History
It was in 1941 that Lorenzo Alejandro Mendoza Fleury set up a brewery to produce and market beer in Venezuela. This marks the beginning of Cerveceria Polar.
Soon after, thanks to the inventiveness of master brewer Carlos Roubicek, the original formula was adapted to satisfy the need for a lighter and more refreshing beer amongst the Venezuelan consumers. Hence the first European formula was simplified by replacing some of the malted barley with flakes of corn. Years later, Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero, the founder’s son, proposed the installation of a corn processing plant to substitute this imported ingredient. And so it was in 1954 that the first plant was inaugurated in Turmero, which later became Alimentos Polar. The goal was to produce this ingredient for brewing Polar beer.
Towards the end of the 1950s, Juan Lorenzo Mendoza Quintero and Carlos Roubicek, along with their colleagues came to realize that Venezuelans needed an alternative that would give them a simple and practical manner to produce corn dough, so essential for the daily preparation of arepas.
In utilizing this very corn processing facility, they conceived of a product that would simplify and shorten the housewife´s daily manual chore (of cleaning, grinding, cooking and milling of corn), and hence ensure that the arepas, and many others corn based dishes, would continue to maintain their traditional flavours.
The product was intended to bear a name that represented all that an arepa meant, which is that it was to be the “Venezuelan bread” or “pan” in Spanish. It was thus that it came be called P.A.N., initials that signified Productos Alimenticios Nacionales, and was registered as such as a brand.
On December 10, 1960 P.A.N. was launched and achieved great success, from a complete satisfaction of the Venezuelan consumer.
Today, P.A.N. is found in more than 25 countries, bringing the delicious flavor of corn to consumers in an easy and practical way to prepare your favorite corn based recipes.
