About us
Beginnings and development of OPG Ćorić from the early beginnings in 2004 until today. A family business with an unchanged idea of offering high quality products.
In the beginning, you could find us at agricultural markets, fairs of natural products, city festivals and exhibitions. A flower stand full of lavender and mysterious creams and potions attracted more and more attention from nature lovers. The feelings and memories of the childhood of our parents, grandparents would come back to life when you touch, taste and smell our products. From disbelief to curiosity, people began to join this unimaginable undertaking when they were convinced that we will not disappear, but fight, develop and we grow. Many farmers have become suppliers - flowers, wild herbs, honey, beeswax, oils and even goat's milk have found their way into our workshop to be turned into healing ointments, aromatic pillows and soothing royal soaps.
INTRODUCTION
Loyal and satisfied users like you have recognized our efforts from the very beginning. It is naturally simple, clean and forms part of the local culture all around us. Like your favorite creations today - pure natural handmade soaps, pure body balms, salves, pomades, body oils, essential oils and aromatherapy sachets you can trust and be sure you know what you're putting on your skin and in your home.
I'm Daniel. My dream was to bring the luxurious imperial lifestyle of the old days back into the lives of our families, friends and people who told me endless stories about recipes and enchanting folk preparations. Creations left to us as a legacy from the ancient empires that ruled our enchanting lands for centuries.
You have recognized the passion, love and connection embedded in every product that comes from our workshop. Without it, it would not be possible to bring back to life traditional old recipes, almost forgotten in the chests and drawers of our grandmothers. Now these recipes provide stunning products of the old royal style to loyal customers across Europe and even as far afield as Japan, China and the USA.
Today, we are proud to be one of the initiators of changes in natural agriculture in Croatia and the region. Our energy and organic lavender cultivation have helped many to revive the old estates of their ancestors - in harmony with nature.
Many clients like you have found that our products have helped them look better and live better lives, whether through aromatherapy or using natural skin care based on folk medicine.
So how did it all happen?
Family history
The region of central Croatia was a historical intersection of ancient empires. The Greeks, the Roman Empire, the Venetian Republic, the Austrian Empire, the Napoleonic Empire and the Ottoman Turkish Empire ruled there. All of them fought for our beautiful countries and left a trace of their knowledge and culture. Imperial merchants traded exotic luxury oils, spices and silk through the towns of Kostajnica and Petrinja, and sent them on to the rich aristocracy of Rome, Paris and London.
Napoleon and his generals designed our cities, enriched the culture and brought manufacturing to the region. Soap workshops occupied the whole neighborhood in my town Petrinja. People made their own soaps and balms in their homes and used folk medicinal knowledge combined with new exotic ingredients. Grandparents still remember their parents' stories about how life was under the extravagant kingdoms of the Austrian and Napoleonic empires. My grandmother, who still remembers the old life and traditions, was the first adviser on how to make the real natural soap you see now.
From an idea to global markets
A large part of the family land stood unused in a picturesque valley surrounded by forests, hills and small streams. In the center was the abandoned farm where my father was born. The perfect place to start turning your dream into reality. It sounded so mystical and magical that I spent many months reading all available materials, ordering books from abroad and talking to elders in the family in order to gain real knowledge about the ancient skills of folk medicine.
By studying works from the early and mid-20th century and articles written by royal historians, monks and priests of small villages around the country, an idea was formed about which way to go. The smell of yellow old paper soaked in time and the hot summer wind whispered the recipes. It was about time.
In one of these documents, the priest advised how to grow medicinal plants for the extraction of essential oils and the production of natural ointments and tonics. Studying business management at that time, my group had to create a business plan and decided to use the idea of a lavender farm and a cosmetic workshop. Somehow, someone else got hold of that plan and submitted it to a state-sponsored competition that won the best business plan award. The surprise was huge.
That's the answer to one of the most common questions we've heard: how did you decide on such a job?
Humble beginnings
WHO - family business: father, mother, son, daughter, relatives, neighbors. Very modest in the beginning and optimistic in the present, flexible, we employ people, not machines. We help families, neighbors and customers, not shareholders.
WHERE - Everything you can see on our product list is made either on our farm in central Croatia or in the workshop next to our house. From our family to you. From Croatia with love. Very proud people from a small and proud country bathed in the sun and the Mediterranean Sea in the southeast of the great and incredible Europe.
WHEN - From 2004 until now. We revive old recipes and share our passion for all natural preparations with you.
When it came time to roll up my sleeves, plant lavender farms and research how to bring vintage creams, soaps and lotions to life, one thing was for sure - it wasn't easy. While we were fighting red tape, shady suppliers and vendors, the neighbors wondered what we were doing... Building a specialized organic lavender farm with a workshop for natural wellness products was funny to them. Some were counting the days before we go bankrupt.
Small steps
In the beginning, you could find us at agricultural markets, fairs of natural products, city festivals and exhibitions. A flower stand full of lavender and mysterious creams and potions attracted more and more attention from nature lovers. The feelings and memories of the childhood of our parents, grandparents would come back to life when you touch, taste and smell our products.
From disbelief to curiosity, people began to join this unimaginable enterprise when they were convinced that we will not disappear, but fight, develop and grow. Many farmers have become suppliers - flowers, wild herbs, honey, beeswax, oils and even goat's milk have found their way into our workshop to be turned into healing ointments, aromatic pillows and soothing royal soaps.
Why choose us?
Because by that choice you are supporting products that really work and help, products that are made from carefully selected natural ingredients, a factory made up of family members and neighbors, a place that is recovering from a long period of neglect and a hard life. Each soap is a collection of ancient knowledge mixed by the hands of hardworking parents, sons, sisters and brothers.
Each cream contains many more precious oils and hundredweights than you might imagine. Because we respect you, if you choose our body butter, it will contain about 60% cocoa and shea butter. Balm and pomades for the skin contain pure beeswax, cocoa butter, Shea butter and olive oil up to 80% of the total content, while imperial soaps contain at least 50% olive oil while the rest is made up of coconut and palm oils, enriched with genuine essential oils. Your body will recognize the power of rich natural nutrients if you give it a chance.
The products you see have been tested on family and friends. And they work because of our respect for natural elements and the ancient wisdom that created them. Thousands of our followers, people like you, trust us to take care of them as we would take care of ourselves.