HISTORY

MORE THAN 63 YEARS OF TRADITION

OUR HISTORY

P.A.N. SINCE 1960

The P.A.N. brand was born in 1960 in Venezuela thanks to the creation of pre-cooked corn meal that restored the traditional way of preparing arepas. Today it is a global brand with a growing portfolio that includes corn meal, mixes, frozen foods, sauces and spreads, and other foods.

Today, this brand can be found in more than 100 countries around the world.

1954

THE FIRST CORN MEAL PROCESSING PLANT

Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero, son of Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury, built a corn processing plant in Turmero, Venezuela, to replace imported ingredients and process locally the corn needed to brew 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

CREATION OF P.A.N. CORN MEAL

On December 10, 1960, P.A.N. corn meal was launched on the market. A product developed by Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero, Carlos Roubicek and a group of collaborators, all visionaries at the time, 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 on a daily basis. The corn meal was designed to simplify the manual processes of cleaning, milling, drying and grinding.

The product had to bear a name that would represent the idea of a "Venezuelan bread" or "pan" in Spanish. That is how the name P.A.N., which stands for "Productos Alimenticios Nacionales" (National Food Products), was born.

1963

NEW PRODUCTION PLANT

After the launching of P.A.N. corn meal in 1960, the production needs for precooked corn meal increased exponentially, so the need to build a new plant came up to supply the production that from the beginning was assumed by Planta Turmero. This was the foundation of Planta Chivacoa, in the state of Yaracuy, Venezuela.

2000

NEW INNOVATIVE MIXES

Beginning in the year 2000, the P.A.N. brand portfolio began to grow with the introduction of specialized products and mixes for the preparation of traditional Venezuelan recipes, for example, frying mixes, for cachapas, sweet arepitas, corn and rice mixes, whole wheat mixes, among others.

2014

P.A.N. CORNMEAL PRODUCTION BEGINS IN THE UNITED STATES

The production of food products in the United States began with the setting up of the International Grains and Cereal (IGC) plant, located in Greenville, Texas. From this facility, local markets are supplied and exports are made to a large number of countries.

2020

ALIMENTOS POLAR SPAIN WAS BORN

Alimentos Polar established in Spain, with a portfolio of frozen products typical of the Venezuelan cuisine, to which P.A.N. corn meal joins, as well as other products with Venezuelan brands of great recognition. Alimentos Polar Europe is also established to directly serve our customers and consumers in that continent.

2021

NEW IMAGE

As part of the 60th anniversary celebration, the emblematic P.A.N. brand precooked corn meal renewed its identity and packaging. This rebranding preserved the iconic elements and presented an aesthetic that shows the company's evolution and growth in the domestic and global markets.