Dacia Plant A company starting from scratch, which has constantly developed and got among the 3 food supplement companies of full Romanian capital. The history of Dacia Plant began in 2002 when Calin Ianta, passionate about Phytotherapy and the investor Radu Ionescu-Heroiu laid the foundation of the relevant business. The two of them had the vision of developing a business which would emphasize their phytotherapeutic knowledge for the good use of getting natural health. Dacia Plant belongs to that category of food supplement industry pioneers in Romania, being well renowned for the quality of its products and its innovative and genuine formulas. Călin Ianța
Historical benchmarks 1995 – 2002 Calin Ianța has been the owner of a drugstore and for 7 years he got to make experiments, enforce and conduct a number of clinical studies in terms of natural recipes based on the Romanian, Chinese Phytotherapy and on the Indian Ayurveda. The result was represented by more than 150 genuine recipes, which have been subsequently tested and duly homologated.
Radu Ionescu Heroiu
Traian Ionescu Heroiu
2002 - 2005 Radu Ionescu-Heroiu, investor, is buying half of company stocks with his brother, Traian Ionescu-Heroiu, the company is called Dacia Plant SRL and they build the first production department in Bod county. Traian Ionescu-Heroiu becomes also the Administrator of the company One has applied the first recipes in terms of tinctures and one has wrapped up the first teas. All recipes were self recipes, made up as a results of the previous experiments conducted by Calin Ianta. One has purchased the building called Plants Procurement Center in Bod locality, where there had once been a mustard seeds plant. Back in the inter-bellum period this plant used to be the flower garden of a supplier for the Royal House in Romania. The said center used to supply the raw materials for the biggest
Dacia Plant manufacturer of teas and syrups at that time, namely Plafar. The net area plus attachments was limited to 3000 sq. m. One has purchased the first tinctures dispenser, a device for wrapping tea bags and one has made up the first tincture press machine. The first tincture press has stood for a self – conception, based upon an authentic extraction technology. Part of the necessary tools has been acquired from Europharm, one of the biggest pharmaceutical products manufacturers, which at that time had been purchased by the giant GlaxoSmithKline. One has commenced the first deliveries of merchandise to specialized stores for natural products, and the basic idea was to deliver some high quality products that were not on the market at that time. Dacia Plant has basically taken part in what is called the standardization of supplements industry, being a good practice model at a time when the industry was at its incipient stage in Romania. More and more companies got to copy this particular working method. Dacia Plant makes the first time discovery of the effects exercised by the plant Crucea pamantului (Heracleum mantegazzianum), which belongs to the Gingseng family, which is specific to Romanian flora and which has some high levels of concentration in terms of active substances that stimulate fertility. This plant is duly promoted by Dacia Plant and in 2009 it got homologated under the name of Branca Ursului (Heracleum Sphondylium) within the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks (OSIM), under the number 107368. The sale of Branca Ursului tincture triggers a very high sale value, standing for a good company development driver. Everything gets reinvested into machineries and cutting edge equipments. Within two years the company gets to make between 20.000 and 30.000 Euros profit in a month. The value of investments made within the first two years of operation reached 200.000 Euro, based on the reinvested profit only. One commences the distribution of products by direct sale and authorized distributors; the merchandise is sold only in specialized health food shops, in a certain limited number of only 1.000 clients.
Dacia Plant
Costel Stoica
2006 – 2007 On a perspective – based initiative, one has purchased the land and buildings of the Agricultural Mechanization Plant in Bod Locality, in view of a future development of the relevant company. One has purchased the first modern and high capacity automatic tincture line. One has mounted the first professional tincture press, which got added to the self-conceived press, and thus the manufacturing capacity got tripled. The first self water treatment facility got started up, and thus one got independent in terms of providing for the water flow within the manufacturing sectors. One concludes a collaboration agreement with the Resort for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Brasov, for the supply of controlled raw materials. The beginning of the distribution of products by independent drugstores, and the clients’ portfolio gets over 2000. 2008 – 2009 Incorporating the tablets department, all recipes standing for self – conceived recipes. Upon establishing this department, the company gets among the companies with an extended portfolio of food supplements, and within 4 years tablets got to be the core business of Dacia Plant. The procurement of the machines for tablets and of the related tools have required the mounting of own technological flow, duly adjusted to the internal manufacturing and structure related needs of the departments. One hires a specialist in the pharmaceutical field, namely Engineer Costel Stoica, the manager of a prestigious drugs plant, who takes over the position of a Manufacturing Manager and starts implementing some new manufacturing standards in terms of food supplements, which were quite similar to the ones existing in the pharmaceutical field. One purchases agricultural lands which shall be dedicated to own experimental crops, as well as large areas which shall be used for Eco - cultures. One has saved the collection of acclimatized Romanian plants (over 200 species) from the Resort of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Brasov. Ever since that moment, such plants have been grown on the company’s own lands, year after year, so as to keep the authentic genetic material.
