P.A.N. FOOD BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
It is the unit that connects P.A.N. with the food service sector, food and industrial entrepreneurs and the HORECA channel.
P.A.N. is a brand of pre-cooked corn meal and corn-based products, with a presence in more than 100 countries and with more than 60 years in the market; it belongs to Empresas Polar, a company of Venezuelan origin with more than 80 years with a deep social commitment, respect for its principles and values, and that believes that great things are achieved with work and effort as a base.
In P.A.N. Food Business Solutions our main objective is to identify, design, offer and execute business solutions to entrepreneurs who focus on the sale and preparation of global meals made with P.A.N., either in establishments, mobile businesses or in the industrial area.
A little more about our origin
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THE FIRST CORN PROCESSING PLANT
Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero, son of Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury, built a corn processing plant in Turmero, Venezuela, to replace imported ingredients, and locally process the corn needed for brewing the popular Polar beer.
This first plant would later become Alimentos Polar and would mark the beginning of the production of P.A.N. corn meal.
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THE CREATION OF P.A.N. CORN MEAL
On December 10, 1960, P.A.N. pre-cooked corn meal was launched. This product developed by Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero and Carlos Roubicek, who took advantage of their corn processing plant to create a product that would allow Venezuelans to process, in a simple and practical way, the corn dough needed to prepare arepas daily. The flour was designed to simplify the manual processes of cleaning, grinding, drying and milling the corn.
The product had to bear a name that represented the idea of a “Venezuelan bread” or “pan” in Spanish. It was thus that the name P.A.N. was born, acronym for Productos Alimenticios Nacionales (National Food Products).
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FIRST INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE
On November 4, 1996, the internationalization of P.A.N pre-cooked corn meal took place when Empresas Polar formalized a strategic alliance with the company Productos del Maíz (Promasa) in order to market P.A.N. in Colombia. This was the first foreign market to which P.A.N. corn meal was introduced.
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NEW INNOVATIVE BLENDS
In addition to traditional corn flours, the brand presented a broader line of corn flour blend, including the "extra soft white blend", made from corn and rice flour, and the "whole wheat blend", which contains cornmeal and oatmeal along with corn bran.
Currently, the brand offers a versatile range of corn flours and is expanding its product portfolio to adapt to various requirements and cultures.
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ALLIANCE WITH ANTOJOS ARAGUANEY IN SPAIN
At the beginning of 2020, the alliance between the Rodríguez-Marín family and Empresas Polar was consolidated, which made it possible to increase distribution capacity and market penetration in Europe and Asia by introducing new brands and products in large retail chains such as Carrefour, El Corte Inglés, Costco Wholesale, Alcampo and Makro.
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NEW IMAGE, NEW PRODUCTS
Empresas Polar introduced to the market a new range of new frozen and ready-to-heat products under the trade name “P.A.N. Snack On”. This proposal represents the incursion into a new stage of production and distribution, satisfying the needs of new markets, which will contribute to refreshing the corporate identity. Likewise, it revealed the new image of its P.A.N. pre-cooked corn meal packaging within the framework of the celebration for its 60th anniversary a fresh and modern design that has been received with great pleasure by consumers.
1954
HE FIRST CORN PROCESSING PLANT
Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero, son of Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury, built a corn processing plant in Turmero, Venezuela, to replace imported ingredients, and locally process the corn needed for brewing the popular Polar beer.
This first plant would later become Alimentos Polar and would mark the beginning of the production of P.A.N. corn meal.
1960
THE CREATION OF P.A.N. CORN MEAL
On December 10, 1960, P.A.N. pre-cooked corn meal was launched. This product developed by Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero and Carlos Roubicek, who took advantage of their corn processing plant to create a product that would allow Venezuelans to process, in a simple and practical way, the corn dough needed to prepare arepas daily. The flour was designed to simplify the manual processes of cleaning, grinding, drying and milling the corn.
The product had to bear a name that represented the idea of a “Venezuelan bread” or “pan” in Spanish. It was thus that the name P.A.N. was born, acronym for Productos Alimenticios Nacionales (National Food Products).
1996
FIRST INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE
On November 4, 1996, the internationalization of P.A.N pre-cooked corn meal took place when Empresas Polar formalized a strategic alliance with the company Productos del Maíz (Promasa) in order to market P.A.N. in Colombia. This was the first foreign market to which P.A.N. corn meal was introduced.
2003
NEW INNOVATIVE BLENDS
In addition to traditional corn flours, the brand presented a broader line of corn flour blend, including the “extra soft white blend”, made from corn and rice flour, and the “whole wheat blend”, which contains cornmeal and oatmeal along with corn bran.
Currently, the brand offers a versatile range of corn flours and is expanding its product portfolio to adapt to various requirements and cultures.
2020
ALLIANCE WITH ANTOJOS ARAGUANEY IN SPAIN
At the beginning of 2020, the alliance between the Rodríguez-Marín family and Empresas Polar was consolidated, which made it possible to increase distribution capacity and market penetration in Europe and Asia by introducing new brands and products in large retail chains such as Carrefour, El Corte Inglés, Costco Wholesale, Alcampo and Makro.
2021
NEW IMAGE, NEW PRODUCTS
Empresas Polar introduced to the market a new range of new frozen and ready-to-heat products under the trade name “P.A.N. Snack On”. This proposal represents the incursion into a new stage of production and distribution, satisfying the needs of new markets, which will contribute to refreshing the corporate identity. Likewise, it revealed the new image of its P.A.N. pre-cooked corn meal packaging within the framework of the celebration for its 60th anniversary a fresh and modern design that has been received with great pleasure by consumers.
