On June 17, 1925, my great-grandmother Ana Francović founded the company, which was dedicated to producing non-alcoholic beverages and Adria beer, which later became Dreher. Our company collaborated with this brewery, which was subsequently acquired by Heineken, until 2015, and we were the oldest distributors of this brand in Italy.
The company is named after the Frankovich family. The distribution of the products spread throughout the Karst region, even in those locations that are now part of Slovenia.
At that time there were no motorized vehicles, so you had to use horses. These horses would often return home without the coachman because he would linger in some tavern with his friends. With the advent of Fascism, the family surname and the company name were changed to Franco.
A few years before the outbreak of World War II, his grandfather took over the company, but only for a few years, because in 1945 he succumbed in an airstrike near Aurisina. From then on, until 1984, my father, Leopold (Levko), who was just 21 years old, was in charge of the company.
My father, in 1966,bought the land on which he and his wife Judita built today’s headquarters, which is 100 meters from the previous one.
There, they continued, until 1968,with the production of softdrinks: chiffon, which were then replaced by sparkling mineral water, and orange, raspberry, mint, moscatella, and glass bottled gazzosa with “psreta” bead.
With new competitors, companies like Fanta and San Pellegrino on the market, we were forced to abandon the production of our orange juice, because we could not be competitive. So we decided to become distributors of various types of beers and soft drinks.
I would also like to add that, from 1956 until today we collaborate continuously with the mineral water company Pejo.
In 1985,with my wife Mira, I took over the company in which I am still present, even if in retirement.
In 1999 my son Peter started working for the company: together we built the shed and bought two more trucks.
In 2018,I retired and left the company to Peter and my daughter Ivana, of which I am very proud, as I am the fifth generation committed to run this business.
I wish them every success for the future.
Franco Robert
