The story of Cojzla

The Cojzla Story

Cojzla was born from a personal story. When a family member was diagnosed with celiac disease, founder Igor Mihelič, a restaurateur with many years of experience in fine dining, including Michelin-starred restaurants, began exploring the world of gluten-free food more deeply. He quickly realized how difficult it was to find food that was not only safe and high-quality, but above all, truly delicious.

This led to the creation of Cojzla – a dedicated gluten-free restaurant. From the very beginning, we focused on foods that are often difficult for people with celiac disease to find or challenging to prepare at home – from 100% buckwheat fermented pancakes to burgers, wraps and pies.

The restaurant soon became our development laboratory as well. Direct interaction with our guests revealed one of the biggest needs in the gluten-free market – really good bread. This inspired us to develop Cojzla's gluten-free sourdough bread and our own recipes combining organic gluten-free ingredients with natural sourdough fermentation.

We then transformed the knowledge gained through years of development and real customer feedback into mixes that are easy to prepare at home. From bread, the range expanded to pancakes, pizza, sweet and savoury pastries. As Cojzla grew, we expanded the restaurant and moved our production and packing operations into larger, dedicated premises. Today, our products are available through both specialist and boutique retailers as well as major retail chains.

Now we are entering the next chapter – international expansion. With our participation at SIAL Paris 2026 and our planned presence at Anuga Cologne 2027, our goal is to bring Cojzla's organic gluten-free sourdough mixes beyond Slovenia and introduce them to international markets.

At the same time, we remain open to new ideas and partnerships. One of our future directions is the Cojzla franchise concept, which has the potential to be much more than just a restaurant – bringing together food service, our own products, retail and the development of new gluten-free solutions.

What began with a celiac disease diagnosis in our family is now growing into an international gluten-free story – without compromising on taste, quality or enjoyment.