Dacia Plant The company hires Dr. Engineer Dana Bobiț, one of the first Romanian scientists, with some renowned studies in the field, and she will lay the basis for own cultures development, the research for genetic materials and the training of cultivators from whom the company shall purchase the raw materials in Romania. One gets in contact with the first pharmacy chains and one concludes the first distribution agreements, and the supplied clients’ number goes over 2.500. Dana Bobiț
2010 – 2011 One builds up the existing plant at GMP standards. The overall area of the manufacturing facility in Bod, including the attachments for storage and logistics purposes, reaches 13.500 sq. m. One upgrades the level of equipments in the tablets department, by introducing special control devices for viruses, humidity, pressure and constant temperature. Own conceived tablets of Branca Ursului, Interferonat, Pressure Regulator and Spirulina and Sea Buckthorn, get to dominate the tablets market, standing for a real company success. One establishes and equips the department for syrups and thus, the number of manufacturing sections reaches 4 such departments. One launches the syrup called Calmotusin which gets to be one of the best known Dacia plant brands. Investments in the plant, raw materials, equipments and the renovation of departments go over 2 million Euros, such investments leading the company among the top manufacturers of food supplements in the country. In 2011 it is for the first time that one manufactures over 3.000.000 units in all the manufacturing departments. The first own sale team begins to shape up, and the latter distributes the products in parallel with the authorized distributors and the number of clients exceeds 3.000 as far as Dacia Plant products are concerned. 2011 – 2014 One purchases the Juice Plant and the Regional Fruit Collection Center in Brasov, in Cristian locality, a plant who went way over 70 years back in time in terms of tradition. The overall purchased area has been 20.000 sq. m. of land with 4.000 sq. m. of constructions.
Dacia Plant
Liviu Ungureanu
The initial investment has been in the amount of 950.000 Euros and it has been made for the purpose of developing the products portfolio and for the company to get into the food industry on a perspective niche segment, namely that of 100 % natural products. Within the plant one establishes the new food section, namely the fifth Dacia Plant manufacturing section. One purchases specific manufacturing tools and implements new manufacturing recipes, all of them being self – developed recipes. Dacia Plant own recipes do not contain any sugar or preservatives, and the products are 100 % natural. The plant is also certified for the manufacturing of BIO / ECO products. In 2013, upon the co – opting within the team of Mr. Liviu Ungureanu, a manager with national level expertise in the FMCG distribution, holding the position of a Trade Manager, the distribution system changes, and one sets up the Trade Representatives team. One concludes the first agreements with the relevant pharmacy chains at the domestic level; the distribution level gets higher, while working with more than 1.400 health food stores and 2.600 pharmacy locations. 2014 – nowadays One purchases buildings within the Industrial Park Rulmentul and one establishes the greatest Regional Events Center, namely Lux Divina complex. The complex includes the Polyvalent Room, other 7 Event Rooms, a hotel having 93 rooms. The overall investment has been in the amount of 7 million Euros, which has been fully made by Dacia Plant across the 5 investment years. Within the relevant Event Center, one organizes constant congresses and events in connection with the food supplements and pharmaceutical industry. Dacia Plant gets local and national acknowledgment, being constantly on top of the manufacturing companies classified under the category “Other food products”, occupying the 1st position within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Brasov. The first alcohol free tinctures have been made in 2014 when one has mounted the first professional evaporator, the sale increase being very good, while currently the alcohol – free tinctures stand for 6.5 % of the company business.
