Married Couple from Radešić Wins Market with Award-Winning Štrukli
Ružica and Josip Šafranec from OPG Vrata Zagorja handcraft delicacies that won gold at a world competition, and now customers at the Varaždin market regularly seek them out.
Ružica and Josip Šafranec from OPG Vrata Zagorja handcraft delicacies that won gold at a world competition, and now customers at the Varaždin market regularly seek them out.
At the Varaždin market, among an abundance of fresh produce, a special place is held by the kiosk of a married couple from Radešić. Ružica and Josip Šafranec, owners of OPG Vrata Zagorja, handcraft štrukli with various savory and sweet fillings, homemade cornbread rolls, and gingerbread cookies. Their success story began spontaneously, out of love for tradition and good company.
Ružica has loved "working" with dough since she was a child, striving to make it as thin and delicate as possible. Since she and her husband are also poets, they organized poetry evenings on their terrace, preparing fine štrukli with various fillings and flavors for friends. It was these friends who encouraged them to turn their skill into a business.
"Since my husband and I are also poets and we organize poetry evenings on our terrace, we prepared fine štrukli for friends with all sorts of fillings and flavors, and actually our poet friends said, why don't you sell these. One friend said, just open a small stall in Varaždin, the whole world will buy from you," said Ružica, a štrukli producer and owner of OPG Vrata Zagorja.
The friend's advice proved prophetic. Last year, their hand-pulled štrukli and traditional gingerbread cookies won gold at the World Championship of Culinary Arts and Desserts in Tunisia. This international recognition confirmed the quality of their work, and Željka Vincek Strugar from the Varaždin City Market highlights that they are an ideal example of combining tradition into a successful and recognizable product.
A year ago, Ružica quit her job and founded the OPG, and her husband Josip, a retired Croatian war veteran, joined her in the business. They make and sell fresh delicacies at the market from Wednesday to Saturday. Their customers, like one local woman who says she simply cannot resist buying štrukli or a cornbread roll every time she comes to the market, regularly return.
The workday at the market is not easy. "Sometimes we're here as early as 4 a.m., sometimes at 7. Usually it's around 6 a.m. on average when we arrive, and if there's too much work, we have to come earlier and stay longer," explained Josip. Customers especially appreciate the štrukli for children, with cheese and apple, as one satisfied customer pointed out.
The couple doesn't just sell food; they also promote their region. Recently, they presented the market, the Varaždin region, and gastronomic heritage at the Lađa Marathon. They are also joyfully preparing for the upcoming Špancirfest, where they will certainly continue to delight visitors with their award-winning delicacies.
"They are an ideal example of how to combine tradition into a successful and recognizable product. Especially since their štrukli and gingerbread cookies are recognized and awarded not only locally but also have international recognition," emphasized Željka Vincek Strugar from the Varaždin City Market.
