Ice-cream maker Alpin sees 20% growth

Alpin 57 Lux, a company based in Alba Iulia and one of the main ice cream producers on the domestic market, estimates turnover to reach 10 million euros this year, an increase of 25% on 2005. It also announced 1.5 million-euro investments in boosting production capacity. “We concluded last year with nearly 8 million-euro turnover, more than 50% higher than in 2004, mainly because of the increase in production capacity and the launch of new brands,” general manager Ioan Istrate said. Istrate specified that Alpin”s production had gone up from 2,000 tonnes in 2004 to more than 3,000 tonnes last year. “The market is rising, a trend mainly sustained by the development of the major retail chains,” Istrate believes. Retail chains account for about 10% of the turnover of the company, while medium and small sized shops account for the bulk of its sales. Alpin officials say that sales cover some 70% of the country, with there being only one area where it does not have a presence yet, namely Moldova. ZF