Success Stories

Pain D’Or is one of the largest and most highly regarded Bulgarian companies engaged in the production of long-shelf-life croissants, cookies and breads. The company is well regarded for a number of reasons: the variety and high and consistent level of quality of its products, innovations in the area of production, high health and safety standards, an environmentally friendly production process using the best natural ingredients, affordable prices and customer-friendly policies.
By 2003, with USAID help, Pain D’Or expanded from thirty employees to 180, giving more Bulgarian families a reliable income. This is particularly good news in a country where the unemployment level is high compared to the European Union and world standards. According to the company’s chairman Antoine Iskandar, what they achieved during the past five years could not have been done in fifteen years without the assistance of USAID.

USAID offers consultancy services to small and medium sized enterprises in priority sectors like agribusinesses, food industry, and tourism. USAID helped Pain D’Or grow by providing expert advice in production, marketing, administration, and sales. Crucial to their success was the expert assistance from USAID that allowed the company to export products to Hungary, Russia, and the United States. Pain D’Or was awarded the Silver Lion Bulgarian Award for Superior Quality.