Costella water bottling plant sold to Croatia's Stanić Group for €7 million

Slovenian entrepreneur Joc Pečečnik, who bought the Costella water bottling company in late 2022 for roughly €2 million, has sold the business to the Croatian Stanić Group for €7 million. The transaction, reported to Slovenia’s Competition Protection Agency, includes a clause for an additional €3 million payment if Costella meets agreed performance targets.

Costella, owned through the company Nika Voda (100 % held by Kristjan Stanić), holds a valuable water‑extraction concession at Grgel near Kostel that runs until 2035 with possible extensions. After a decade of losses, the firm posted its first profit in 2023, with revenues rising to €1.96 million and net profit of €465 thousand, helped by new contracts with state commodity reserves. The sale also transfers the plant, its production facilities, and the concession to the Stanić family’s broader beverage empire.

The deal reflects a strategic partnership begun in early 2024 between Pečečnik and the Stanić Group, which already collaborates on the Zala water brand and has provided Costella with a €4 million loan for plant refurbishment.