Sokołów — 2015 summary

Hard work and commitment of the Sokołów S.A. Group employees and managers throughout 2015 resulted in new products being successfully introduced onto the Polish and foreign markets, almost 100 new jobs being created as a result of a dynamic development, and a 4% YoY sales growth being reported.

40 YEARS OF HISTORY AND PASSION

The year 2015 was a special, but also challenging time for the Sokołów S.A. Group. We have celebrated two important anniversaries — the 40th anniversary of the Sokołów Podlaski branch and the 15th anniversary of the Sokołów S.A. Group. The plant in Sokołów Podlaski is one of the most modern meat processing facilities in Poland. Thanks to large, long-term investments in machinery, it’s now hard to find an equally modern processing plant in Central and Eastern Europe.

This was a year of continuous battles and tough decisions. Like all companies in the industry, we have suffered due to the embargo and ASF outbreak. Although it’s been a long time since the virus has been discovered, we are still unable to export our products to China, Japan or Korea, while the profitable Russian market remains closed for obvious reasons.

DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT AND NEW PRODUCTS

However, the difficult conditions on the global markets did not prevent us from introducing some new, interesting products to our Polish and foreign consumers. Thanks to the great commitment of the Sokołów S.A. Group’s managers and employees, we have increased YoY sales by 4%. This increase in production resulted in almost 100 new jobs within the Group. We have also gained some new export markets, such as Vietnam, Congo or Côte d'Ivoire.

The innovativeness and dynamism of our company has resulted in the development of snacks on the Scandinavian market, experiencing a dynamic growth of sales of our Salamitki (salami snacks). We have optimistic sales forecast for 2016 and we keep introducing different flavour versions to this market. We are successfully implementing the Uczta Qulinarna – Wołowina z Sokołowa (Qulinary Feast — Beef from Sokołów), Sokołowska Spiżarnia (the Sokołów Pantry) and “Naturrino” projects. We are the first and only to introduce to market such innovations, as Beef, Pork, and Chicken Chips with low fat / high protein content. These products are recommended for everyone, but especially for people who care about a balanced diet — they contain no phosphates, sodium glutamate or artificial colourings.

When preparing new products, we think about our consumers, including those with diabetes. We are the partner of the community action Menu for a Diabetic Patient – Meat and Cold Cuts in a Diabetic Diet. Last year we have teamed up with the Coalition Against Diabetes to educate hundreds of Poles on how to prepare balanced and healthy meals.

MORE AND MORE QULINARY FEAST ON POLISH TABLES

A growing beef consumption in Poland is something that we consider Sokołów S.A. Group’s success. It is mostly because of our activities, the extensive promotional and educational project Qulinary Feast — Beef from Sokołów, the Poles saw that beef is not just tasty and healthy, but also easy to prepare. We will continue our engagement in the process of changing consumer awareness and continuously invest in promotional and educational programs, as well as community actions, to convince Poles to eat Polish beef.

We have invested in production lines of burgers, both fresh and frozen. Frozen beef burgers are produced using innovative technology, giving them a unique structure. These products are characterised by their high meat content, for example the Qulinary Feast Premium Burgers contain as much as 99% beef. Our products, such as steaks or tender Pulled Beef are successfully conquering the market. We're going to continue to educate consumers and teach them how to prepare the most exquisite dishes in the easiest way.

We also have interesting, innovative plans for the coming year. We will surprise you with our new product range for 2016. We will invest in and implement development investments focused on creation of new jobs and on putting original products on the market.

Bogusław Miszczuk
President of the Management Board
Sokołów S.A.