Vinkovci Native Fran Luburić Develops Croatia's First Ice Cream Vending Machine
From a 15-year-old waiter to an entrepreneur whose machines are bought from Dalmatia to Rijeka, the 27-year-old plans to enter the European market.
From a 15-year-old waiter to an entrepreneur whose machines are bought from Dalmatia to Rijeka, the 27-year-old plans to enter the European market.
This week's SiB.hr Sunday series "Entrepreneurs in Slavonia and Baranja" brings the story of 27-year-old Fran Luburić from Vinkovci, who has been in the hospitality industry since an early age and now stands behind Croatia's first ice cream vending machine. His company, Lux Cream, founded two years ago, is the result of four years of development that began in the family garage.
Luburić has been in hospitality since he was 15, when he started working as a waiter. Alongside his father, Vatroslav, he developed a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility, and the family has nurtured its tourism roots for a hundred years. He graduated from the School of Economics and Trade in Vinkovci and studied tourism in Zagreb for three years, but hands-on work always appealed to him more than the classroom.
"I started from the most basic jobs, working as a waiter at the age of 15, and I believe that is a huge advantage today because I know what the job looks like from the perspective of every employee," Fran Luburić told SiB.hr.
Today, together with his father and sister Ira, he runs two hospitality venues in his hometown of Vinkovci: Restaurant Lu and Excellent Pub. As he points out, when selecting employees, character has always been more important to him than experience.
"I always say it's easier to teach someone the job than to teach them how to be a good person. When people work in good relationships, the guests ultimately feel it," Luburić explains.
In parallel with hospitality, two years ago he decided to found Lux Cream, a company for the development, production, and wholesale of automated ice cream machines. His friend and business partner Filip Fuzy helps with development, while Antun Svetić was in charge of the software solution.
The initial idea was to import ready-made machines and place them at their own locations, but he soon realized that the available models were not of sufficient quality. Instead of giving up, the team set out to develop their own product.
"Although the company is young, it has four years of development behind it. We sold a lot of ice cream, but honestly, more than the numbers, I remember the sleepless nights in my grandfather's garage, where we started developing the whole story. Back then, every problem we solved felt like a bigger victory than any sale," Luburić recalls.
The machines stood at various locations in Vinkovci and Osijek for just over two years, including Portanova, STUC, Retail Park Gacka, and Trg Ivana Pavla II near Osijek's Co-Cathedral, available to citizens 24/7. However, since this year, the focus has been exclusively on wholesale.
Interest in the machines is coming from all over Croatia.
"Our customers come from all over Croatia, from Dalmatia, through Split, Omiš, and Baška Voda, all the way to Zadar and Rijeka. This year, we sold every machine we produced, which confirms that we put those four years of development to good use," Luburić notes for SiB.hr.
A project to build a business facility that will consolidate operations is also underway, and future plans include entering the European market. Luburić believes the product they developed has great potential and is quite rare on the market.
His advice to young entrepreneurs is to be persistent and fair to people.
"I would say be persistent. So persistent that others sometimes think you're a little crazy. Most success doesn't come overnight, but after many attempts, mistakes, and sacrifices. And perhaps most importantly, be fair to people. Business is built over years, but reputation can be lost in a single day," he concludes.
