CrisTim goes after 5% of the pate market

The marketing manager of CrisTim says that, following an investment of approximately 2 million euros in a production line for canned pate, the company will reach a 5% market share by 2007.
“We are not aggressive in the media, we are not interested in having commercials on TV because this would mean major investments, which are useless so long as we want to be a strategic player,” says Cristian Ungureanu.
CrisTim entered the canned pate market in mid August, after it had invested 2 million euros in a production line at its factory based in Filipestii de Padure. The company can produce 10 tonnes of cans in 24 hours, however, only 25% of this capacity is being utilised at the moment.
“Unless we reach full capacity, the investment cannot be maximised. Our interest is to reach the targeted share, but nothing more. We focus on charcuterie,” says Ungureanu.
CrisTim’s marketing manager says the decision to enter the pate market was made two years ago. “We thought it was an interesting market and we started producing pate,” he adds.
Ungureanu says the pate market is very competitive, but there are fewer producers than in the charcuterie industry, where competition is much fiercer. “This is a market that has consumers who are loyal to Romanian brands,” he says.
The most important players on the market are Scandia Sibiu, Ardealul (owned by Orkla Foods Romania), Antrefrig, Hame and Glina.
According to CrisTim’s marketing manager, the decision to enter this market also derived from the need to complete the group’s product portfolio.
“We have a variety of grocery products, from tomato paste and spices to mustard and honey, some are produced by us, while others are produced by partners manufacturing for the CrisTim brand.”