All five are held by foreign giants but were at one time – some of them at least, Romanian-owned. For instance, Albalact and Covalact are now owned by France’s Lactalis, which bought them from Romanian shareholders.
“Despite the leading five players being under international ownership, they operate from domestic production facilities.”
Some of the most powerful brands owned by these giants are local – Zuzu (Lactalis – Albalact), Napolact (FrieslandCampina) and Covalact de Tara (Covalact – Lactalis).
Dairy and food industry businesses for that matter own plants in the countries they operate considering the products come with a short shelf life. However, the number of dairy plants has been dwindling in Romania in the past few years, with actors like Lactalis consolidating production in certain facilities.
Danone is the leader of the yogurt and sour milk product market in Romania, Euromonitor says.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)