Pangram in talks with German millers

Milling and bakery company Pangram SA Resita, owner of the Monte Banato pasta brand, is in advanced talks with one of Germany’s largest milling companies – Heyl Muhlen, to set up an agricultural holding in western Romania.

“I want to be part of this holding to acquire powerful partners and high-quality raw materials,” says Ioan Popa, main shareholder and chairman of Pangram.

German-based Heyl Muhlen is already operating on the Romanian market through Vital&Heyl SA, based in Timis County, where the majority stake is held by businessman Nicolae Mann. The Heyl Muhlen officials could not be contacted by press time.

Heyl Muhlen has recently merged with another two German milling companies – Rolandmuhle and Hovestadt&Munstermann, forming a group called Grain Millers, with annual sales in excess of 200 million euros.

Grain Milers operates in seven locations in Germany and processes more than one million tonnes of flour every year. Vital&Heyl logged 11m euros in turnover on the Romanian market in 2002. The company owns Moara Carani (Carani Mill), one of the biggest mills in the western area of the country, and has recently bought a 100,000-tonne grain storage.

According to Popa, the holding will purchase farming lands and agricultural equipment in the next few years. HeylMuhlen will buy a new mill this year, with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes of grain/daily.
stelian.negrea@zf.ro