New Agricultural Mechanics Class Opens in Zimnicea with Support from Danone

A new agricultural mechanics class has been launched at the Theoretical High School of Zimnicea, aiming to train young students to become specialists in agriculture and support the mission of Danone’s social project “A Chance for Your Family”—an initiative promoting local entrepreneurship in the dairy industry by helping small-scale farmers.

🎓 A Practical Path to Agricultural Careers

The socio-economic program “A Chance for Your Family” has been active for 13 years, and milk produced in the households of Zimnicea is delivered daily to the Danone yogurt factory in Bucharest.

The total value of the project has exceeded €7 million, reflecting the scale and long-term commitment to agricultural education and community development.

Following the success of the first agricultural mechanics class established in 2024 at the Zimnicea High School in partnership with Polaris Group and OpenFields NGO (Cluj-Napoca), a second class has now been opened to train eight new students, contributing directly to the sustainable development of livestock farming in the region.

Danone will continue supporting the initiative with annual performance and social scholarships totaling €5,000.

“We’ve been producing in Romania for over 26 years using Romanian milk. We operate Danone’s most advanced factory in Europe, using top-quality milk. Investing in the Romanian economy is natural — and so is investing in the future and education of young people,” said Cătălin Andreica, Milk Procurement Manager, Danone Romania, and Project Coordinator.

🧑‍🔧 From Education to Rural Development

“Projects like ‘A Chance for Your Family’ are more than educational initiatives — they are direct investments in the future of our community. This collaboration has opened the door to practical learning experiences that give young people a real opportunity to build a future in Romania,” said Floarea Constantinescu, Principal of Theoretical High School Zimnicea.

“The specialized agricultural mechanics class is a concrete example of how change can be driven by strategic, education-based partnerships. Such efforts must continue, as these students are the ones who will modernize and revitalize Romanian agriculture.”

🐄 The Zimnicea Milk Collection Hub

The milk collection center in Zimnicea is managed by Polaris Group SRL, a strategic partner of Danone for over 26 years.

Danone began collecting milk from the region in 1999, and since 2012, the partnership with Polaris has focused on producing high-quality milk in line with European standards.

In 2024, the project expanded to include support for agricultural education, and this year a new class has been launched to train the next generation of agricultural specialists.

(Photo: Danone)