Agricola announces a new brand image and maintaining growth at 8% | Progresiv
The new image of the Agricola brand is visible on shelves starting with November for about 600 SKUs from all the categories covered by the producer. 
“In 2018 we started the project of repositioning and redesigning the brand, as a result of extensive research in collaboration with BrandTailors. The new motto of the Agricola product brand is entitled “Together, at the table”, and all the Agricola product categories now have a common, unitary brand concept, defined around the essence of the brand: cooked food, authenticity and flavor”, said Grigore Horoi (photo left), President of the Agricola group. To support the launch of the new image, the producer will launch in 2020 an ATL campaign developed based on a creative concept of the WOPA agency under the slogan “Who eats together stays together”. This will be complemented by in-store communication and PR actions.
At the same time, Agricola focuses on increasing the transparency of the company in dealing with its consumers. Based on the iVox study conducted this year and quoted by the company, it was found that although chicken meat is the most consumed type of meat in Romania, 9 out of 10 Romanians believe that the products on the market are injected with growth hormones, antibiotics and dyes. . “In the context in which the feeding of Agricola chickens is made up of 100% of natural fodder, in addition, this practice is strictly forbidden at European level. Agricola thus tries to inform the public through the actions of the brand, together with specialists from various fields (interviews with specialists in the animal food industry, sociologists and psychologists but also nutritionists) to demystify these concepts, aiming at educating people. Transparency is part of the core values of the brand”, underlined Horoi.
The Agricola Association concludes its first CSR project
In 2019, the non-profit Agricola - family of households Association was set up. Starting from the values of the brand, it started a social responsibility program focused on education and health. Thus, through the "Gustul Viitorului" project, Agricola has invested in education to increase the future generations of professionals in the culinary arts. 20 young people from the cookery classes of the Ion Ghica Economic High School in Bacau received the opportunity to evolve to the next level for a chance at the title of master-chef, offered by Agricola together with Chef Cezar Munteanu.
“Gustul care face bine” is the second CSR project of the Agricola Association in progress which aims to solve a real problem at regional level: the feeding of children in the Pediatric Section of the Bacau County Emergency Hospital. The association is involved by equipping the canteen with modern cooking equipment, by changing the presentation and serving mode of the food and by redefining the dishes served with Chef Cezar Munteanu.
The Group maintains its business growth pace at 8%
In the first 9 months of 2019, the Agricola group of companies maintained its dynamic from last year, reporting an increase of the turnover of 8% compared to the similar period of 2018, reaching 575.6 million lei - as shown in the producer’s press release.
"Agricola continues in 2019 the business consolidation strategy that represents the core business of the group companies and even though it has made two business exit - services for agriculture and proximity retail - it makes significant increases in the basic categories, so that after the first 9 months of this year we report an increase of 8% of our group's business, in line with the evolution of the last years ”, commented Grigore Horoi.
The sales of poultry meat reported by the group increased by 9% in volume and 11% in value, in the mentioned period. “At the bird slaughterhouse, we started an investment with a total of 16 million euros this year, which will ensure an increase of the production capacity by 70%. We are confident that we will grow and strengthen our position in the domestic market, that of important player in the Romanian agribusiness”, added Grigore Horoi.
Sales in the category of raw-dried salami increased by 8.2% in value, and boiled-smoked cold cuts increased by 6%. At the same time, the category of semi-prepared and ready-meal products, obtained at the Europrod factory, reported during this period an increase in turnover of 6.8% (up to 42.9 million lei), in the context of which the company exports to European countries reach a share of 25% of production. At Europrod, an investment of over 5.5 million euros was completed earlier this year, doubling its production capacity.
In the category of fresh eggs obtained in Avicola Lumina, the group reported a turnover of 38.75 million lei in the first 9 months of the year, while the number of eggs sold is maintained (59.35 million pcs) compared to the period similar to 2018.
