November 11, 2025. Sântimbru, Alba. TRANSAVIA, Romania’s poultry market leader and one of the most reputable family-owned businesses with 100% Romanian capital, is expanding its unique, fully integrated business model with its own facilities by adding a new line of business: pet food production. The new division marks a strategic milestone in the company’s development and naturally complements the integrated model that defines the TRANSAVIA brand, adding a new dimension to sustainability and resource optimization, „from grain to fork”, and now “to bowl”.

”We are entering an important strategic stage that will allow us to continue our mission of doing things the right way and offering safe, high-quality products. For us, expanding into pet food is not a change of direction, but a natural continuation of our way of working, responsibly, correctly, and with care for everything around us”, says Ioan Popa, President and Founder of TRANSAVIA. ”We have always chosen not to waste anything and to turn resources into value. Now we do the same, offering high-quality products for the four-legged members of families. This new division in our 100% integrated model allows us to ensure that every part of the chicken is used efficiently, avoiding by-product waste and reducing food loss. Parts of the chicken that are not preferred by consumers or not destined for human consumption, yet perfectly suitable and nutritious for animal food, together with other carefully selected ingredients, will be processed into nutritious, safe, high-quality food for dogs and cats.”

The record investment, EUR 150 million, is entirely funded from the company’s own resources through reinvested profit, representing the largest entrepreneurial initiative of its kind in the region. With a built area of 65,000 m² (the equivalent of nine FIFA-size football fields), the new factory will produce enough food to feed over 11 million dogs and cats each year, offering a varied range of dry and wet products scientifically formulated by expert teams to ensure optimal nutrition for pets of all ages and breeds. Strategically located in Ciugud, Alba County, near the A10 Sebeș–Turda highway, the plant will be the largest pet food production facility in Romania and one of the biggest and most modern in Europe. At the beginning of next year, TRANSAVIA will start installing equipment, followed by line testing and process calibration, with full production set to begin in the second half of 2026.

”This expansion is not simply an investment in a factory; it is an investment in the sustainable future of an economy that can and must create high-value products,”  says Ioan Popa. “We expect this investment to generate lasting prosperity in local communities, acting as a catalyst for economic and social development by stimulating local businesses, strengthening supplier and partner networks, and creating new jobs. Within 2–3 years of launching sales, we aim to increase our EBITDA from more than EUR 100 million today to around EUR 250 million, with a significant contribution from this new division.

 

Sustainably designed, with low environmental footprint and high efficiency

Aligned with TRANSAVIA’s Zero Waste Policy, the new pet food factory will operate at high efficiency, being fully automated, digitized, and robotized. The production platform will feature energy, steam, and hot-water recovery systems to optimize consumption. Photovoltaic panels with 12 MWp total installed capacity, equivalent to the annual electricity use of about 5,000 households, together with energy-storage systems, will maximize renewable energy usage. The facility will include high-performance filters and its own wastewater treatment plant, and all in-plant handling will be performed by electric, zero-emission equipment.

The new TRANSAVIA factory will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology enabling automated processes, real-time monitoring, strict quality control, and efficient resource use throughout production.
Fully digitized, automated, and robotized, the plant will operate a continuous flow, from production and packaging to logistics, ensuring international competitiveness. The line will automatically feed itself with the required raw materials, packaging, labels, and printing inks, performing efficiently up to palletization. The warehouse will feature advanced automation, including robotic carts that autonomously transport products and even conduct inventory counts.

The supply chain is designed for short routes, avoiding unnecessary transport and maximizing synergies with TRANSAVIA’s core business. The facility will use fresh, high-quality raw materials sourced from TRANSAVIA’s own farms and processed animal proteins produced in the company’s own protein-meal plant, the largest in Romania, as well as cereals grown by its Vegetal Division on approximately 10,000 hectares. To increase efficiency and operational independence, the investment also includes a fully automated in-house unit for metal-can production, integrated into the factory’s technological flow.

Through this significant investment, TRANSAVIA will contribute directly to the state budget through taxes and duties, while strengthening local economies by integrating regional producers into a sustainable, high-performance ecosystem. The company will also provide guidance and consultancy to help local partners consistently deliver raw materials at the required quality level, supporting the long-term prosperity of local communities.

At the same time, the project will help rebalance Romania’s agri-food trade deficit by bringing innovation, local value, and quality to the pet food sector, a market valued at over EUR 1 billion in 2024 (Euromonitor), up nearly 10% year-on-year.

”We have observed growing demand for high-quality products in this sector, alongside a lack of local production capacity, Our expertise in production and distribution allows us to add significant value to the Romanian pet food market. This investment represents a strategic step in diversifying our operations by adding a new interconnected link to our 100% integrated business model and strengthening our regional position. We aim to enter the top 10 global pet food producers, while maintaining the high standards of quality and sustainability that define TRANSAVIA. This cutting-edge facility will have a lasting economic impact, reinforcing Romania’s position as a global player and promoting Romanian-made pet food products that are nutritious, tasty, and sustainable”, explains Theodora Popa-Liteanu, Vice President of TRANSAVIA.

 

“Made the Right Way”: from our family to yours, for people and their pets

The new business line extends TRANSAVIA’s promise, “Made the Right Way”, to the four-legged members of the extended family. With over 34 years of experience in the food industry, TRANSAVIA is transferring its expertise in quality, safety, and sustainability management to a new market segment, aiming to redefine end-to-end production standards in the pet food industry.
Products will be scientifically developed, using fresh, premium-quality ingredients, tailored to the nutritional needs of dogs and cats, ensuring their health and wellbeing and fully complying with EU regulations.

”Wherever the TRANSAVIA brand appears, it stands for quality and safety. Our consumers everywhere trust us to keep our promises and never compromise on these priorities. “For this new segment as well, we will apply the strictest quality and safety standards, using advanced technologies and rigorous testing to ensure every product meets the highest benchmarks. Just as in our core business, we will always put the needs and preferences of consumers, this time dogs, cats, and their owners, at the centre of product development. We are confident that the four-legged members of the extended family will love our new products just as much as people love TRANSAVIA’s”, adds Theodora Popa-Liteanu, Vice President TRANSAVIA.

TRANSAVIA is Romania’s leading poultry producer and one of its most prominent family-owned businesses, operating the Fragedo and Papane brands. With 100% Romanian capital, the company is one of the country’s largest taxpayers and employers, with around 2,300 employees.  TRANSAVIA is the only major regional producer that controls its entire value chain, from grain cultivation to finished product delivery, ensuring full traceability and consistent quality. All chickens come exclusively from its own farms (breeding, hatching, and rearing) and are processed only in company-owned facilities.

Each year, across eight counties, TRANSAVIA’s farms, slaughterhouses, and processing plant produce over 120,000 tonnes of poultry meat, meeting the highest international standards of quality and food safety, certified by leading global authorities. About 30% of production is exported to European and other international markets.

Over more than 34 years, TRANSAVIA has continuously invested in modernization and state-of-the-art technology, adopting innovation as a source of sustainable growth and long-term predictability.

According to Euromonitor 2024, Romania has over 4.2 million dogs (9th in Europe) and 4.4 million cats (10th in Europe). The Romanian pet food market exceeded EUR 1 billion (RON 4.93 billion) in 2024, up 9.7% vs 2023, with 63% dog food and 37% cat food. Less than 3% of pet food sold through modern retail in Romania is currently produced domestically.