Dacia Plant Dacia Plant has created a new market for such alcohol – free tinctures, standing for a pioneer in this field. All recipes and, most importantly, the relevant manufacturing technology, stands for 100 % our concept and for the achievement of our own team. The extraction method we use is highly efficient and we got to use extracts upon manufacturing our tablets, there being no need whatsoever for the import of any given ingredients. Dacia Plant is the first food supplements manufacturer managing to get listed in the big chains of Hypermarkets and Supermarkets, being the first listed in Auchan, Kaufland, Carrefour, Billa, Cora and DM Drogerie Markt. A new consumption trend has been created in terms of the new category of consumers, namely the ones preferring to do their shopping in such places, who know our products and who look for an alternative to supplement their natural nutritive substances intake. There are 390 such locations where Dacia Plant products can be found. The number of corporate clients that we collaborate with currently exceeds 4.500, of which 3.000 are independent drugstores and the pharmacy chains. At the national level, we have 100 % distribution in health food stores, 80 % in terms of international clients and 70 % in drugstores and pharmacies. In 2014 it’s for the first time that the production goes beyond the threshold of 4.000.000 product units. As of 2015 we’ve launched one bi – annual program for TV commercials, being present in the first and last quarter of the year with a series of campaigns focusing on Calmotusin brand. In the last 2 years, Calmotusin has become the strongest Dacia Plant brand. In 2016 a group of alpinists, among whom also two employees within Dacia Plant who were passionate with the mountains, reached the peak of Mont Blank, the highest in the Alps, and they flew the Dacia Plant flag as a symbol of our company’s goal to always be on top. In 2016 one has completed the company rebranding process, changing the logo and the slogan for a better reflection of Dacia Plant values. The company holds Trade Mark for both its logo and its slogan.
Dacia Plant Claudia Burghelea
Radu Matei
The Marketing Department got restructured in 2016 and the managerial team led by Claudia Burghelea is new, better adjusted to modern man’s challenges and to the development needs / strategy that the company has. The company gets for the first time into Top 100 Romanian Brands in 2017, occupying the position 51, next to other prestigious brads, and way ahead other brands of a much longer tradition. Dacia Plant gets involved in the enhancement of sports performance by sponsorships in ski, ice hockey, field tennis and handball. Ice hockey teams and “Corona Brasov” handball team got top positions in specific competitions. In 2016, the Sales Department including 3 Regional Managers, 1 Key Account Manager, 1 Key Account Executive and 20 Commercial Representatives is taken over by Radu Matei, who is also running the Support Department. We now have a young and dynamic team, adapted to the market challenges. In this formula the results are becomeing visible. In 2017 are developed Private-Label projects, in-store communication through trade-marketing strategies, with exceptional outcomes, due to Radu's prior experience in our company, who was in charge with IKA partners relations and the national pharmaceutical chains, for over 3 years-time. In 2017 one launches on the market the Plants Encyclopedia, which stands for one 100% Dacia Plant conception, that brings a unique and very high quality material on the Romanian market, in terms of the collection of paintings with plants of the female painter Angiolina Santocono, as adjusted by specialized studies. The Company has got involved in and is still currently involving in social projects – one has established “Devas” Children’s Home, a project accomplished in partnership with a non – profit organization. In June 2017 one organizes the event called 15 years with Dacia Plant, as attended by over 600 people, guests from all business environments, partners, suppliers and both internal and external collaborators. The event has one sound resonance, being accomplished in partnership with the town hall in Brasov and festivities have taken place in Sfatului Square in Brasov, as well as an important music concert and product sampling sessions.
Dacia Plant Ongoing projects
We are involved in a joint project with one of the biggest distributors of drugs in Romania, in order to accomplish a portfolio of relevant food supplements. We’ve been chosen for this collaboration given the know – how we possess in the field, and it is a great honor for us to be part of this project, this standing for an acknowledgement of the renowned name we have in the field (we find it impossible to give any names yet, since the information is currently confidential). We have initiated an investment for the extension of the departments for tinctures, teas and syrups, by building an additional manufacturing room of 1.200 sq. m. within the plant in Bod county. The purpose is that of doubling the current production of the said departments, both in terms of the increase of sale volumes that we register, and in terms of running any future collaboration. The value of such investment shall go beyond 500.000 Euros, and project completion is envisaged to take place in June 2018. We are pending completion in terms of re – introducing the ISO 9001 system, and the relevant documentation and certifying processes shall be completed in the first half of 2018. One shall mount a second evaporator within the new department for tinctures, thus doubling the production capacity in terms of alcohol – free tinctures. Such machine has already been purchased. One has purchased the first machines for tea bags, which was an investment of 150.000 Euro, having 3 Italian machines each producing 50.000 units on a monthly basis. The actual production shall initiate on January 1st 2018 and for starters, we shall launch 5 types of aromatic tea. We have purchased a machine for bulk tea, by making an investment of 45.000 Euros, and this machine is going to enhance by 40 % our productivity in terms of bulk tea and it shall be mounted in December this year. In terms of the plant from Cristian locality, as related to the Food Department, we plan on making investments in the second half of 2018 when we plan on fully equipping the manufacturing facilities, and the envisaged investment shall be 450.000 Euros. By such investment we should increase our productivity by approximately 5 times, and the demand for products shall be constantly growing. We continue our collaboration with the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest with which we experiment the manufacturing of vaccines made out of plants and food supplements for animals. The first tests on dogs, cows and horses have rendered some good and very good results. At the beginning of next year we get ready to launch a new category of products – Therapeutic Creams, by which products we aim at becoming relevant players on the specialized market. At the end of the first quarter next year we shall be able to manufacture more than 25.000.000 units on a yearly basis, of all the relevant product categories.
