“The increase in revenue is because of our actions to expand and consolidate the market and the good weather for ice cream sales last season,” said Ioan Istrate, who established the ice cream business more than two decades ago when the most important Romanian companies on this segment started.
Last year’s growth is higher than the company said it expected at the beginning of 2015, 10%.
The company sells ice cream, frozen vegetables (Maestro Alpin), frozen pastry (Romcherie), and has recently expanded into the fresh pastry segment (biscuits, pretzels, ladyfingers). Frozen vegetable and pastry accounted for about 15% of its revenue in 2015, while the ice cream accounted for the rest.
“Fresh pastry products are available in all types of stores, from traditional retailers to international chains.”
Alpin 57 Lux competes with RoStar, Alka, Croco and Mondelez on the EUR240 million biscuit market.
Ioan Istrate did not say in how many stores the pastry products were available, but according to the data previously provided by the company, Alpin 57 Lux is available in more than 20,000 stores.
The company wants to continue developing its products in 2016, Ioan Istrate said.
Its ice cream brands are Polar Autentic, Fulg de Nea, Alpin 57 Lux, Malgra and Transalpina. Rivals include Betty Ice, Kubo Ice Cream, Unilever and Nestle.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)