Heidi Chocolat to expand its business by 50 percent
October 01 2015
Franco del Fabbro, CEO of Heidi
Chocolat recently stated that the company plans to expand its
business by 50 percent, after already having made an investment of
seven million RON in order to build a new production section within
the Pantelimon factory.
The new section will be part of a 15 million RON investment and span about 1000 square meters according to Forbes Romania.
Julius Meinl, the owner of the two biggest chocolate factories in Romania Heidi and Kandia as well as the Austrian bank Meinl stated, according to the same source that Heidi is the “ story of a Romanian company, which, after 20 years, became an internationally recognized brand.”
The company was founded in 1944 by the Swiss Laderach family, owners of the Confiseur Laderach AG. Del Fabbro noted what the company's plans were. “ We want a 50 percent growth until 2020” he said.
Apparently one of the main ways to achieve growth for the company is exporting, as half of Heidi's production goes to 50 markets all over the world, with Great Britain, China, Poland and Canada as principal export markets.
According to Forbes Romania Heidi sells an annual 25 million chocolate tablets and has a seven percent market share of the tablet segment.
By 2020, however, it hopes to achieve a ten percent market share. Unfortunately, the chocolate production market has been facing several obstacles recently, one of which has been the raise in cocoa prices. This is why Heidi estimates a ten percent decrease in the Romanian cocoa market and a seven percent increase in the company's prices on chocolate.
Some suggest other problems yet to come for the industry, such as a shortfall in cocoa supply which can be traced back to a growing, even exaggerated, demand of the plant.
In comparison to neighboring EU countries, Romania's chocolate consumption level is quite low, 1, 4 kg according to Euromonitor 2013.
Romanians' preferences for chocolate are, however quite refined despite the fact that the product is not consumed in high quantities such as it is in other states.
The new section will be part of a 15 million RON investment and span about 1000 square meters according to Forbes Romania.
Julius Meinl, the owner of the two biggest chocolate factories in Romania Heidi and Kandia as well as the Austrian bank Meinl stated, according to the same source that Heidi is the “ story of a Romanian company, which, after 20 years, became an internationally recognized brand.”
The company was founded in 1944 by the Swiss Laderach family, owners of the Confiseur Laderach AG. Del Fabbro noted what the company's plans were. “ We want a 50 percent growth until 2020” he said.
Apparently one of the main ways to achieve growth for the company is exporting, as half of Heidi's production goes to 50 markets all over the world, with Great Britain, China, Poland and Canada as principal export markets.
According to Forbes Romania Heidi sells an annual 25 million chocolate tablets and has a seven percent market share of the tablet segment.
By 2020, however, it hopes to achieve a ten percent market share. Unfortunately, the chocolate production market has been facing several obstacles recently, one of which has been the raise in cocoa prices. This is why Heidi estimates a ten percent decrease in the Romanian cocoa market and a seven percent increase in the company's prices on chocolate.
Some suggest other problems yet to come for the industry, such as a shortfall in cocoa supply which can be traced back to a growing, even exaggerated, demand of the plant.
In comparison to neighboring EU countries, Romania's chocolate consumption level is quite low, 1, 4 kg according to Euromonitor 2013.
Romanians' preferences for chocolate are, however quite refined despite the fact that the product is not consumed in high quantities such as it is in other states.
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