Kekec auctioned off - for 220 thousand euros

Well-known trademarks sold off: Kekec for 220 thousand euros, MIP for a lousy 5400 euros

The Kekec pate Foto: MMC RTV SLO

An auction was held in Ljubljana today for four well-known trademarks of the bankrupt company Mesne Industrije Primorska. In the end everything was auctioned off, but only the brand of the Kekec pate spread was sold at a decent price. Kekec will now be marketed by a company from Murska Sobota.

Remember the times when we watched the commercials with the moustached man from the Primorska (coastal) region cutting slices of the Gorica Mortadella? Do you remember the Pomurka milk powder, or your school lunch breaks consisting of slices of bread with the Kekec pate spread over them?

All that was produced by Mesne Industrije Primorske (Meat Industries Primorska). All until the wild spirit of capitalism and social greed didn't send the company into bankruptcy, and 500 of its workers out on the street. All that remains now is the memory of the good old times and the four trademarks. Among them only one is still being used, the Kekec pate. The starting price was set at 100 thousand euros. Due a to a licence agreement the Osem company from Murska Sobota had a pre-emptive right at today's auction.

The Croatian Droga Kolinska company, owned by the Croatian group Atlantis, also showed interest for Kekec pate and everbody already saw the group as the auction's winner. However the head of the Osem company, Miroslav Fliser, was persistent enough and offered the highest price of 220 thousand euros. He also announced new investments. The production of Kekec will remain in Murska Sobota, but the company is preparing to build new production facilities. "The old ones are totally ruined," he stressed.

Mr. Fliser said that "Droga Kolinska tried to get involved in the whole story" only after the court approved for the sale to go ahead. According to Flisar, if Droga Kolinska had managed to buy the Kekec trademark today, then everything he had worked for would have been lost. "It's not only about the amount I've already invested in the licence, but also about the 20 people working in the production unit. I really wanted to buy the trademark and I would have fought for it to the end," stressed Flisar.

The rest was sold for a handful of euros... The Celjske Mesnine meat company bought the MIP meat brand for 5.400 euros and the Mortadella Gorica for 6.500 euros. The Ahac Company had to pay a total of 350 euros for the Pomurka trademark.

Marjan Vešligaj, Radio Slovenija; translated by K. J.