumpkin as a healthy, nutritional product to the general public.
“Eco-farming is not just digging the soil the old way but also a combination of knowledge and modern technology”, Mavrović has been quoted saying.
The Mavrović Eko-Centre also hosts a park of domestic animals. The estate started breeding the Croatian black pig in 2007, and expanded to calf a year later. In 2008 the Mavrović group also started the production of eco-meat products, among which the famous eco-kulen, a type of flavoured sausage made of minced pork.
The Eko-Centre also runs research. Part of it focuses on the development of solutions for small eco-estates; the others explore different eco-farming techniques. The Centre has an experimental garden which has reached 10,000 m2 over the years. It even hosts a seeds bank. The bank welcomes seeds from people who want to preserve or share a certain plant, and it also gives high quality seeds to people who want to plant them in their gardens.
