Boni Holding

Founded in 1991, Boni Holding SA is today one of the largest companies in the Bulgarian food industry, a leader in pork production and one of the most renowned producers of meat products and delicacies.

The company includes farms for hybrid and pig breeding of productive pigs and one of the most advanced meat processing complexes in Europe, which has technological capabilities to produce an unlimited range of meat products.

Boni Holding is a vertically integrated company that carries out activities at all levels of production: feed production, pig breeding - hybrid, own farms, slaughter, cutting and meat processing.

The development of the pig breeding sector in Boni Holding began in 2000 with the purchase of several pig farms. The main reason for the decision to build and develop our own pig breeding is the unsatisfactory quality of the available meat for industrial processing and a serious shortage of raw materials that the meat processing sector is experiencing at that time.

Today, Boni Holding is the largest pork producer in Bulgaria and the driving force of Bulgarian pig breeding with constant investment activity aimed at improving efficiency and increasing the number of pigs on farms. Currently, 250,000 pure-bred animals are bred in the pig farms of the farms. They are characterized by a very high proportion of tender muscle meat and lower fat substance compared to the traditionally bred breeds in Bulgaria. The closed cycle, which is based on modern genetics, special feed and technology of rearing, guarantees the repeatability and high quality of the reared animals and the high quality of the meat products.

The pig breeding farms are grouped in two pairs, consisting of a multiplying farm and a goods farm. In addition, there is a hybrid center that controls the genetic processes of the animals for the entire Boni Holding pig breeding program. In the reproduction farm the piglets are raised up to a weight of 35 kg and then brought to the farms for fattening. The two tandem farms are located in the regions of grain production in Bulgaria, which enables an effective supply of feed.

The farms, which initially belonged to the Boni Holding group, were populated with the then traditional Bulgarian pig breeds, which are characterized by a high feed turnover, low daily growth and low lean meat content. The combination of these characteristics leads to low effectiveness and insufficient results in the farms. This leads to the decision to start the process of completely changing the genetics of the entire pig population bred on the farms. As a result, in 2001 the holding contacted the leading company in pig genetics - DANBRED.

At present, all pig farms of Boni Holding have animals with Danish genetics. Three purebred lines are used - Landras, Yorkshire and Durok. Fattening pigs are produced by crossing these lines. They are characterized by low feed conversion, high daily growth and high lean meat content. The crossbreeding of the animals is managed by the Hybrid Pig Breeding Center in the city of Shumen, where each purebred animal is registered in the DANBED database and receives a quality certificate from the Danish company.

Within the Boni Holding Group, five pig breeding farms are managed. Each of the pig farms is specialized in a certain stage of the pigs' development.

Feeding is ensured by two feed production facilities located at the Brestak pig breeding farm and the Hybrid Pig Breeding Center in Shumen. Ready-made vitamin-mineral complexes are placed in the feed produced in these workshops. Top class equipment, produced by companies - world leaders in this field, ensures microclimate and feeding. The buildings for raising animals are reconstructed and function under conditions that meet the highest requirements for human care of animals. The live pigs are transported between the farms and the slaughterhouse with own transport.

In the Hybrid Pig Breeding Center in the city of Shumen the whole cycle of pig breeding is completed, i.e. 1,500 sows, 37,000 piglets and the relevant number of fattened pigs are produced annually. The center maintains its own feed workshop where purchased grain and ready-made vitamin-mineral complexes have the possibility to produce feed for the needs of the pig breeding farm.

The Brestak pig breeding farm can produce 2,700 sows and 67,000 piglets up to 35 kg. The animals from this pig breeding farm are brought to the Nikola Kozlevo pig breeding farm for fattening. Next to the farm there is a workshop for the production of ready vitamin-mineral complexes with a capacity of 5 tons/hour and a feed workshop for the production of compound feed with a capacity of 15 tons/hour and a silo for the preservation of 7,500 tons of grain.

In the Nikola Kozlevo pig breeding farm 67,000 pigs are fattened annually. The piglets are transported from the pig breeding farm in Brestak.
In the Krumovo Gradishte pig farm 1,800 sows and 45,000 piglets weighing up to 35 kg are kept. The piglets are then taken to the Cimen pig farm for fattening.
In the Zimen pig breeding farm 45,000 pigs are fattened annually. The piglets are transported from the pig farm in Krumovo Gradishte.

The meat processing activities of Boni Holding are concentrated in the cities of Lovech and Karlovo. Boni Holding's investments in the two production centers amount to over 20 million euros.

The production center in Lovech represents a company that includes an industrial cutting plant, a factory for the production of salami and delicacies and a factory for the production of meat preparations (meat cuts, minced meat, raw sausage and semi-finished products). Due to their proximity, the three meat processing plants in Lovech form a highly efficient production complex. It has an adjoining cold store with a total area of 1,923 m², a boiler station and a local water treatment plant for waste water. The buildings are constructed of metal profiles. The surrounding wall elements are filled with heat and sound insulating layers. From a functional point of view, the production blocks are separated into reception area, processing area and dispatch area with their technologically isolated premises and cooling areas.

