Sept / Oct 2016 | Business View Caribbean

114 September 2016 - Business View Caribbean Business View Caribbean - September 2016 115 Grupo Bocel Pasta and more Grupo Bocel consists of two large companies: Indus- trial Dominicana, a manufacturer of pasta products, and Cibao Valley Mills, a maker of flour for the bak- ing of cookies and biscuits. Industrial Dominicana was founded in the early 1960s by Bolivar Reynoso Dajer and Doña Celeste Fernandez de Reynoso, who noticed a shortage of pasta products in the country and want- ed to provide low-cost alternatives to the customers who visited their store. In 1962, Don Bolivar went to Italy to acquire pasta mak- ing machinery from the Braibanti firm for the produc- tion of long noodle pasta and other short pastas, such as macaroni and mostacholis. The machinery arrived in 1963, and two years later operations began. Since then, the company has been producing quality pasta products, under the Pasta Princess brand, reaching every corner of the country. Products include: spa- ghetti, noodles, mostacholis, penne, small and large coditos, rigatoni, ravioli, gnocchi, natural and tricolor spirals, lasagna, and cannelloni. In 1994, Don Bolivar founded Cibao Valley Mills, a wheat mill capable of processing 300 tons of flour per day. In 2009, the plant began making cookies, cakes, and crackers. Recently, the Bocel Group expanded the range of its Aviva brand crackers with the launch of Aviva Fine Herbs, a product that offers consumers the tastes of parsley, oregano, and basil. These new fla- vors were aimed at an adult audience looking to enjoy new, healthful, wheat-based products. Grupo Bocel’s current general manager is Ruben AT A GLANCE WHO: Grupo Bocel WHAT: A manufacturer and distributor of pasta products, cookies, cakes, and crackers WHERE: Santiago and Santo Domingo, Domini- can Republic WEBSITE : www.grupobocel.com