Vel Pitar puts 1.5m euros into sliced bread

Milling and bakery company Vel Pitar has completed a 1.5 million-euro investment at its Berceni-Bucharest facility, resulting in a new line that will make sliced and packaged bread. “The packaged bread market is particularly vigorous at the moment, even though it still accounts for very little, a mere 10%, of the total bread market,” says Dan Trifu, vice-president of Vel Pitar’s Strategy-Finance Department. “Sliced bread was not made using modern methods until now. As soon as it was baked, it was left to cool and then packed. Once this new line has been introduced, we will be capable of controlling every single production process, cooling included, which is done by special equipment,” Trifu explained. Trifu stated that Romania was unlike Europe in terms of market shares and prices of sliced and traditional bread. “Sliced bread accounts for 60%-70% of total sales in Europe and costs less than traditional bread, but things are completely different in Romania. I think it will change in three or four years,” Trifu said. ZF