Local firm Valco, which produces Romanian traditional alcoholic drinks, has exported 6,000 bottles of traditional Palinca to the US, a total worth of EUR 60,000. The company has signed contracts with distributions companies on the most important US markets New York, New Jersey, Illinois - Chicago, Michigan, Nevada - Las Vegas and California.

The firm plans to export 30,000 more bottles to the US for 2011. It is also in talk to expand exports to Italy, Germany and Israel, apart from the existing Spain and France. The company posted revenues of EUR 2 million in the first 11 months of this year and expects EUR 2.5 million for the entire 2011.

Palinca is a type of fruit brandy, in Romania mostly made of plums, with an alcohol content usually between 37.5% and 86%. The drink is traditional in Hungary, Slovakia and the Transylvanian part of Romania. A similar variety of alcoholic drink is produced elsewhere across Romania under the name of tuica.

editor@romania-insider.com