BELLA Food Company

Bella Food Company started its operations in 1997 and is today the largest food producer in Bulgaria and a leading representative of the food industry in Southeast Europe. Bella has trading structures in Greece and Romania. The portfolio includes a wide range of food products of consistent quality at competitive prices. The products are found among consumers in Europe, Australia, America and the Middle East.

Bella's corporate mission - to offer better products at better prices - clearly shows that, based on the business development of the food company, the customer is the focus of attention. Looking for answers to the consumers' expectations, Bella launched for the first time on the Bulgarian market a range of bakery products and developed a comprehensive portfolio of products under special recipes for various markets around the world (bakery products, dairy products, meat products and products of fat).

1997-1999 - Starting with innovations
Bella introduced the product puff pastry to the Bulgarian market for the first time. This was followed by a development of the production of bakery products with filo pastry and prepared pies with different sizes and fillings.

2000-2005 - Rich portfolio of bakery products and margarines
Bella entered the fat products market and expanded its portfolio by offering margarines with different fat contents, spreadable products, edible oil and frying oil.
A strong distribution network was established in Bulgaria, with 20 branches throughout the country. Direct deliveries were made daily to 12,000 points of sale (retail chains and small stores).

2006-2009 - premiere on the European market with a complete portfolio of food and logistics services
Bella began to offer its products on the European and other foreign markets and to build its commercial structure in Romania (Unibel Nord).
In Bulgaria, BELLA entered the meat processing industry and developed a complete portfolio of meat products - perishable and prepared salami, lucanka, raw dried and cooked, smoked delicacies, minced meat and formed minced meat products.
Bella created the largest logistics base in the Balkans for storage and distribution of food products in Bulgaria and abroad.
Gradually, the HoReCa (Professional Food) business developed into a preferred partner in the industry.

2010-2015 - Focus on nutrition and sustainable development
Bella developed a distribution network in Greece (Unibel Food Hellas).
In Bulgaria, Bella launched the first series of functional children's meat products (Sachi for Kids) and products with reduced salt and fat content (Sachi Good for You).
It established its own corporate university, the Bella Academy, which provides training for people directly or indirectly involved in the holding's activities, as well as special training and scholarship programs for students and young professionals in the food industry.
As one of the largest corporate donors, Bella was involved in the establishment of the Bulgarian Food Bank.
Bella penetrated the markets in America, Australia and the Middle East.

Bella (Bulgaria) is the perfect business partner in the food industry in Southeast Europe. It brings together leading companies and brands, products and services that offer the best value for money. The portfolio includes more than 200 products (bakery products, meat products, margarine & oils, cheese and yellow cheeses), which are produced in nine processing plants under own and private brands.

Vision
The company believes that the basis of a successful business is development through synergy of activities and integrity of employees.

Mission
Offering top products at fair prices.

Values
Professional approach - Bella strictly adheres to the highest standards in the entire process of its business. They are a team of people with many years of professional experience, who are committed to quality. They focus on the expectations of customers and consumers.

Friendliness - They are a role model company in the communities where they live and work.

Welfare of customers, employees, shareholders and society - Bella is a financially sound organization, rich in people and knowledge, with a developed infrastructure and global expertise in various areas of business and corporate governance.

Care for nature - The company uses modern clean technologies. Bella is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of its manufacturing and logistics operations by increasing the efficiency of the energy and water used.

The products in Bella's portfolio are manufactured in nine factories with a production capacity of 350 tons per day. Their equipment meets the highest international technological standards.
In order to guarantee the quality and safety of its products, BELLA works according to the latest European technologies with high-tech equipment, automated and with restricted access for people. The work on the hygiene standards of the company began at the planning stage of the companies.
Systems for control and monitoring of quality and safety HACCP, ISO 9001, ISO 22000, IFS were introduced.

The incoming raw materials come from regulated suppliers and guarantee their origin and purity. The raw materials are packed in secure containers and shipped with special refrigerated transport. For each batch of raw materials an organoleptic control is performed - color, smell, impurities, etc. Control checks of physico-chemical and microbiological properties of incoming raw materials are carried out in an accredited laboratory.
FoodScan is the physico-chemical laboratory of BELLA, which is mainly used for meat processing. It is used for testing raw materials as well as semi-finished and finished products with minimal sample preparation by determining the content of fat, protein, collagen, water and salt. FoodScan can process 70 samples per hour. The speed of research allows for quick and accurate adjustment and improvement of the production process if necessary.

The products are regularly tested in accredited Bulgarian and European laboratories.The most modern packaging methods and materials with barrier properties are used, where the quality of the product is maintained and protected from environmental influences.
When manufacturing and labelling its products, BELLA strictly observes the Bulgarian and European legislation and guarantees quality and awareness to its consumers. The main principle of the company is to introduce innovations in food production in response to the high expectations of its customers at home and abroad.

Every day BELLA's products reach over 12,000 points of sale in Bulgaria (warehouses, retail chains and stores) and in some European countries. The distribution is carried out by Fresh Logic.
The central location in central Bulgaria allows flexible deliveries under special temperature control to all parts of the country.

The company has a fleet of more than 100 refrigerated vehicles with a payload from 1 to 20 tons and a temperature range of refrigerated trucks from 0 to -20 degrees. It is the only company in Bulgaria that offers cross-docking service for the transport of chilled and frozen products.
BELLA's largest customers include international and Bulgarian retail chains such as Metro, Kaufland, Billa, Lidl, Carrefour, Fantastico, Piccadilly, T-Market, CBA, etc.