Due to the latest requirements for the production of safe and high quality food, a controlled hygiene block is formed and available for the personnel. In terms of placement, the buildings are arranged in such a way that entrances and exits are controlled. In 2007, the Lovech production complex was awarded the prestigious national "Building of the Year" prize in the "Industrial Building" category.

The meat processing company of Boni Holding in Karlovo specializes in the production of raw sausages and delicacies. The greatest wealth of the Karlovo Meat Processing Plant are drying chambers, where the products are dried, matured and under the influence of the unique microflora they retain their taste qualities. Several strains of lactic acid bacteria have been bred in Karlovo's drying chambers in recent years, a combination not found anywhere else in the world. Due to the specific climatic conditions, preserved tradition and the use of the most modern equipment for meat processing, the products of the Karlovo factory are distinguished by their unique quality and taste.

Slaughter is organized in such a way that the animals can be used optimally and the requirements for humane treatment of animals are met. Slaughtering takes place in a partner slaughterhouse in the city of Targovishte under the direct control of the specialists of Boni Holding. The outsourced production ensures the monthly slaughter of 8,000 pigs and the direct delivery of the finished production to the meat processing company of the holding and its customers. The pork produced is of consistently high quality. The secured supply of pigs from the own production at the entrance guarantees their homogeneity, which ensures optimal industrialization and optimization of processes in the subsequent stages of meat processing.

Boni Holding is currently designing its own industrial high-tech slaughterhouse, located on the outskirts of the city of Lovech, which should contribute to an additional increase in the efficiency of meat processing. The abattoir is expected to provide slaughterhouse capacity of 1,200 animals per day or an equivalent production of approximately 100 tons of carcass meat per day. The planned investment amounts to BGN 10 million and is expected to employ 100 additional people.

The pork carcasses are cut at the Boni Holding industrial cutting plant, which is part of the production complex in the city of Lovech. It has a total area of 2,965 m² and a production capacity for the cutting of 1,200 pigs per day. The cutting plant produces the full range of meat products for retail and industrial preparation (pork and veal), raw materials for production and sub-products. Due to its strategic position in the center of Bulgaria and the security of raw materials, the cutting company can ensure regular deliveries of fresh meat for its customers throughout the country due to its own pig production.

The production of salami and delicacies is divided between meat factories in the cities of Lovech and Karlovo.

The meat processing company in Lovech has a total building area of 8,870 m² and a production capacity of 50 tons of finished product per day. The product range includes: raw products, cooked smoked salami, cooked smoked delicacies, cooked products, hams, pies. Technologically the company is equipped for the production of all kinds of meat products that need to be cured, smoked and cooked.

The Boni Holding meat processing plant in the city of Karlovo specializes in the production of raw sausages and delicacies. The factory in Karlovo is the only meat processing company that has the right to produce the "Karlovska Lukanka", which is famous in Bulgaria. Positioned in the luxury price segment, it is the most popular brand and the quality standard for the raw sausage market in Bulgaria. Its unique taste is based on the combination of selected fresh meat, natural spices and the secret recipe passed down from generation to generation. No enzymes are used for maturing, as this is done naturally under the influence of the specific microflora. This is developed in the drying chambers of the Karlovo Meat Processing Plant under the influence of the unique geographical location of Karlovo and the centuries-old traditional production. In 2009, the production capacity of the existing company was expanded with the construction and commissioning of a second curing plant. This increased the total building area to 10,000 m² and the capacity for the production of raw materials to 10 tons of finished product per day.

Within Boni Holding there is a company specialized in the production of meat preparations (meat and sausage products, raw sausage and semi-finished products). The specialized factory for the production of these product groups is part of "Mesokombinat Lovech" SA and is located in the same production complex in the city of Lovech. It has modern technological equipment and effectively organized production process with separate functionally isolated production halls: a hall for mechanical processing of meat; a hall for forming with automated and highly productive machines; a hall for thermal treatment where two modern roasting lines operate; a packaging hall with equipment for various packaging of meat products and a hall for marking of finished production.

The company covers a total area of 3,925 m², has its own shipping ramp and a production capacity of 40 tons of finished product per day.

Boni - The corporate and main product brand of Boni Holding. The brand was established at the beginning of the nineties of the last century and is one of the oldest in the modern Bulgarian history. It is well known and preferred by thousands of Bulgarians. It is positioned in the middle and upper price segment and includes meat products from all product groups. The brand is represented nationally and the products can be found in all national retail chains as well as in the smaller stores of traditional trade.

Chichovci - The brand is competitively positioned in the mid-price segment and offers a complete range of meat products and minced meat in paper packaging of very good quality at a competitive price. The brand will be launched at the beginning of 2009 with the idea of offering an alternative in the group of mass-produced and affordable products to the company's dealers serving the items of traditional trade. Chichovci brand products are not intended for sale in national retail chains and can be found only in traditional trade.

Petak - Petak was released for trade at the beginning of 2012 and is one of the newest brands in Boni Holding's portfolio. With a strategy of price leadership, the brand positions itself in the lowest price segment of the market. Within this framework, key and mass meat products from the main product categories are offered under this brand with good quality and at an aggressively low price. The products with the Petak brand are intended exclusively for the traditional trade.

Trade chain brands - Vitalend, Vitamins, Chorbadjiysko meze, Bolina, Meldi, Mesni Izkushenia, Gotovo, Svejo.