The instant product division accounts for more than one third of the group's business. The company estimates net sales of some €50 million in 2007, up by 15 percent from €43 million in 2006.
"Tymbark Maspex is one of the main players on the instant product market, and the La Festa 3 in 1 instant coffee assortment enjoyed the highest increase in this division," Kryzstof Grabowski, the company's President, told Business Standard. According to Grabowski, hot chocolate and cappuccino La Festa instant drinks are the most popular after La Festa 3 in 1. The Maspex group has a production unit in the central Romanian town of Valenii de Munte, in which the company has invested some €25 million over the past few years in its soft drink and instant product divisions. The company's main competitors on the market are Kraft Foods, Nestlé, and Elite.
Products are sold both on the domestic market and exported to Moldova and Bulgaria. The company does not have its own distribution network yet but is present throughout the country. Instant products sell best in small stores and supermarkets, but also in hypermarkets. According to the latest market research, instant product imports increased in the first half of 2007 but La Festa sales were not affected, said company officials. Sales do register a slight drop in the summer season.
Tymbark Maspex Romania is controlled by the Polish Maspex Wadowice group, the largest manufacturer of instant products in Central & Eastern Europe. The Romanian company was founded in 1996, has 600 employees, and a soft drink division with brands such as Tymbark, Tedi, Carotella, Ciao, Figo Duo, and Fruo.