The logistics of the products from the BELLA portfolio is managed by Fresh Logic. The company has the largest logistics center in the Balkans with a cold and deep-freeze warehouse with a total area of 5,130 square meters.
The logistics base has a modern and unique robotized and certified warehouse, which operates at temperatures from -20 to +4 degrees.
The warehouse operations are mainly automated and controlled by high-tech software.
Development and implementation of reliable procedures and engineering processes in the cold store, which ensure the safe implementation of the agreed conditions and obligations to the customers.

BELLA supplies all summer and winter resorts and customers in all regions of Bulgaria. The product catalog of Bella Bulgaria includes 3 product lines.

The pastry portfolio includes a wide range of puff pastry, pastries and pies with sweet and savory delicacies to satisfy even the most demanding tastes and preferences. Puff pastry is light and flaky, prepared with several layers of fat and is used for delicious puff pastry pies. Filo pastry made of unleavened flour dough, typical of the taste of the Balkans and Middle Eastern cuisine. Suitable for the preparation of layered, folded, rolled or crimped cakes, snacks and baklava. In-store bakery solution - Crispy pastries made of pastry or puff pastry and delicious filling with a new, healthier recipe.

BELLA Food Company offers a wide range of processed meat products - frankfurters, sausages, minced meat, cooked salami, bacon salami, lucanka, sucuk, cooked smoked delicacies, raw dried salami, raw dried delicacies.

Mandra Rilci EOOD was founded in 2001 and is currently one of the leading milk producers in Bulgaria. The production plant is located in the area with the highest agricultural production potential in Bulgaria - Dobrudza. The milk used in the cheeses comes exclusively from selected and EU-compliant farms, which guarantee the premium quality of our products. The total area of the facilities is 52 800 m2. The production capacity of the factory is 8 600 tons of finished product per year. The entire production process is organized according to EU regulations and certified according to IFS.

Bulgarian white cheese in brine and yellow cheese made according to traditional recipes are the main products of the portfolio. All products, produced under own or private labels, are offered as cow, sheep, goat or mixed milk and are currently distributed worldwide. The available packages are vacuum packs, PVC boxes or iron cans in different sizes and shapes.

Bella Academy is the corporate university. The company has developed it in response to business needs and the ever faster evolving world of well-trained employees who are constantly developing and improving their skills.
An outstanding university diploma is no longer a guarantee of successful development of professional skills. The goal of Bella Academy is to develop a professional team to achieve business and entrepreneurial goals.
The Bella Academy has three directions: In-house training for internal teams, external training for partners and training for young professionals - scholarship programs, master classes and practices at BELLA production facilities.

Internal training courses
As one of the largest employers in Bulgaria, Food Holding of Bella has been developing training programs for its teams for years. The investment in additional training has proven to be effective: Employees improve their results, achieve their goals more easily, improve and develop personal skills they were unaware of, limit staff turnover and increase the level of support the company receives from its employees.

The Bella Academy offers training in sales and popular topics such as soft skills - leadership, team management, stress prevention, assertiveness, communication skills, change management, relationship management, time and priority management, etc. The aim of all trainings is to meet the needs of employees to develop knowledge and skills in a real working environment and according to their characteristics. The instructors and tutors are committed to the idea of providing more targeted training that can deliver the greatest possible benefits.

External trainings
The company's educational project has developed into an innovative business solution that provides additional benefits for both trainees and business partners.
At the Bella Academy, partner companies and organizations have the opportunity to benefit from specially designed training courses or new programs developed for their specific needs, which are tailored to the specific needs of the company and its employees.

Bella Academy offers training in the areas of sales and popular topics such as soft skills - leadership, team management, stress prevention, assertiveness, communication skills, change management, relationship management, time and priority management, etc. to meet the needs of employees and develop knowledge and skills in a real work environment and according to their characteristics. The instructors and tutors are committed to the idea of providing more targeted training that can deliver the greatest possible benefits.

Students
The Bella Academy is a continuation of the holding company's policy of creating a direct link between science and business in the country through the exchange of experience and joint initiatives. Partners of Bella Academy are the University of Food Technologies (UFT Plovdiv) and the University of National and World Economy (UNWE).

Internship Programs
The Bella Academy offers summer and year-round internship programs that help young people find their way in the world of work. Bella offers internships in a variety of fields - finance, accounting, marketing, information technology, export, production, corporate communications, and others. Interns in the company not only become part of a real work environment, they are also trained by highly qualified experts with international experience. They take part in various company projects and undergo various in-house trainings. At the end of the internship, the interns receive a job offer depending on the results displayed and the available positions.

Practices
The processing factories become university halls for practical training every year. The specialized program to support young professionals in the food industry facilitates access to the real production environment. Students have the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with R&D experts, the leading experts in the field of technology and innovation in the food industry, to learn the most advanced production methods and the know-how that will help them gain a comprehensive knowledge of the nature of business processes.

Scholarships
The Bella Academy initiated the first scholarships for students in the food industry in Bulgaria. Competitions are held on an annual basis and the three best students receive a cash prize and the opportunity for an internship at BELLA.

Trainings
The Bella Academy offers a range of training courses in various professional fields, as well as seminars, workshops and open lectures with the participation of the Holding's management - professionals with international experience and knowledge in various fields.