Zvonimir Bešlić
Episode · #534
PAMETNA HRVATSKA Zvonimir Bešlić
Guest Zvonimir BešlićHosted by Boris ŽivkovićMay 3, 2026
Zvonimir Bešlić
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation
The invisible forces that protect our food often come with visible environmental costs. For decades, agriculture has relied on chemical sprays to defend crops from pests and diseases. But what if the same sterilizing light used in operating rooms and food packaging plants could replace those chemicals in the field? Zvonimir Bešlić, co-founder of Food for People, is proving it can. His startup has adapted UV-C light technology to protect vineyards and orchards, aiming to deliver not just cleaner produce, but demonstrably better yields and quality. This conversation shows how established scientific principles, when applied to new domains with rigor, can reshape an entire industry.
Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
The UVC light technology Food for People uses to sterilize crops has been standard in operating rooms and food packaging for fifty years. When you're seeking to solve a complex problem, look first for established, high-reliability methods from adjacent industries that can be reapplied, rather than inventing from scratch.
02
UVC light doesn't kill pathogens; it sterilizes them by preventing reproduction. This subtle but crucial distinction means that unlike chemical sprays, which have strict waiting periods, the UV system can be applied repeatedly if needed, even just before harvest, offering greater flexibility in bad weather years.
03
Food for People's initial prototype for vineyards isn't a custom-engineered machine; it's UVC panels and a generator mounted on a standard car trailer, pulled by a tractor. The goal of early development isn't sleek design, but to validate the core mechanism with the fewest moving parts and the lowest barrier to field testing.
04
Food for People plans to test its technology for at least four years, across two distinct Croatian climates and aiming for a mix of wet and dry seasons. When your solution interacts directly with nature, you cannot compress the time it takes to gather sufficient data; only sustained, varied field trials will yield credible results.
05
Food for People is collaborating with prominent winemakers like Krauthaker and several agricultural universities, using their vineyards for trials. For new technologies, securing validation from respected academic partners and early adoption by industry leaders provides essential credibility and real-world data that no amount of self-promotion can replace.
06
Bešlić plans to offer the UV treatment as a service in the initial years, rather than selling the equipment outright. Until you can guarantee specific results and provide clear operating parameters, it is better to bear the risk and prove the technology's effectiveness through service delivery, building trust before asking customers to buy.
07
When asked by large producers for a guarantee of success, Bešlić candidly told them, 'We don't guarantee success, but we give you innovative technology. If it doesn't work at some point, feel free to use conventional methods.' For early-stage solutions, acknowledging the experimental nature and offering a low-commitment path is often more effective than an unsupportable promise.
08
European Union regulations mandate a 60% reduction in chemical pesticide use in vineyards by 2030. This kind of impending regulatory deadline transforms a niche innovation into a market imperative, creating a clear demand runway for solutions that align with future compliance.
09
In Professor Marko's vineyard, UVC treatment resulted in a 10% higher yield, 10% better quality grapes, increased polyphenols, and crucially, 'the wine is good.' The real market signal for a new agricultural technology isn't just a cleaner process, but measurable improvements in quantity, quality, and the ultimate consumer experience.