Danubius Novi Sad to be first producer of pizza and pancake special flours in Serbia – EUR 1.5 million invested in new equipment

(Danubius Novi Sad) Danubius Novi Sad, a member of Delta Holding, is celebrating a century of operations this year, and its 100th anniversary will be marked by investments of EUR 4 million in the mill production, as well as by an expansion of the portfolio.

The complex for the production of flour and pasta contains a modern mill featuring computer-guided daily capacities of 300 tons, a grain storage and drying silo with a total capacity of 65,000 tons and a pasta factory which can produce 15,000 tons a year.

The flour silo and the packaging sector will get new equipment worth EUR 1.5 million. The silo equipment has already arrived, but has not yet been installed.

– With the implementation of the new equipment, we will be the first ones in Serbia to start producing special flours. With this investment, we plan to increase the sale of bulk flour – says Milorad Sredanovic, Vice President of Delta Holding.

The said flours are special mixtures made for pizzas or pancakes, of a certain quality, featuring certain proteins, vitamins...

Danubius currently holds around 35% of the market – 34% of the flour market and 35.6% of the vitaminized pasta market. In 2017, Danubius produced 6,500 tons of pastas and exported a thousand tons. The Novi Sad factory exports its products to Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Hungary and Albania.

Plan to process 100,000 tons of wheat a year

As the director of Danubius, Predrag Markovic, says for our portal, around 80,000 tons of wheat are ground at the factory a year, though not in a linear fashion, by month, as the production depends on the season. The wheat is produced in Serbia, primarily at Delta Agrar.

(Director of Danubius, Predrag Markovic) – We plan to have around 100,000 tons of wheat ground each year in a few years – Markovic says and adds that the company exclusively imports durum wheat from Italy for its pastas.

Markovic announces the modernization and robotization of flour and pasta packing as the next step. He emphasizes that the company's 150 employees need not fear, as there will be no layoffs due to the robotization.

– We will not lay off anyone due to the robotization, we will only change the worker profile – Markovic explains.

Markovic also announces the possibility of a relaunch of the production of confectionery in the future.

Time goes by, quality remains

Danubius was established as a private company following World War I, in 1918. After World War II, in 1945, it was nationalized, and it is also known that Josip Broz Tito celebrated the New Year at the factory on one occasion.

The early 1990s saw the establishment of Drustveno Preduzece Danubius, which included the operations of the Vojvodina mill, what is now the Hleb company and the Danubius pasta factory.

The baking business separated in 1993 when Hleb was formed, and the mill and the pasta factory remained within the company under the old name of Danubius. In 1999, the company became a JSC for the processing of grains and the production of pastas.

The factory joined Delta Agrar after the privatization in 2006. They say at Danubius that a century of successful operations comes down to quality.

– Everything that has ever been good in Danubius has remained. After the privatization, a great reorganization was carried out. The production was modernized, and the surplus workers were let go with good severance packages – says Milorad Sredanovic, Vice President of Delta Holding and the Danubius director of many years.

He emphasizes that EUR 12.6 million has been invested in Danubius since 2006.

In addition to new investments, the anniversary of the Novi Sad company will also be celebrated with the Festival of National Cuisines Danubius Food Planet, held until June 3 in Novi Sad.

S.S.

Danubius a.d. Novi Sad

Delta Agrar d.o.o. Beograd

Delta Holding d.o.o. Beograd

production of flour

production of pasta

pasta

production of special purpose flour

special purpose flour

flour

Predrag Markovic

Milorad Sredanovic

flour processing machine

flour processing

pastas

pasta factory

vitaminized pastas