Earlier this month, Perutnina Ptuj announced it had initiated a new cycle of investment. As well as expanding and modernizing production, it is also set to invest in further automation and environmental projects.
Among the firm’s recent developments towards these goals, the company finally took over full ownership of the Proconi factory in Murska Sobota earlier this month. Acquisition of the facility in northeastern Slovenia from Eta Kamnik was finalized at the end of last year.
Now named PP Mamita, the facility is dedicated to the production of ready meals with a current workforce of 25. After undergoing a program of renovation and modernization, Perutnina Ptuj expects to be hiring more employees later this year.
With the assistance of a Spanish chef with Michelin experience, the factory’s new owners aim to develop new products for the hospitality market (HoReCa; hotels, restaurants, and catering).
The factory covers 4,000 square meters. As well as production and storage areas, it includes four packaging lines, a sous-vide system, and thermal pasteurization equipment. There is also a high-pressure pasteurization system — the first in the region. This extends the shelf life of dishes, while retaining the taste and texture of a meal just cooked in a restaurant.
At the official handover of the premises at the beginning of March, Perutnina Ptuj’s general manager Enver Sisic referred to the strategy of parent company, MHP Group, towards continuous improvement and development.
“This investment represents a key step in our transformation from a food company to a culinary company,” he said. “Our main goal now is to remodel and upgrade the existing factory as soon as possible and start production, which is planned for May this year.”
More on Perutnina Ptuj
In 2019, Perutnina Ptuj was acquired by Ukraine-based agri-food company MHP Group (formerly Myronivsky Hliboprodukt). According to N1, MHP paid EUR200 million to Slovenian steel group, SIJ for the company.
Published late last year, the most recent results presented for Perutnina Ptuj cover the third quarter of 2022. For this period, revenue increase 10% year-on-year to US$121 million. This helped to boost operating profit by 11% to US$20 million. These improvements were the result of increases in sales volumes and prices for the company’s poultry and meat-processing operations.
Annual slaughtering of 520 million birds puts MHP Group equal second in the rankings of the top chicken producers in Europe, according to WATTPoultry.com’s Top Poultry Companies survey.
