70 éves a magyar sütőipar zászlóshajója

– Ceres, one of the country’s top baking companies has turned 70. What have been the biggest milestones in the history of Ceres?

– These are some of the topics you can read about in the book we are publishing to celebrate the anniversary. It reveals that the predecessor of our company was registered on 21 October 1953. As part of the preparation for privatisation, the state transformed Győr és Vidéke Sütőipari Vállalat into a joint-stock company, which then became Győri Sütőipari Rt. (as of 1 January 1994). In 2002 we took the name Ceres – she is the goddess of grain, agriculture and fertility in Roman mythology. Since 2010 Ceres has been a member of the Czech-based AGROFERT a.s. group of companies, through the professional investor PENAM a.s.

The building of the factory was also reported on in the “Kisalföld” regional daily newspaper

– What are Ceres’ positions in the market and in which categories is the company the strongest? In what directions are you expanding your product range?

– We are the market leader in sandwich breads and toast breads, with a market share above 50%, and the same can be said for the packaged segment of fine goods. This year we launched our Napicipó brand, a product range with a longer shelf life, and another new addition is the Csigusz range – these are pastries made of leavened dough, in sweet and savoury flavours.

The current Ceres bakery plant

István Mikos, corporate director, vice chairman of the board of directors

– What is the situation in the sector now: what problems do you see and what solutions are you working on at Ceres?

– Costs and maintaining competitiveness are big challenges. Our main task is to work with trade and other organisations to represent the interests of the sector, and mitigate the negative effects of external factors. On the consumption side, consumers are visiting shops less frequently and are thinking more carefully before buying.

– What have been the most important investments recently?

– We are continuously investing on both smaller and larger scale. In 2022 production started in our daily bread facility, and we are also investing in infrastructural development.

– Your product portfolio has certainly changed a lot over the past decades. What are the most dominant consumer needs that influence your innovation work at the moment? How is this reflected in new products?

– Conscious consumer behaviour and health-conscious nutrition are becoming prominent. We have responded to this with products such as our vegetable loaf, the low-carb Slimmm range, and Gra-hammm wholemeal breads.

– What accolades have you received recently from the trade and consumers?

– Many of our products bear the Domestically Processed Product logo. We have been awarded the Hungarian Brands logo, and we won an award at the Sirha Budapest 2022 Innovation Product Competition.

– With what kind of activities are you celebrating your 70th anniversary?

– We are inviting our consumers to a nationwide prize draw throughout the autumn, accompanied by a billboard campaign, and online and television appearances, which will run until 5 November. We will be thanking colleagues for their loyalty and commitment with special programmes, including a big birthday party on our founding day of 21 October. (x)