Dacia Plant Evolution of Dacia Plant’s employees Year No#. employees
2003
2005
2007
2010
2011
2013
2015
2017
7
41
61
91
138
154
176
185
Evolution of Dacia Plant’s turnover
Product categories 01. Tablets 02. Simple herbal tinctures 03. Simple herbal teas 04. Syrups 05. Alcohol free tinctures 06. Herbal mixture tinctures 07. Herbal mixture teas 08. Food 09. Powders 10. Cosmetics 11. Gemoderivates
Category 01. Tablets 02. Simple herbal tinctures 03. Simple herbal teas 04. Syrups 05. Alcohol free tinctures 06. Herbal mixture tinctures 07. Herbal mixture teas 08. Food 09. Powders 10. Cosmetics 11. Gemoderivates Total
% 48,4% 12,8% 8,3% 7,1% 6,4% 6,2% 4,8% 4,1% 1,2% 0,4% 0,3% 100%
Dacia Plant concept Our company is the fruit of our passion and love for nature, as well as of the admiration for healing plants, of the idea to support health in an efficient and natural manner. All these things have mixed together in order to place all of our knowledge and effort to the good use of the development of a high quality portfolio of food supplements, which should cover the modern man’s needs. We’ve managed to successfully combine the Romanian traditional Phytotherapy with the most recent studies in the field, as well as our expertise in terms of innovation, so as to create products based upon unique and efficient recipes. The beneficent power of herbs is the slogan that guides our vision, arising out of our full trust in nature, the passion for the things responsibly made and the deference we show to people. Thus, our food supplements made of 100 % natural plants, with no preservatives or other chemical substances are well acknowledged and appreciated on the specific market for the latter’s quality and efficiency. Equally inspired by both tradition and innovation, our mission is to turn people back to nature and to restore nature to people. Upon creating such food supplements, we put in our solutions the entire essence of nature for one optimum intake of nutritive substances, vitamins and minerals, as required for an adequate operation of all human body organs.
Company values Natural health
We are convinced that being healthy is the actual natural state of man. It’s our intent that by our 100% natural products we shall restore the natural intelligence to the human body and we shall enable it to find again the real balance in terms of health. Medicinal plants stand for true miracles helping us maintain our physical and emotional health, and it’s because of it that we dedicate all of our passion to them.
Tradition
We keep our traditions and get inspired by them, we look deep down into our nation’s heart and feed ourselves with its authentic values. We carefully and lovingly protect our Romanian traditions in all the latter’s forms of expression and we are proud of being part of a unique people.
Innovation
We restore part of this nature to modern man. We’ve searched for and finally found the best, most efficient and available methods to do just this. Dacia Plant products are based upon genuine recipes and they make a perfect match to modern lifestyles. We’ve concentrated the essence of nature into innovating products, especially created for the people around us.
Value
We wish to create valuable things. That’s why we have chosen valuable people, that put a lot of passion in what they’re doing and that work day by day for making such products in which there’s no room for compromise. We guide ourselves based on simple, yet essential values: love for people, trust in the healing power of medicinal plants, and the passion for what we’re doing.
Harmony
Here in Dacia Plant, we have a strong creed: let’s keep our soul and mind clean and re – discover the wonders that nature gives us with so much generosity. We wish to remake the somehow forgotten connections with the nature around us and to live again in full harmony with the latter, to weave again the secret threads of life.
