Adrian Paul Cocan, co-Founder of Lăptăria cu Caimac: How to build an authentic premium brand beyond compromise

A candid interview with Adrian Paul Cocan, co-founder of Lăptăria cu Caimac, about courage, failure, resilience, and the ambition to build Romanian premium products that can compete globally.

C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career, what were the key moments that defined you?

Adrian Paul Cocan: In 2001, during university, I decided that the most important thing was to prepare myself in the field I was studying, and I worked for about one year in multinational companies to accumulate knowledge and experience. Then, at the end of university, I chose a company where I could develop, not the highest salary. In 2008 I started entrepreneurship on a fairly small scale. In 2010, after two difficult years, I returned as an employee, and in 2014 I resumed entrepreneurship. Over the last 11 years, I have built one of the most successful young Romanian brands.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment so far in your journey and how did you overcome it?

Adrian Paul Cocan: In 2009 I lost around €250,000, almost all my money. The crisis hit many industries hard. I started all over again…

C&B: Is there a dream or an ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?

Adrian Paul Cocan: I have always wanted to show that Romanians are capable of creating things of exceptional quality, and this has followed me like an obsession.

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey and how do you feel you have transformed up to the present?

Adrian Paul Cocan: I don’t think I have fundamentally changed. I have only gained the scars of entrepreneurial experience in an economy at the beginning of its path.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Adrian Paul Cocan: From what I have perceived, their opinion of me is that I am very calm and that I always make long-term plans, or even too long-term. And it’s true, I don’t know if that’s good or bad, it’s simply how I function.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?

Adrian Paul Cocan: The most difficult decision was returning to entrepreneurship. We still do not have a sufficiently long history of capitalism to have learned to encourage action and possible mistakes.

C&B: What motivated you to create a premium brand in a market dominated by mass products?

Adrian Paul Cocan: There was a need in the market for a premium product, a truly premium one, made with great attention to all details. I did not start from the idea of a premium brand, but from that of a product. Premium brands existed in the market and still do, but there are not many premium products. I’ll just give the example of some brands sold as premium in Romania that, in their countries of origin, are at most mass market. The country brand has worked wonders for these imports, but the substance is fragile.

C&B: What do you think differentiates your business or your professional approach from the rest of the industry?

Adrian Paul Cocan: Obsessive attention to detail, complete vertical integration (we grow animal feed, have our own cows, process the milk and even handle a large part of the logistics). From the very beginning, we sought an organizational design that would stimulate the construction of know-how, R&D, and bring the best methods for the tastiest and healthiest products possible. And above all this, a belief in fairness. We have never launched a product that is not exactly what it says on the label, and we have never hidden realities behind euphemisms.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now and what moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?

Adrian Paul Cocan: A typical day doesn’t look typical at all. In general, I deal with major projects and the days rarely resemble one another. There may be many meetings or short sessions, sometimes micro-management and other times solving problems that colleagues encounter for the first time.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do and how do you apply them day by day?

Adrian Paul Cocan: First of all, honesty. I call things by their name and I do what I say. And I always keep my word, even if sometimes it comes at a cost. Secondly, rigor. It is a concept that should be learned and developed in school and within the family. If you don’t do things rigorously, you simply waste time. And thirdly, work. Big things and good things are achieved with a lot of sustained effort over a long period of time.

C&B: How did the story of Lăptăria cu Caimac begin and what was the decisive moment in launching the brand?

Adrian Paul Cocan: Lăptăria started from two personal frustrations. The price of milk as a raw material is often very low, and farms tend to generate income from crop production. This has adjusted somewhat over the past 11 years, but not completely. The second frustration is one that persists. I was in Stockholm in 2014 and, in a superb supermarket that carried products from all over Europe, Romanian products were missing. I wanted a top product not only for the local market, but for the global one as well.

C&B: What are the key stages in obtaining a truly premium product?

Adrian Paul Cocan: Study is the key. Everything must be studied, from product history and technology to competition, consumer opinion, and international clinical studies. That’s how you can make truly informed decisions. Then the product must fit our requirements: WITHOUT. The “without” list is so extensive that it completely excludes many categories. For example, without powdered milk, without stabilizers, without anti-caking agents, without preservatives, without starch, without anything that should not be in a good product. And the final point on the list is that we must be able to produce it in the existing factory.

C&B: What plans do you have for the coming years in terms of portfolio and production?

Adrian Paul Cocan: We have many plans. We have many R&D projects. In countries with uninterrupted tradition, product diversity is huge. Over 1,500 types of cheese, over 600 types of acidophilus products, sour cream, butter, etc. Romania is currently at around 10%. Dairy consumption per capita is still low, although increasing. In Western Europe it is three to four times higher, and diversity helps because it brings something for everyone.
I am very proud of my team. They have done a lot of pioneering work. For example, real kefir. Until two weeks ago, for almost three years, we were producing the only real kefir in Romania. There is only one other on the shelf, produced in Germany. It’s just one example. All our products are fundamentally different from the market’s usual approach. We built everything against the current “this is how it’s done,” because that model led to the massive decline of local processing and the relocation of production to other countries.
We have many finalized recipes for all categories (nothing in those where it is mandatory to include “magic powder” ingredients, such as fruit yogurts). The focus will continue to be on things that others cannot produce at the quality level we offer.

Adrian Paul Cocan’s story is not just about entrepreneurship, but about perseverance, accountability, and vision. It is a journey shaped by patience, research, and a deep respect for quality, proving that excellence is never accidental, but the result of constant, courageous choices.