ALUMNI SUCCESS

Marko Sučić
RIT Croatia Class of 2004
Tourism, Hospitality and Service Management

Employer: Societe Generale - Splitska Banka d.d.
Job title: Product and Service Manager
Additional position: Co-Owner of Wine and Cheese bar Paradox

Zoran Pejović
RIT Croatia Class of 2004
Tourism, Hospitality and Service Management

Employment: Manager & Co-Owner of Wine & Cheese Bar Paradox

The idea behind the Wine & Cheese bar Paradox in Split, which has been open for less than four months now, was born almost a decade ago. Well, not exactly the idea for the bar per se, but it was about that time, while working on our senior projects at RIT Croatia, that Marko and I decided that sooner or later we would start a business together. However, after gradation we went our separate ways. Marko started his career in the banking industry while I stayed in the hospitality industry working my way up in the luxury resorts across the world from the U.S. and China back to Montenegro and all seven seas.

Approximately a year ago we decided it was about time that we went into business for ourselves and started doing a little research of the Split food & beverage scene. Our aim was to create something small that would still make an impact on the dining scene in Split. Slowly the idea of wine & cheese bar started taking shape on paper. Several weeks later, with the business plan and feasibility study in one hand and design plans and layouts in the other we went to Zagrebačka Banka to ask for a loan. It took us almost eight months from the moment we signed the lease agreement until we opened the doors of our bar.

We opened after an almost two-month delay from the original plan and despite the fact that we opened already very well into the season we managed to attract a lot of media attention. There were covers and stories about Paradox published in Jutarnji List, Slobodna Dalmacija, Magazin Aktual as well as on online media such are Index.hr, Gastro.hr, Gastronomika. hr and so on. We are even more proud of the guest recognition that we have received over the past couple of months. According to reviews and comments on TripAdvisor we have been rated as the best restaurants in Split, Dalmatia and Croatia for the past three months.

What we do is actually very simple. After several months of extensive research and visits to wine & food fairs, cheese makers and winemakers we have made a selection of almost 100 wine labels as well as 20 cheeses. Our aim is to present the best of what Croatia has to offer in terms of wines and cheeses to both tourists and locals alike in a nice setting with professional but friendly service.