Bun de ToT
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Company brands Dacia Plant Natural products for general health and adequate functioning of various human body systems (226 products). Alfa The first food supplements brand in Romania, especially created for men (5 products). Interferonat Unique blend of plants with hepatic cell regeneration and protection effect, stimulating the endogenous secretion of interferon (1 product). Îngerașul (Little Angel) Products for children, 100 % natural, free of any preservatives, colorants or additives (12 products). Sublima (The Sublime) Products especially created for women, based on genuine formulas, with vegetal phytoestrogens (16 products). Specialiștii Plantelor (Plant Experts) Products bearing the signature of well renowned specialists in the pharmaceutical field (7 products). Detoxicolon Highly detoxifying intestinal product based upon a complex of 15 medicinal plants and zeolite (2 products). Citonat Innovating association of nine phyto – extracts with complex properties and proven effects in terms of lowering the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy (1 product). Vitamins and minerals Vitamins and minerals made out of natural sources (4 products). Bun de tot (So good) Natural, sugar and chemicals free juices, nectars and jams (15 products).
Innovation Department The activity conducted within this department succeeds in combining traditional medical practice with scientific practice, searching for and finally finding the relevant solutions for new, innovating products based on own studies, as well as on collaboration with prestigious personalities in the Romanian Phytotherapy area, as much as with other well renowned institutions.
Călin Gârlea
Within this department, we have a team of specialists duly coordinated by Dr. Calin Garlea, a specialist in Phytotherapy, Ayurveda and Acupuncture. Previously, the doctor has worked in Versailles Hospital in Paris, under the Addiction ward. The team within the innovation department makes use of formulas from the traditional Romanian Phytotherapy, as well as from the Chinese Phytotherapy and Indian Ayurveda. The phytotherapeutic experience is adjusted by the expertise our specialists possess in the medical and pharmaceutical field. A few relevant benchmarks: Dacia Plant gets an Invention Brevet duly completed and registered with the State Office for Inventions and Trade Marks (OSIM) in 2012 for 100% ACTIVE TABLET, for a tablet made up of only active ingredients, no excipients. Another Invention Brevet is pending review within OSIM for a vet product made out of medicinal plants. We have 75 registered marks (Dacia Plant trade mark) within the Office for State Inventions and Trademarks. All of our products are duly notified within the Institute for Food Bio – resources in Romania, a body certifying the compliance with all rules and principles legally approved in Romania.
Innovation Department Clinical studies for the product called INTERFERONAT: - Fundeni Clinical Institute in Bucharest (Prof. PhD Mircea Diculescu, Reader PhD Ileana Constantiescu, Reader PhD Liliana Gheorghe, Dr. Constantin Tudor) - Saint John Hospital in Bucharest (University Assistant Dr Secil Omer) - MedLife Clinic in Bucharest (Dr. Ruxandra Posoiu) - Infectious Diseases Hospital in Brasov (Head of Works Maria Cocuz) - Infectious Diseases Hospital in Cluj Napoca (Prof. PhD Doina Tatulescu, Head of Works Monica Muntean) - Infectious Diseases Hospital in Iasi (Reader PhD Egidia Miftode, Dr. Lucia Grigore) - Medical Clinic I in Tg. Mures – Gastroenterology (Reader PhD Ligia Bancu) - County Clinical Hospital in Brasov – Gastroenterology (Dr. Felicia Coman) - Pediatrics Hospital “Luis Turcanu” in Timisoara (Prof. PhD Ioan Simedrea, Dr. Oana Belei)- County Clinical Hospital in Oradea - Gastroenterology (Reader PhD Ciprian Brisc) Collaboration for the making of therapeutic teas with Academician Ovidiu Bojor, founder of modern Phytotherapy in Romania, academician, pharmacist, holder of the title of Senior Honoris Causa. Collaboration for the making of tablets under the name of Plants Specialists, with Prof. PhD Ursula Stănescu, within the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iași, former dean and scientific pro – rector, with over 50 years of background expertise in Phytotherapy, having won the Romanian Academy award in 1996. Research-based partnership with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest, with Prof. PhD Lucian Ioniță, laureate of the Romanian Academy Awards in 2005 and 2010 for food supplements for animals. Research – based partnership with “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, with Prof. PhD Cerasela Gird, head of the education subject: Phyto – chemistry and Phytotherapy, member of the Romanian Association of Phytotherapy Physicians. Partnership in research and scientific works and constant collaboration within the process of testing products, phyto-sanitary analyses, quality control, with the relevant “Oak” Biological Research Center, attached to the National Institute for Biological Sciences in Bucharest, Prof. PhD Elvira Gille, vice – president of the Scientific Board of INCDSB.
