Heritage

Birds of a feather…

It all began in 1982 with Avicola Buzău, the Cocorico farm grounds in Buzău, which sits at the foothills of Romania’s Carpathian mountain range and forms a portion of the fertile Romanian Plain. The plains are considered the breadbasket of the country, where forests abound and are etched with thousands of lakes, rivers and streams.
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With all of the region’s wild scenery, Cocorico’s founders saw the incremental shift away from land and people becoming separated from traditional food production. There was a dire need for trusted food producers who could reconcile the best of traditional farming with industrial food rearing. Over 25 years later, Cocorico has become one of the most respected brands chosen by millions of people in Romania and the rest of Europe.

The Cocorico brand is nested across several divisions

AAylex Agro Cooperativa Agricolă: the most modern feed production plant for chickens is founded

Avicola Buzău: Cocorico’s farm grounds

AAylex Prod: a high-tech poultry processing facility established in 2011

AAylex Distribution: Cocorico’s product distribution company

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The history of AAylex Group begins with Avicola Buzău and the year 1982
A look back at
our timeline

  • 1982

    The history of AAylex Group begins with Avicola Buzău and the year 1982, when the business was first established. This was the start of a company that aimed to become a quality purveyor of natural chicken in Romania and worldwide. 

  • 1996

    Avicola Buzău lists on the Romanian OTC stock exchange.

  • 1998

    AAylex Trading, a Romanian corporation specialized in the marketing, sales and distribution of poultry products, acquires a controlling stake in the company and assembles into a corporate conglomerate still in existence today.

  • 2000

    Cocorico becomes a registered brand of the AAylex Group, staking its promise of ensuring fresh and natural poultry, premium quality, ethical production standards and social responsibility. 

  • 2007


    Avicola Buzău’s Quality Management and Food Safety System is implemented in line with HACCP and EU bio-security standards.

  • 2011

    
AAylex Group establishes AAylex Prod, one of the largest modern meat processing plants in Europe with poultry exports to over ten countries and millions of consumers globally.

  • 2012 


    The Cocorico brand acquires a new visual identity as a registered trademark of AAylex Group.

  • 2015


    AAylex Group is awarded numerous product certifications for its Cocorico product range (e.g. ISO 9001), demonstrating commitment to quality, biosecurity and hygiene.

  • 2016 


    AAylex Agro Cooperativa Agricolă, the most modern feed production plant for chickens is founded. To ensure environmental stewardship, special biogas units, waste disposal systems, sewage treatment plants, hygienization filters and solar panels are set up on the premises.

  • 2016

    In 2016, Avicola Buzău becomes delisted from the stock market and maintains its 100% Romanian shareholder equity.

  • 2019


    Cocorico exhibits at Indagra, Romania’s largest event dedicated to agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, debuting the entire product line and newly launched branding.

  • 2020


    Cocorico, The All-Natural Chicken brand launches its rebranding and new portion packs.