Production Units
Vel Pitar Ramnicu Valcea
In December 2001, Mopariv S.A. combined the companies Berceni S.A., in Bucharest, and Granpan S.R.L., in Tecuci, emerging with the name S.C. Vel Pitar S.A. Ramnicu Valcea.
The Ramnicu Valcea headquarters is the registered office of the company Vel Pitar S.A., and it operates two factories, one each in the cities of Ramnicu Valcea and Bals. Development of this distribution network has led to the coverage of large geographic areas (Valcea, Dolj, Olt and Sibiu counties), and has made Vel Pitar the market leader.
The factory in Ramnicu Valcea was updated through investment in new, automated production lines. This led to an expansion of the range of products manufactured in Valcea, and, in turn, to the satisfaction of a consumer demand for quality products. Investments in baking processes, which concentrated on guaranteeing product quality and food safety, resulted in improvements in food quality and an increased consistency in the production process, which is now controlled at all stages.
Both the factory and the truck fleet are continually being modernized. Vel Pitar products are the best on the market, and they are delivered expeditiously and in the best condition.
Vel Pitar participates in community life not only through delivery of its products, but also through social and educational project development. In addition to supplying high-quality, nutritious products that are prepared under maximal food-safety conditions, the Ramnicu Valcea factory continually initiates campaigns to aid those confronting social challenges.
Vel Pitar Bucharest (Berceni)
The bakery factory Berceni was founded in 1973, but has a much longer history, having begun as the branch of a milling and baking company that became active in 1948. In 2001, Berceni joined with other companies in the baking industry to establish Vel Pitar S.A.
A great number of the national products (packaged bread products, Swiss rolls and pound cakes) well-known to and popular with Vel Pitar customers are manufactured in this factory: the sliced-bread lines French Toast, Panissimo and Daily Toast; the Swiss roll and mini-cake lines Almadolce, Roll4ever and Clopotel ("The Bell"); and the Vel Pitar Pound Cakes.
These goods are prepared on production lines that are completely automated – from dough mixing to packaging. In addition to packaged products, Vel Pitar Berceni also produces lines of fresh bread (white, dark, rye and seed).
Vel Pitar Bucharest (Libertatea)
Vel Pitar Bucharest on Salaj Road was formerly a company named Libertatea that was established at this location in 1972; it became a Vel Pitar factory in 2007. May 2008 marked the end of an investment project, and the factory is now equipped with the latest technology on the market.
This Vel Pitar factory produces primarily fresh bread, the greatest proportion of which is delivered to Bucharest customers in the 5th and 6th districts. The modern technology and production automation have resulted in quality products with a striking appearance (rich and golden), and especially fine and appealing flavor.
Vel Pitar Pitesti
The Pitesti headquarters of Vel Pitar operates two factories, one in Pitesti and one in Targoviste.
Pitesti
In 2002, the company Spicul Arges S.A. was bought by the milling and bakery market leader Vel Pitar, which invested in production modernization by purchasing new technologic lines for bread and pastry manufacture.
A major achievement at the Pitesti factory has been the establishment of a new frozen pastry production line – unique to Vel Pitar – that could meet product demands of Vel Pitar locations nationwide as of August 2007. Products are delivered frozen, then baked in the special ovens in the Vel Pitar shops and sold fresh to the customers.
The diversity and quality of the frozen pastry from Pitesti satisfies all tastes: rolls, strudels, croissants with different fillings (vanilla, cheese, apple, nut, black cherry), cheese, sesame and caraway sticks; palmers, mini-pies and many other pastry specialties.
By April 2008, investment in automation of the baking production line was complete; upgrades enabled strict control of the manufacturing process, from ingredient measuring to packaging. The breads produced by this modern production line are well baked, of striking appearance (ruddy, golden), and have a distinctive and delicious flavor.
Targoviste
The factory in Targoviste (formerly the company Spicul de Aur) is the biggest producer of bread products in Dambovita County, and products prepared here are also sold in Bucharest and the counties of Prahova and Arges.
Inhabitants of Targoviste benefit from a Vel Pitar portfolio of high-quality products adapted to local tastes, and produced by the updated technology used by the company nationwide. In addition, logistics enforced by Vel Pitar at this new location have led to reductions in production and delivery time; the merchandise delivered to the buying customer is fresher and more wholesome. Among the first of the investments initiated in January 2007 were modernization of the building and the vehicle fleet, followed by the assembly of an additional production line.
The local products most valued by customers are breads: white (280 g), sliced white (350 g), round (Bulgarian, traditional and Transylvanian with potatoes [500 g]), and the specialty graham and salt-free (500 g).
Vel Pitar Brasov
After its acquisition in 2005, the company began an intensive program of modernization. By 2008, Vel Pitar Brasov had become the main supplier of high-quality products prepared under maximal food-safety conditions to the counties of Brasov, Covasna, Harghita and Prahova.
Investments were directed to the development of human capital, as well as to the modernization and automation of production lines, and upgrades to storage spaces and the vehicle fleet. Vel Pitar Brasov is certified to HACCP ISO 22000:2005 (the highest standard for food safety management), ISO 9001:2000 (quality management), and OHSAS 18001:2004 (occupational health and safety).