Crops department This is the department providing the demand of herbs, checking the quality and processing the plants before being delivered to the Manufacturing Department. The department is led by Dr. Engineer Dana Bobit, horticultural PhD Engineer, with a PhD in Agricultural Sciences, under the specialization: Medicinal Plants. Our company is the only Romanian company having such a renowned personality directly hired within the cultures department, and not just as a simple collaborator. Previously, for 30 years, Dana Bobit conducted the latter’s activity within Fundulea Resort for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, where she dealt with the research of medicinal plants, improvement and genetic resources. We possess a collection of such genetic resources, made up of 200 species of medicinal plants, and such collection is Dacia Plant’s exclusive. We also grow over 40 genuine species of medicinal plants and fruit shrubs. In the species we grow we make breeding material (seeds, seedlings, quicksets) that we make available to the growers we collaborate with. We have concluded contracts with the said growers who are well trained by us and it is still us who take over their production in a controlled manner. Thus, we have a certain circuit of production and taking over of raw materials that is under our own control from the very beginning and to the last step to be taken. We also hold ECO cultures, duly certified as of 2009. Some relevant benchmarks and studies / works: Our company leads the Association of Raw Material Growers in Romania, in terms of Medicinal Plants. We have phyto – chemical studies in order to identify new active principles for therapeutic action. We support scientific works in various events and specialized congresses in the country and abroad, such as the ones in Bulgaria, Austria, France, Italy and Spain.
Crops department We’ve been constantly attending and we also have a number of works displayed upon the International Symposium of Plants from Piatra Neamt. Comparative study of essential oils of Heracleum species – authors: Bobit Dana, Garlea Calin, Paduraru Andrei, Popa Madalina, Necula Radu, from the Scientific Annals of "Al. I. Cuza" University in Iasi: Vegetal Biology, New Series. The plant species Eupatorium cannabinum L. cultivated in Romania – the initiation of ecological cultivation - Dana Bobit, Ionita Lucian, Radu Necula, Manuela Elisabeta Sidoroff, Elvira Gille. 2nd International Conference on Natural Products Utilization-From Plants to Pharmacy Shelf, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 14-17 October, 2015. Partial results regarding the transfer into culture of the Eupatorium cannabinum, Helleborus purpurascens and Inula helenium, species in the pedoclimatic conditions of the Dacia Plant SRL company production unit – Dana Bobit, Elvira Gille, Alexandra Asanica. PSE Meeting – Phyto-chemicals in Medicine and Pharmacognosy, Piatra Neamt, 27-30.04.2014. Ecological cultures of medicinal and aromatic plants commercialized in food supplements, Trends in natural products research – Dana Bobit, Elvira Gille, George Boz, A young scientists meeting of PSE and ÖPhG, Obergurgl/Tyrol, Austria, 21 – 25.07.2013.
Product categories, manufacturing departments and the technologies, as used Our company has 6 categories of products that we process within 5 distinct Manufacturing Departments. Our products are duly notified by the Institute for Food Bio – Resources within the Ministry of Agriculture in compliance with the Romanian legislation in force. The capacity of our manufacturing departments is calculated for just one work shift, yet if and whenever required, we can organize three work shifts per every single department. Our Manufacturing Manager is Engineer Costel Stoica, a highly experienced individual having previously worked in the pharmaceutical industry, having applied the standards that are specific to such industry within the relevant Dacia Plant manufacturing process, as related to food supplements. The equipments in use and the technologies duly implemented have been adjusted both in terms of complying with the highest quality standards and in terms of enhancing productivity. Most production flows and the organization of departments have been achieved based upon genuine ideas and self – plans, duly accomplished in view of the production process efficientization.
Tablets – made within the Tablets Department
Tablets stand for our company’s core business and as a weight they stand for 50 % of Dacia plant value sales; we are market leaders among Romanian manufacturers, in terms of food supplements under the form of tablets in Romania. We use our own compressing procedures, duly enforced according to various repeatedly conducted researches and studies; we also possess a strong expertise that our competition is lacking. It’s quite difficult to compress plants, since they have a specific low density, particularly since we do not use any chemical ingredients to enable the compressing process. We stand out on the market and we are well renowned for the fact that we manage to put a higher active substance quantity in our tablets than our competition.
