Santal producer: It's hard to match last year's increases

Sales of Santal juices in Romania rose by almost 7% in the first 9 months of the year in terms of volume against the same time in 2007, according to Parmalat's financial report. Last year, when high summer temperatures brought about record consumption of soft drinks, the producer reported a 40% increase in terms of volume nine months into the year. "It is hard to replicate the 2007 performance. This was a very good year for soft drink producers due to the high summer temperatures. I am very pleased we are on an upward trend this year, with 9-month sales higher against 2007," said Giampaolo Manzonetto, General Manager of Parmalat Romania. Manzonetto added that he was expecting sales to go up in Q4, and that the 2008 growth rate would match the initial target of 10%.