Due to the drop in consumption, Dánica closed its historic Lavallol plant and laid off 150 employees

Golden Danica, the margarine brand of the company with capital from Córdoba Beltran Group, closed its historic plant located in Llavallolin the south of the Province of Buenos Aires, which opened its doors in 1939.

Yes ok the factory stopped its activity in October, when the company anticipated vacations for staff and launched a voluntary retirement plan, now confirmed its definitive closurecon 150 employees laid off. Will outsource production.

Union sources assured that in the last few hours notifications began to arrive to workers with the payment of 50% of the compensationfinanced by the sale of machinery and facilities.

In the telegrams, the company refers to the figure of dismissal with cause “in the terms of article 247 of the Employment Contract Law, in response to the very serious economic situation”, which allows you to pay the 50% of compensation.

In that sense, Dánica referred to a combination of factors that caused this outcome: cost mismatch, high labor costs “due to a union framework that does not correspond and doubles the industry average,” logistical and marketing difficultiesand the deepening sales decline “in an environment of economic recession.”

The plant had already closed, albeit momentarily, in 2020during the pandemic and after several days of union conflicts and separations. It was when Danica requested the crisis preventive procedure.

And in 2023, the firm ceased operations in San Luis. From now on, will keep a dressing plant in the Ferreyra Industrial Park, in Córdoba.

The sector has been facing a decline in sales for years. Also Dánica’s main competitor, Argentine Yeast Company SA (Calsa)had to redefine his business.

Otto Sebastián Bembergmember of the founding family of Quilmes Brewery and Maltingcreated the yeast brand that It had more than 90% of the local market and today it belongs to a multinational group that owns several chains, including the Spanish clothing department store Primark.

Thus, the Bembergs founded Calsa in 1923 and were in charge of it for almost seven decades, until 1992. It was acquired by the Australian Burns Philp for US$ 50 millionwhich in 2004 merged with the British Associated British Foods (ABF).

In the country, operates the business through subsidiary AB Maurifounded that year. At the moment, only sells yeastbut came to market margarines Super y MTK.

Dánica’s story began in 1940with a Danish immigrant. But we had to wait until 1963 for the Lavallol plant, nicknamed ‘Flora Dánica’, to release the first vegetable margarine under the name Dánica.

In the ’70s, the brand’s advertising became a classic. The scene of the girl with two pigtails jumping the rope and repeating the song remained in the popular imagination and was repeated by thousands of Argentines and during school recesses. To the point that the little one was stamped next to the logo.

“Mariana, go to the store on the corner and bring me Dánica Dorada”, the mother asked the girl, who was jumping out to do the errand. On the way, he repeated the request by jumping rope. “Golden Danica, Golden Danica.” When he seemed to forget, he remembered: “It was spreadable, it was spreadable”.

In 2005, the company renewed its entire line of margarines and began to produce foods free of trans fatty acids, without cholesterol and with the addition of essential nutrients and vitamins.

In 2011, the majority shareholding of Dánica passed to the Brazilian group Brasil Foods (BRF).formed by companies Perdigao y she. The purchase of the margarine factory also included the acquisition of the firm Avex for a total amount of $630 million.

But In 2018, BRF divested assets in Argentinawithin the framework of its global restructuring plan, and sold Avex Dánica and its factory to the Beltrán group from Córdobawhich became one of the main players in the country’s meat industry.