Classic or filled croissants, cherry or raisin snails, pain au chocolat and rolls with ham and cheese – these are some of the Panadero brand frozen products, which you can cook quickly and easily right in your kitchen, with an authentic and aromatic taste , where pastry chefs from Moldova and Europe worked. More recently, Panadero desserts can be served in a splendid location, right in the heart of Chisinau, inaugurated with the financial support offered by Microinvest. How they managed to create the perfect Moldovan frozen croissant recipe, but also what other special products we can find at Panadero, find out in this article.
baker
baker
Panadero – from idea to success. How did you get started and what do you do today?
I am not a professional pastry chef or chef, but I am a good visionary of business ideas that will come to life. After a visit to my sister in Italy, I was impressed by how tasty home-baked frozen croissants can be. Soft, fluffy and with such a refined taste. It was those croissants that inspired us to produce them in Moldova. At the beginning, we produced and delivered baked croissants for HoReCa, they were highly requested and appreciated by numerous restaurants, hotels and bars, to which, in addition to quality pastries, we also offered training on how to cook them correctly. Most of them, over time, have become our loyal customers. At the same time, we perfected our frozen croissant recipe and launched in retail, under the Panadero brand. And from 2023 we are physically present in the historical center of Chisinau – our soul location.
What is the secret of frozen pastry? How did you manage to create the perfect croissant recipe?
It is not easy to create a croissant recipe. In fact, it’s one of the most complicated recipes. You have to create the perfect consistency not only in taste and shape, but also that will keep well in the freezer. It took us a lot of time, trials and dedication to get the croissant taste we wanted. Initially we thought of bringing a pastry chef from another country, as everyone does, but still we wanted to increase our Moldovans. Together with the Panadero pastry chefs we went to several trainings in Germany, France and Italy, also European chefs came to us, to finally create the recipe for our delicious croissants that everyone can cook and taste. The secret is in the raw products, the well-crafted consistency, the love and work put in by the whole team.
How popular are semi-prepared foods these days? What special desserts can we find in your chic patisserie in the center of Chisinau?
Much appreciated. In our modern pace of life, when time is so precious, semi-finished products are a good solution and a delight for householders and housewives. In just 20 minutes you can cook croissants, snails or rolls, which will fill your kitchen with flavor. In the Panadero patisserie, we wanted to bring both classic products and special desserts. For example, customers can taste fresh croissants in the assortment, lavender eclair, pistachio cheesecake, caramelized pear and gorgonzola cheesecake and even the famous San Sebastian dessert. All are made on site, every morning, by our talented pastry chefs. In addition to pastries, we also have several items on the menu for all meals of the day, from breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were very well received by the locals and those who work in this area. They said that they wanted a place like this here for a long time. And here we are.
baker
baker
About the support of Microinvest and the importance of responsible investments in the development of a business.
To create a good and up-to-date product, you need knowledge, experience and, of course, high-performance machines. At Panadero we still make artisan pastries, however we need high performance kneading and rolling devices. We also need large investments when opening a location. For these situations, it is very important to have good partners with you, such as Microinvest. We have a beautiful collaboration, right from the first business credit which I took. They are responsive, operative and understanding. For entrepreneurs, these qualities are highly valued, otherwise it is difficult to stay on the market. We will certainly collaborate in the following projects from our list of goals, because we have many beautiful ones.
What new locations and desserts do you plan to add to the Panadero business “menu”?
We’re very happy that it’s only been a few months since we opened, but people are already asking us when and where we’re opening the next location. This makes us dream of a network of Panadero patisseries in all areas of the city, and in the future why not, maybe also in the regions. Of course we will continue to improve our products and recipes, to create new desserts, both fresh and frozen. We love what we are doing at the moment and how much we are appreciated by the public means we are doing it well. Of course there are also challenges in business, we also faced and are facing the lack of staff, identifying suppliers for raw products, more unstable or crisis periods, these only make us stronger and more confident to continue our beautiful idea with I started. Especially since we have reliable partners with us, such as Microinvest.
*Microinvest is the only non-bank lending organization in Moldova, which adheres to international principles of customer protection. They involve a responsible and transparent lending process, based on a fair, respectful and fair approach to customer service.