Product categories, manufacturing departments and the technologies, as used Our tablets have the average weight of 1 gram and egg-shaped form. On the side we have punched the word “love”, this being just another fact that makes us stand out when compared to others. What we want to show is that we put our love in what we do. We are among the few that use compressing methods, most of our competition use encapsulating as their technique, since it’s much simpler. We have chosen to use this technology since we use as a compressing basis the natural cellulose, duly extracted from plants. The capsules used on the market are of animal origin, being made out of bone glue and the vegetal ones are highly expensive. Our vision is represented by not using any animal origin ingredients. The department has been built according to GMP standards, although the supplements industry in Romania does not require this particular standard, and yet this has been our option, namely to place our company at the highest possible standard. The equipments and machines that we use come from India, Romania, Italy and the Netherlands. The technologies we use as well as the equipments duly purchased have not been chosen randomly, instead the same have been especially chosen so as to be the most adequate and efficient in terms of developing a very strong compressing power. The monthly production capacity is 150.000 units per one shift, with a maximum of 450.000 units at the current capacity. If necessary, we have the possibility to increase productivity by 30 % by setting the machines and the manufacturing line at a higher speed level.
Tinctures and gemoderivates – as made within the Tinctures Department
This particular category stands for 24% of our company business and it has undergone a constant increase within the recent years. We produce alcohol – based tinctures, alcohol free tinctures, tinctures made out of one single plant, tinctures made out of mixtures of plants and gemoderivates.
Product categories, manufacturing departments and the technologies, as used We possess high level expertise in the maceration of plants, we have developed our own methods both in terms of long – term maceration and in terms of fast maceration, we are leaders on this market segment in Romania and we are particularly well acknowledged for the quality of our products. The majority of pharmacies preparing recipes that require tinctures make use of our own tinctures, and the main reason for that is the quantity of the active substance duly contained within. For instance, the propolis tincture we’ve got is by far the best on the market given the high concentration of polyphenols. Maceration and extraction are achieved by help of alcohol and glycerin, by classical procedures as well as by the evaporation under special conditions. A relevant element is represented by the development by our innovation department of some recipes for alcohol free tinctures by which we produce the common tincture, after which we evaporate the alcohol by our own specific procedure, and the outcome is represented by a tincture holding the same properties as the classical one, yet one which can be used by chronic sick people who are not allowed to intake any alcohol, or the sick people suffering from liver conditions, or by children or pregnant women. Alcohol free tinctures have currently recorded the best evolution in terms of the specific category; Dacia Plant is actually paving the way in this specific industry and it has created a new category on the market, one which gets bigger and bigger by the year. Last year we’ve managed to double our sale figures from the previous year, on which ground this year we shall invest in enlarging the manufacturing facility, by bringing new equipments and by doubling our production capacity. On such occasion, we shall start up a second evaporator. The equipments we use come from France, Spain and India and the installations are of Romanian provenance. We also have a special device from Italy for the fast extraction of active substances from plants and the processing of propolis, which is highly efficient. We rely on the expertise we possess, and this is a department where we have been having specialists from the very opening of our plant, and the said people have knowledge both in terms of technology and in terms of Phytotherapy, and this is quite important. Within this department we also have a mini – lab for testing purposes that we use both for the achievement of new recipes, and for upgrading the current ones. The monthly production capacity is 130.000 units per shift, with a maximum of 400.000 units on a monthly basis. In this specific department, productivity is highly conditional upon the categories of products we make, since the maceration times for various plants is quite different and it may have an impact on the production capacity.
Product categories, manufacturing departments and the technologies, as used Teas – made within the Teas Department
Their weight is 12% of the overall business and they include two sub – categories, namely that of bulk teas and that of tea bags. We have quite a name on the market given the quality of our bulk teas and we provide our customers with two types of tea: tea made out of one single plant, or teas made out of mixtures of selected plants. Such selected mixtures may be therapeutic teas or large consumption teas. In terms of bulk teas we have two wrapping methods, one that is mechanized by means of a special device, and one that is manual, used for certain types of teas that require a more particular wrapping process and as related to which one shall check each manufactured tea box independently. The equipments and technologies being used come from Romania as far as bulk tea is concerned and in terms of tea bags the machines we use are professional machines coming from Italy. Their emplacement and the know – how in terms of producing the tea bags have been acquired from specialists from Sri Lanka, well known as being the biggest and most acknowledged manufacturers of tea in the whole wide world. However, the mixtures of tea and the recipes stand for 100 % the outcome of our innovation team. The production capacity in terms of bulk teas is 150.000 units on a monthly basis per each work shift, with around 500.000 units on a monthly basis, as a production maximum. In terms of tea bags, the production capacity is 200.000 units on a monthly basis, with a monthly maximum of 450.000 such units. Just as previously mentioned, the mounting of a new device for the bulk teas shall increase our next year productivity by 40 %.
