What’s the location of the plant, when was it opened?
The ice-cream production facility, SNOWLION branch, is situated in Gornji Milanovac and is a part of Swisslion d.o.o., Belgrade.
It started to operate in April 2011 as a result of the implementation of the business vision of its owner, Mister Rodoljub Drašković, as a reflection of his wish to add ice creams to the existent range of products of Swisslion Takovo system. It was the largest greenfield investment in Serbia at the time, which, in turn, provided a modern production facility with the equipment of the most renowned global producers.
According to the data officially revealed in 2011, Snowlion was the largest plant in the Balkans, from the aspect of installed capacities. The monthly capacity of the installed finalisation facilities is 1,150 tons of ice-cream, while the installed pasteurisation capacity is 12,000 litres of ice-cram mixture per hour.
It is interesting, also that 50 % of the used raw materials are obtained from the plants of the system of which we are a part, with 80 % of it coming from Serbia.
Ice-cream and „EC” in cornet range, winter program
The range is based on the transfer of the well-known and established brands of the Swisslion confectionery range into the ice-cream production category, covering three groups:
- Impulse
- Family and
- HORECA ice-creams
Current range includes over 48 products made on four production lines.
Bearing in mind that ice-cream is a seasonal product, the production range of our company includes, also, two products which represent a part of the confectionery range – Eurocrem in cornet: “Eurocrem Mini Cornet” and “Eurokremić” (“Little Eurocrem”).
The winter range of the SNOWLION products includes fruits and vegetables, dough and breaded fish products.
Logistic-Distribution Centres
In the sweet story that hasn’t lasted long, one of preconditions for success is the prompt delivery or a well organised distribution network, for which reason, ahead of the start of the 2017 season, apart from the logistic-distribution centre, within the production plant in Gornji Milanovac, with the capacity of 2,700 pallets, two new distribution centres were opened as well: Novi Sad and Leskovac, for the needs of supplying the retail facilities of HDC Swisslion and customers in the regions of Vojvodina, Central, West and South Serbia, with which we made the SNOWLION ice-cream available to all categories of buyers and consumers.
Where are ice-creams exported?
The SNOWLION ice-cream production facility also possesses licences required for the export to EU members states and to states outside the EU and, as regards the activities in foreign markets, SNOWLION ice-creams are exported to the markets of BiH, Macedonia, Montenegro and France.
Concerning Serbian market, SNOWLION ice-crams in 2016 started to get the position which has been reserved for them in the domestic market from the very beginning, thanks to their quality and lovable tastes, attracting an increasing number of customers, who are glad to finally have the opportunity to choose a top quality domestic product – Serbian brand made in the heart of Šumadija – Swisslion’s SNOWLION ice-cream.
Which product sells the best?
Tastes are different, yet, in spite of that, it has been proven in the ice-cream category as well, that Eurocrem has a special position, thought the fruit ice-creams, as well as the family ice-creams take 70% of the overall sales of SNOWLION ice-creams in a season.