Generation after generation, there is a small habit that unites and connects us all: sitting around a table. And this custom survives intact over time. In Spain, a well-stocked table with friends and family is everyday life turned into tradition and memories. And always with one element that remains over time: bread.
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Bread is present at all our gatherings. The crumbs on the table show that the meal has been enjoyed and that, next, the second part of the gathering begins: the after-meal conversation. Desserts and conversation will also rest in harmony on the remains of the bread. It is a cultural fact: bread stays on the table until the end because, beyond being just another food, it is our way of sharing and living.
Vicky Foods began more than seven decades ago as a small bakery offering bread
And there are companies that have known how to build themselves from this closeness and custom like Dulcesol, the brand of bread, pastries, ice creams, and bakery products from the Vicky Foods group, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Since 1976, it has accompanied millions of Spanish households daily with its special breads or toasts, but also with its iconic square muffins, sugar rolls, or its typical Valencian fartons.
Its anniversary in 2026 coincides with a new stage of expansion for the food group to which it belongs, Vicky Foods, the family group that began more than seven decades ago as a small bakery offering bread. First, in its neighborhood. Then, in the region.
More than 70 years leading the sector
The trajectory of Vicky Foods, a family business with more than 70 years of history, has evolved at the pace of a changing society. It all started as a small bread business in Villalonga (Valencia) in 1952, led by Victoria Fernández and her husband, Antonio Juan, who years later promoted diversification towards pastries. Victoria led the company for more than two decades, and in 2019 the group adopted the name Vicky Foods in her honor. Her legacy has always been based on diversification, innovation, and especially internationalization, without ever straying from its origins and roots: bread.
Today, the group has consolidated as one of the main European operators in the sector and closed the 2025 fiscal year with a turnover of 761 million euros, nearly 9% more than the previous year, and a production of 254,631 tons.
To achieve these figures, it employs 4,285 people and carries out its commercial activity in more than 50 countries and has production centers in Spain, France, Algeria, and Portugal. After this success, the legacy of Victoria and Antonio clearly remains intact and, decade after decade, their successors continue to demonstrate that the true success lies in feeling passion for what you do.
Bread, the heart (and origin) of the business
But, without a doubt, the roadmap that will mark the present and future of Vicky Foods is led by the acquisition of Panrico in Spain and Portugal. The operation incorporates both the historic brand and its production plant in Gulpilhares (Portugal) and means refocusing on the origin of everything: bread.
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Because before becoming an international food group with a catalog of nearly 2,500 references and brands such as Dulcesol, Hermanos Juan, Be Plus, Il Forno di Giovanni Ricci, or FIT’z, Vicky Foods was, above all, a bakery company dedicated to selling loaves of bread to the neighborhood.
The roadmap that will mark the present and future of Vicky Foods is led by the acquisition of Panrico in Spain and Portugal
Now, the acquisition of Panrico not only expands its industrial capacity on the peninsula and strengthens its presence in a market with many opportunities, but also consolidates a bet started decades ago on a category with enormous development potential.
And it is no coincidence that bread has become, again, the main driver of Vicky Foods’ business. Since 2022 it has surpassed pastries in sales volume and maintains a competitive evolution, driven by sliced bread and hamburger buns, increasingly present in consumption habits. The integration of Panrico, whose turnover exceeded 23.8 million euros last fiscal year, reinforces this bet.
From Valencia to the world
With an important presence in Europe, a consolidated industrial structure, and the bread business as the core of the business, Vicky Foods faces the future eager to continue gaining weight in international markets and strengthen its position among the most important groups in the food industry.
In this regard, in 2025, another major milestone of the food holding took place: the inauguration of its first production plant in France, with an investment of more than 100 million euros. Located in Fragnes-La Loyère, it will supply the French market and other European countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, or the Benelux markets.
From supplying neighbors to reaching all of Europe with its products. Victoria and Antonio’s dream knows no borders.