Syrups – as made within the Syrups Department
The category of syrups stands for 9% of the overall company business and it has undergone quite a very good increase in the recent three years; in this particular department we have managed to get some relevant players in this category, in terms of coughing syrups. We use our own preparation recipes and we are renowned for the category of therapeutic syrups since we use fructose which is better assimilated by the human body than sugar. For our syrups preparation we use our own tinctures and extracts that we produce under the Tinctures Department. All relevant devices and installations come from Romania, the production flow and the preparing method being also duly based on our own solutions.
Product categories, manufacturing departments and the technologies, as used The monthly production capacity is 40.000 units per shift. The monthly maximum given the current capacity is 120.000 units. We also plan on extending this department too, in view of doubling the production capacity and the purchase of new equipments for the preparation of mixtures and for labeling purposes. Purchases are budgeted to be accomplished in the second quarter of the following year. Just like in terms of the tinctures department, in this particular department the maceration or evaporation times vary from one plant to another and they may influence productivity.
Juices, nectars and jam – as made in the Food Department
This is a relatively new category in our portfolio, standing for 5 % of our turnover, and it’s only 3 years that we’ve been producing this category of products. Developing such business has come naturally, as a link between food supplements and food products. The company has purchased the building called the Center for the Collection of Forest Fruit in Cristian locality and we began producing juices, nectars and jams made of special fruit such as blue berries, blackberries, raspberries, wild roses, Aronia, black currant, apricots, peaches or cranberries. We stand out on the market since we use grape juice as sweetener, and thus our products are 100% natural, we use no sugar or other such chemical ingredients whatsoever. The pasteurization process is stage based and on a long term basis which fact enables us to provide our clients with a higher validity term than our competition. The equipments we use come from Germany and from Romania, the entire preparing process, including the taking out of kernels takes place within the department. The production capacity is 45.000 units in terms of juices and 20.000 units in terms of jams, on a monthly basis, per one work shift. The production maximum is 130.000 units in terms of natural juices and 50.000 units of jam on a monthly basis. Investments in this department are budgeted for the second half of 2018 when we aim at equipping the plant at its entire capacity and to bring in two new manufacturing and bottling lines. The investment is envisaged to be in the amount of 450.000 Euros.
Therapeutic creams – as made within the Creams department
This is quite a new category which we shall launch at the beginning of 2018, and the kinds of cream we are to produce shall be positioned somewhere under the medium – premium sector. For starters we shall launch 9 types in 4 wrapping forms. Further details are confidential.
The benefits of working with Dacia Plant Dedicated and passionate team, well experienced in terms of production, purchases, products development, partnerships with well renowned scientists and universities, and the company is capable of achieving great things as well as to inspire. The expertise in building a plant of phyto – therapeutic products from scratch (greenfield). Experience in terms of marketing and sales on a market where we have been pioneers, by implementing an authentic working method in terms of clients by means of commercial representatives’ team. Know how in the manufacture of food supplements, as acquired by the company’s self background, as well as from internal studies and researches duly corroborated with the scientific studies in the field. Own plants base, phytotherapeutic research framework, internal plants processing. Products obtained based on self recipes, which are also genuine, innovative and proven to be efficient. A team of specialists in Phytotherapy, medicine and pharmacy, who are well trained, experienced and having innovating ideas. Multiple forms of wrapping and administration, which cover most of the consumption requirements (tablets, tinctures, syrups, teas, therapeutic creams). Fast transfer of knowledge capacity both in the field relating to the selection of plants, the way how one conceives such a recipe for a given product, as well as in terms of the relevant technological process. We have the right specialists to do just that. The selection, processing, production, storage and then sale process regarding the relevant products stands only for a piece of the entire puzzle. We also possess the relevant know – how in terms of this process maintenance, and this is of highly importance in this particular industry. We also possess the experience of developing special partnerships with: - the processors and growers of plants so as to get high quality raw materials; - prestigious institutions for the development of products on a partnership basis; - associations of phyto-therapists for the joint support of various scientific works; - various personalities from the Phytotherapy field, from whom we take over a series of innovating ideas; - our partners by whom we distribute our products on the Romanian markets and abroad. Last but not least, our company has the availability, financial resources, specialists and necessary knowledge to support a long term, complex and challenging project and to make long term investments.