On the slopes of Maljen and Povlen mountains and the source of Skrapež and Kladoroba rivers, the town of Kosjerić and the once-famous cellar of the Povlen brandy, the present-day Zarić Distillery, are located. A legend says that the place was named after Antonije Kosijer, a settler from the village of Kosjeri in Montenegro, who settled here with his three sons. After that, with the arrival of several more families, the settlement slowly began to emerge in the late 18th century, and it was granted the status of a town in 1966. This area has always been of interest to tourists because of its villages and hamlets scattered throughout tame valleys, on mountain rivers and slopes of Maljen and Povlen mountains. Clean air, the dynamic landscape and the varied climate attracted people from major city centres to rest in unspoiled nature.
Kosjerić region has a very long fruit tradition, and it is the region with fruit quality well-known outside the borders of former Yugoslavia. Due to suitable climatic conditions, soil composition and altitude, local plum seedlings, first of all, the sorts of “Požegača”, “Trnovača” and “Ranka”, then pears, apples and raspberries, have always been highly appreciated. Although fruit production has declined dramatically over the last two decades due to the problem of low prices, things are changing now. Thanks to the renovation of the brandy cellar, this fruit-growing area not only revived but also significantly increased the number of fruit plantations. Today more than 1,500 households are renovating and expanding their plantations for the needs of Zarić Distillery.
Given the new stage in the economic development that began with the investment in brandy distillery, local municipal authorities stimulated the purchase of seedlings with a unique program for fruit growers, defining a strategy for further development of fruit growing in this area, for a known and stable buyer, Zarić Distillery. The Zarić family completely reconstructed, and technologically upgraded the old cellar, making it capable of producing top quality brandy, especially plum brandy with a protected geographical origin, and high-quality raspberry brandy.