The special attention the company pays to customers has prompted the development of campaigns to identify consumer needs, which have resulted in optimization of collaborative solutions. In addition, Vel Pitar Brasov responds quickly to the smallest needs of its partners, who are thereby enabled to develop their own businesses by supplying quality products that fully satisfy their customers.
Thus, Vel Pitar's efforts are targeted to meet the most exacting demands of both its customers and its partners. It achieves this by supplying a range of products including those for special food needs (salt-free, rye, dark and graham breads); nutrition-enriched products (seed, rye and potato breads); and pastry, cake and toast bread.
For the inhabitants of Brasov County, Vel Pitar is the most prolific supplier of bakery products as well as an active participant in numerous projects to improve community life.
Vel Pitar Iasi
In 2003, Vel Pitar bought Pangran S.A. Iasi (a milling/bakery company founded in 1964, and operating under that name since 1990), and the acquisition brought about a series of important changes. New procedures, affecting activities ranging from production processes to employee motivation, were implemented that improved company performance.
The Iasi Vel Pitar factory is a market leader in Iasi; it offers a diverse portfolio of products and focuses particularly on developing the range of products. New products, including Tabiet, 5 minute and Petit Beurre, have joined traditional Vel Pitar products, such as the biscuits Poieni and 2B+C, known to consumers for decades. The Vel Pitar White Bread is the most popular bread in Iasi, thanks to a special recipe and modern baking methods unique to the local market.
In 2007, the mill installed the best machinery from Germany – Buhler – and the mill now has a capacity of 250 tons of ground wheat every 24 hours.
Vel Pitar Iasi is undergoing an extensive program of technology renewal, which began with investments to modernize the mill and bakery branches, and to acquire ISO 22000:2005 certification. This certification was received after an audit in December 2006; previously, the factory had been certified to quality management system ISO 9001:2000.
Vel Pitar Targu Jiu
These investments have enabled the Targu Jiu factory to become the main supplier of quality products – prepared under maximal food-safety conditions and delivered expeditiously – to retailers in the counties of Gorj, Dolj, Mehedinti and Hunedoara.
Approximately 400 employees work in the Targu Jiu factory. The quality of a company’s workforce is pivotal to a company’s development, and the impressive performance of the Targu Jiu plant can be attributed to the loyalty and dedication of its employees.
The development strategy of the Vel Pitar company centers on the investment of key financial and human resources in its 12 national factories, the goal being to offer consumers the highest-quality and safest bread products far into the future.
Vel Pitar Tecuci
Vel Pitar Tecuci was one of the original four companies to join in the founding of Vel Pitar in 1999. It delivers fresh bread and bread specialties to the city of Tecuci and the counties of Galati, Braila and Vaslui.
Vel Pitar Cluj
The registered office of Panegrano S.A. had been at 2-4 Calea Baciului, and operated 14 factories in Cluj-Napoca. In 2002, the Cluj Vel Pitar factory operations moved the registered office to Navodari Street, subsequently returning to Calea Baciului in December 2007.
In addition to the 2007 move, important technologic upgrades have been achieved, including the automation of water measuring, oven loading/unloading, and product cutting and modeling lines. Moreover, the new location’s working space is much larger and modernized.
The most popular local products are the high-gram breads: white (600g), sliced white (400g and 700g), and sliced white and dark (900g).
Like other Vel Pitar plants, Vel Pitar Cluj also sells in its distribution area (northwestern Romania) the traditional national products, which include French Toast, rolls and mini-cakes, biscuits, and wafers.
Vel Pitar Giurgiu
Since November 2003 – when the investment fund Broadhurst Investments, Ltd., one of the foremost foreign investors in Romania, became the major shareholder – the company Panem has been undergoing development.
In May 2005, the company merged with Vel Pitar S.A., one of Romania’s leaders in the food industry, and thus gained access to Vel Pitar factories and mills nationwide, which produce breads, biscuits, cake and pastry specialties, as well as milled grain.
By combining new methods for managing resources with a scientific approach to production and sales – including modernizing production operations and assembling a new vehicle fleet for product distribution – the Vel Pitar factory in Giurgiu has become a manufacturer patterned on the modern European model.
Thanks to a special attention to details, preservation of traditional recipes, use of the highest quality ingredients, packaging adapted to rigorous standards of hygiene and freshness, and the employment of experts qualified to European standards, the Vel Pitar plant in Giurgiu now produces over 40 bread, pastry and specialty products.
To confirm the importance that Vel Pitar S.A. places on the quality of its products in terms of freshness, hygiene, and regulation of raw materials and ingredients, the plant in Giurgiu received Certification No. RO 1026 per the quality management system standard ISO 9001/2001, completed in 2006 with receipt of certification for the integrated management HACCP, ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001, in the fields of quality, occupational health and safety, and food safety and hazard analysis.
Vel Pitar has launched muffins in two varieties: vanilla (70 g) and chocolate (80 g). They are both sweet tasting and nutritious, so they can be eaten and enjoyed by adults and children alike. 
