Plazma
Product typeBiscuit
OwnerBambi A.D.
Produced byBambi A.D.
CountrySerbia
Introduced1967 (1967)
MarketsSouth Europe
Previous ownersCoca-Cola HBC Serbia
TaglineAll you need (Serbian: Све што ти треба)
Websitewww.plazma.rs

Plazma (Serbian Cyrillic: Плазма) (/Plazma/) is a brand of soft biscuits owned by Bambi A.D. It was introduced in 1967 in Serbia as a cheaper and more widely available alternative to Plasmon, or a direct competitor to Petit Beurre made by Kraš.[ref 1][ref 2] It is also known as Lane in Western Europe and the Americas since the 1990s.

History

Following the acquisition of the Italian-based Plasmon Society by Heinz, mass layoffs occurred at the factories which operated at the time, with one of the workers laid-off, Petar Tutavac (1934–2022), deciding to return to his native hometown of Požarevac and setting in motion the foundation of the Serbian food company Bambi a.d. and the creation of its popular Plazma biscuits in 1967 and 1968 respectively, sold as Lane biscuits outside of former Yugoslavia to avoid further litigation from Heinz.[ref 1]

This origin story however has been disputed by Bambi's founder, Momčilo Filipović, who explained in an interview how Plazma's creation stemmed from his ambition to expand Leskovac’s wheat mill into biscuit production, an idea which was not met with much enthusiasm by the city, which wanted to develop its more traditional textiles industry instead. After acquiring the rights and technology from Italian producers after lengthy negotiations, Bambi was set up in Požarevac, and Tutovac, in actuality a master-baker from a small biscuit factory in Croatia, was brought on board, only to rise up to become the technical director.[ref 3]

Varieties

An image of Plazma Mlevena

There have been in total 20 Plazma varieties, of which 10 have been discontinued.[ref 4] [ref 5]

Plazma Varieties
NameDescriptionYear of releaseDiscontinued?
Plazma MlevenaGround biscuit variety of Plazma1998No
Čoko PlazmaSmaller Plazma half-coated in chocolate. Merged into Plazma Plus in 2018.2008Yes
Plazma Dobar StartPlazma cereal with chunks of dried fruit, advertised as a replacement for breakfast2009Yes
Plazma KeksićiSmall animal-shaped Plazma. Advertised towards children. Comes in chocolate and plain variety.2010Yes
Plazma PosnaPlazma Posna[expl 1] is Plazma which keeps the same taste without non-posno ingredients.2011No
Plazma DietPlazma with no sugar added2012No
Plazma XXLPlazma XXL is a singular, longer Plazma biscuit half-coated in chocolate2013No
Plazma 2 GoSmaller Plazma with no alternate varieties. Replaced with Plazma Mini in 2015.2013Yes
Plazma UživancijaA smaller pack of Plazma that contained 6 biscuits2013Yes
Plazma Milky SandwichPlazma Milky Sandwich is a sandwich-style cookie with milk in-between two Plazma cookies. It was created to mimic the widely popular way of eating Plazma with milk.[expl 2]2014Yes
Plazma Shake&GoPlazma Shake&Go is an instant drink powder, that when combined with water would make a milkshake that tastes like Plazma and milk. It was created to mimic the widely popular way of eating Plazma with milk.[expl 2]2014Yes
Plazma Plus (2014-2018)Plazma with added hazelnuts and grains. Merged with Čoko Plazma in 2018 to create the new Plazma Plus.2014Yes
Plazma MiniPlazma Mini is smaller Plazma, available as plain or Apricot with Yogurt.2015Yes
Plazma Mini MiniBite-sized Plazma with 3 alternative flavors: Chocolate, Banana, Strawberry-Milkshake, Tutti-frutti and the later discontinued Peanut.2016No
Plazma SlanaPlazma Slana is a Plazma biscuit with less sugar and increased salt, making it taste more like a cracker. It comes in 2 varieties: Regular and Cheese. It is advertised as a quick snack when you don't have the time to prepare a full meal.2017No
Plazma PlusPlazma Plus is smaller Plazma with increased flavor. It debuted with 3 varieties: Chocolate, Cappuccino, and Hazelnut. Caramel and Apricot with Yogurt would come afterwards.2018No
Plazma KidsSmall Plazma biscuits shaped like Paw Patrol characters, commonly advertised towards young children.2018Yes
Plazma KockaWafer with ground Plazma cream and walnuts, coated in chocolate and more walnuts2018No
Plazma SticksPlazma Sticks is a Plazma biscuit, in the shape of a stick, coated in chocolate, walnuts, and ground Plazma2020No
PlazMixPlazMix is Plazma chunks with raspberries/hazelnuts and dark chocolate. It is meant to be eaten as a cereal (mixed with milk) and is advertised as a replacement for breakfast.2021No
Zimska PlazmaA wintery version of Plazma that has a taste of vanilla and cinnamon. There is a chocolate variant.2023No
Plazma Od SrcaChocolate-covered Plazma heart treats. There are 2 flavors: Hazelnut and Orange. It is one of Plazma's latest inventions.2023No
Plazma KockicaChocolate-covered Plazma cubes, in both Original and White. Along with Plazma Od Srca, it has been recently introduced. This product is only available on markets called iDEA, Roda, and Merkator.2023No

Explanatory notes

  1. "Post" is a form of fasting in orthodox Christianity in which most non-vegan food is avoided, except for fish and honey. "Posno" foods accommodate that.
  2. 1 2 Due to its dry nature, it is widely popular to eat Plazma with milk

References

  1. 1 2 "Plazma keks, istorija njegovog nastanka će vas zaprepastiti", Dnevno.rs (2014), cited in "Istorija Bambijevog Plazma keksa", Edukacija.rs (2015)
  2. "Petar Tutavac, covek koji je napravio Plazma keks", RTV Biser (2020)
  3. Garčević, Srdjan (31 October 2020). "Treats and Tricks: A Brief History of Serbia's Favourite Sweets". The Nutshell Times. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  4. Plazma's official website
  5. Plazma's official website throughout the years (wayback machine). Bambi removed most of their less popular/discontinued products from the official website.
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